Tips for Extending the Life of Your Laptop Battery

We have laptops so we can have a computer with us wherever we go but if we run out of juice the entire purpose is moot and we are stuck with nonfunctional carry on that sits there taunting us with all the possibilities that could have been if only we would have managed our laptop battery more wisely. Well here's a guide to help you get the most juice out of your laptop. *By the way I'm currently writing this with 18% of my battery remaining, I'll make sure to let you know how much I have left when I finish.

Set your computer's power options in the control panel to save energy.

Turn down the brightness of your screen. Brighter light means more energy. Odds are the lowest setting will be enough light to function.

Close any unused programs. Programs demand power so don't over task your system and close any unused open windows.

Unplug any unused peripherals. Everything that requires electricity that is plugged into your computer without its own source of energy is running off of your battery so when something is not being used make sure to unplug that energy hog.

Use hibernate or turn off your laptop when it's not in use. No point in wasting the battery when you're not even using the computer, just simply turn it off or if you think you won't be away long and don't want to wait through another boot up just put it on hibernate. Standby is also a great option as well.

Plug the battery in whenever possible. This will obviously keep your laptop charged and in addition will create less wear and tear on your battery preserving the full charge capabilities for a longer time allowing your battery to hold more juice per charge.

Optimize your laptop with smaller programs. When getting new software consider the size of the program and the demands it will have on your system when it's in use. If you must have a certain large program try to use a smaller substitute whenever you're not plugged in even if it's just to make an outline or a draft to copy from for later when you can plug in.

*Finished with 12% battery remaining