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You just comberan a new laptop, expecting hours of uninterrupted use, only to find the battery draining as fast as a smartphone at 1%.
But don’t worry—by the time you finish reading this, you’ll know exactly what causes this issue and how to fix it!
How to Fix a Fast-Draining Laptop Battery
Here’s how you can tackle the issue and extend your battery life:
1. Adjust Power Settings
One of the simplest ways to save battery is by tweaking your power settings:
- Click on the battery icon in the system tray.
- Select Battery settings.
- Choose a power plan like Power Saver or create a custom one that reduces power consumption by dimming the screen, lowering the CPU performance, and turning off unnecessary features.
2. Close Background Apps
Before you start worrying that your laptop battery is defective, first check if something else might be draining it.
New laptops often come with a bunch of pre-installed software (bloatware) that runs in the background without you even realizing it.
Here’s what you should do:
- Open Task Manager (Ctrl + Shift + Esc).
- Go to the Processes tab.
- Look for apps that are using a lot of CPU or memory and end them by clicking End Task.
3. Lower Screen Brightness
Your screen is one of the biggest battery hogs. Here’s how to adjust it:
- Press the Windows key + I to open Settings.
- Click on System > Display.
- Use the slider under Brightness and color to reduce the screen brightness to a level that’s comfortable for you.
4. Calibrate Your Battery
Your laptop battery might not be properly calibrated, which leads to inaccurate readings that make it seem like the battery is draining faster than it actually is.
To fix this, follow the steps below:
- Fully charge your laptop to 100%.
- Keep it plugged in for at least two more hours.
- Unplug your laptop and use it until it dies completely.
- Charge it back up to 100% without interruption.
A new laptop battery draining fast doesn’t necessarily mean there’s something wrong with it. More often than not, it’s due to software settings or background programs that need tweaking.
By following the steps from this short guide, you can extend your battery life and get the most out of your new laptop.
Ana Gajic
Technical Writer
Ana is an experienced technical writer and she likes solving problems and fixing errors.