You can’t imagine going to college without a laptop in today’s day and age. After the COVID-19 pandemic, most of the learning process shifted to the online world. Today, students can communicate with their teachers via the Internet, upload their homework to a university portal, and do their research without ever leaving their dorm room.
Of course, modern laptops and computers can get expensive, especially for students on a budget. Some schools might provide you with a device, but it will require some effort to keep it alive until you graduate. The same goes for new gadgets. It’s not really an option to buy a new laptop every year, so you better take care of the one you have!
One way of doing so is to make sure that your laptop battery will last through those long study sessions. Of course, you can always hire essay help at EssayPro in case your gadget suddenly gives out. Expert writers will complete the assignments within the shortest deadlines! But it’s also nice to know that your devices will last with the help of maximizing battery life.
So, do you want to make sure that you won’t have to buy a new laptop after a couple of years? Here are 10 tips every student should know for maximizing laptops’ battery life!
Always Adjust Your Screen Brightness
You might now know this, but your screen is one of the most power-hungry components of your device. Sometimes, you don’t need your screen to be super bright. In this case, lowering the brightness can extend your battery life! As soon as you find the right balance between visibility and battery conservation, you will see the positive changes in a single charge in no time!
Look Out for Background Processes
Similar to screen brightness, background applications can silently drain your laptop’s battery without you even realizing it. Make sure to close unnecessary programs and browser tabs when not in use. You can use Task Manager to look for the most draining apps and close them for maximum efficiency.
Here are some of the examples of the background processes you should look out for:
- Update checks.
- Cloud syncing.
- Messaging and other social media apps.
- Automatic backup services.
- Apps that start automatically when you start your laptop.
- Bluetooth devices, like a wireless mouse, headphones, or a keyboard.
Optimize Your Power Settings
If you dig deeper into your settings, you can find a lot of interesting adjustments. They are not usually needed for an average user, but they save a lot of battery capacity. This is a life-saving hack for budget laptops for students! For example, as you switch to a power-saving mode, you limit the CPU’s performance and reduce background processes at the same time.
Download Energy-Efficient Browsers and Apps
Some web browsers and applications are more energy-efficient than others. Browsers like Mozilla Firefox and Microsoft Edge have been designed to consume less power. Definitely don’t use Chrome if you don’t have little free space on your computer! This will drain your battery while you are browsing the internet. You can use these alternatives when you are unplugged.
Don’t Use More Peripherals than You Need
In other words, unplug everything that you’re not using immediately! USB devices, external hard drives, and other peripherals can draw power from your battery. These are the things that can be plugged back in easily, so it shouldn’t be a problem for you. Also, you can disable Wi-Fi or Bluetooth completely if you’re not using them actively to save some charge as well.
Try to Keep Your Device Cool
You can say that heat is the enemy of battery life. In general, it’s the enemy of all productivity, especially for students. With this heatwave, it’s no surprise that many learners resort to hiring the Best Dissertation Writing Service for their homework assignments. If you can’t work in the summer heat, your gadget can neither! Here is what you can do if you still need to study or watch some movies online:
- Make sure that the vents aren’t blocked or obstructed by anything.
- Consider buying a cooling pad with extra ventilation.
- Use air conditioning or work in the coolest place in your house.
Manage Wi-Fi and Network Search Settings
Speaking of Wi-Fi, lots of students don’t use public unprotected networks. This is great for your cybersecurity, as you can protect yourself from any hacks or data breaches this way. On the other hand, even when you are not connected, your device might be searching for networks. This will definitely decrease the charge from your battery, so turn that Wi-Fi off completely!
Use Hibernate Mode Instead of Sleep Mode
Sleep mode is very convenient when you need to get back to your studies quickly after a short break. At the same time, it still uses some power to keep your laptop’s memory active. Hibernate mode, on the other hand, saves your current state to the hard drive and then shuts down your device. This is a matter of one click, but the difference can be amazing!
Update Your Operating System Regularly
It might not be very pleasant when you need to jump back to your essay, but your gadget decided that it needs rebooting. When you keep everything up to date, you won’t have this issue anymore! Just schedule the update for the night and enjoy performance improvements and other optimizations in the morning. Your laptop will consume less power during daily tasks.
Consider Buying an External Battery
This might sound like a last resort, but it will do the trick. Instead of looking for an outlet, you can pop an external battery and enjoy the extra charge! Here are some things to consider before buying this power source:
- Laptop compatibility.
- Power capacity.
- Output power.
- Fast charging option.
- Portability.
To Sum Up
So there you have it, 10 tips every student should know for maximizing laptops’ battery life! Optimizing power is a strategy that will help you boost your overall experience with your device. You won’t have to buy a new one every year with these simple tricks! A little bit of battery-conscious behavior can go a long way.
