Every laptop is equipped with a battery saver mode or economy mode which puts the machine in a low power consumption state. The processor, memory, hard disk, etc. all start consuming less power by reducing their performance. This allows you to lengthen the time before the battery dies.
2. Reduce the Screen Brightness
As with any electronic device including your mobile phone, you should lower the brightness of your laptop's screen. In fact, if the battery is about to die, lower it to the lowest setting. Most modern laptop screens consist of LEDs to provide the backlighting and hence, they do take up power.
3. Switch Off Unused Devices
Unless you are using them, turn off the Wi-Fi and Bluetooth because these are radio devices which consume quite a bit of battery power. Additionally, you can also turn off unused peripherals like a high performance graphic card (you obviously won't need it to make a presentation), one or more USB ports (most laptops contain two to three ports, so you can turn off one), and any underutilized optical drives.
4. Lower the Resolution
Modern laptops contain high resolution screens which draw a lot of battery power; reducing the resolution to a basic one when you wish to have more battery time is an efficient way to decrease the power consumption.
5. Turn Off the Keyboard's Backlight
Unless you don't have a laptop with a keyboard that features a backlight, switching off the backlight helps to further increase the time before the battery runs out.
6. Close Any Unnecessary Apps and Processes
Hardware is not the only component consuming your battery, it is the software too. So start by closing any programs running in the background; for example, processes related to sound, music players, video players, or cloud services can be safely closed.
7. Don't Let Your Laptop Overheat
Do you use your laptop on your bed, blanket, or pillow? If so, chances are you risk damaging the battery and the internal components; excessive heat will not only cause damage, but will shorten the battery life as well. Therefore, place your laptop on a hard surface like a desk or a table and if you are feeling lazy, use a portable table like a lapdesk.
Furthermore, dust and debris accumulate on the ventilation ports, fans, and air vents of a laptop which blocks the heat from escaping. Blowing out the vents with compressed air helps in improving the performance and extending the battery life of a laptop.
Laptops are expensive, there's no tiptoeing around it; it's a lot of hard-earned cash out of your pocket. However, they're also incredibly useful and you're likely to have a lot of personal data stored on yours along with photos and videos you won't want to lose it. Unfortunately, accidents can and do happen. Strongly consider getting Laptop Insurance, from just £1.49 per month: https://row.co.uk/laptop-insurance
