Laptop 100% charged but still plugged in? You are just killing it!

Do you sometimes wonder why your laptop battery, which when new, was working wonders for you, but after some time it starts degrading? You charge it full, but it discharges quickly now? Well, when you leave your laptop 100% charged but still plugged in, you are killing it! Laptops are our indispensable lifeline to the majesty that is the Internet. We use them to work and play from anywhere in the world. But if you’re like most people, you probably keep yours plugged in when you’re at work or home. Stop doing that.

In order to squeeze as much life out of your lithium-polymer battery, once your laptop hits 100 percent, unplug it. In fact, you should unplug it before that.

Getting into the technicalities, as per the experts, ideally everyone would charge their batteries to 80 percent then let them drain to about 40 percent. This will prolong the life of your battery — in some cases by as much as four times. The reason is that each cell in a lithium-polymer battery is charged to a voltage level. The higher the charge percentage, the higher the voltage level. The more voltage a cell has to store, the more stress it’s put under. That stress leads to fewer discharge cycles. For example, Battery University states that a battery charged to 100 percent will have only 300-500 discharge cycles, while a battery charged to 70 percent will get 1,200-2,000 discharge cycles.

In short, a simple tip, to keep your laptop battery healthy for a longer time (nearly 4 times longer), would be – Charge it 70 -80% only. In case you have to travel, then you might push the button at 100%. But always remember not to leave your laptop 100% charged but still plugged in and increase the battery’s life.