13

In the internet I found a lot of threads about Windows settings about making the battery last longer before you need to re-charge is.

But this is about how to increase the battery lifespan.

Also there are a lot of threads with settings about windows 7 and custom software.

So the question here is:

How to increaes the battery lifespan with operating system Windwos 10? Do I need to install software or is it possible with Windows 10 Settings to change the behavior.

E.g. stop charching after a specific percentage / Do not charge to 100%

Edit / Examples:

Say I have a charged laptop, then I go to a Meeting for half an hour.
Then the laptop charges.
After two hours another meeting then the laptop charges the sames cells again.
Would it not be better if a laptop starts charging if the batter is lower than 60% and stops if it reaches 80%? (assuming office live)

6
  • 2
    Why do you think not charging to 100% will increase the lifespan?
    – Tetsujin
    Commented Aug 8, 2018 at 8:49
  • 2
    The askubuntu question is from 2011. I doubt most people were using Li-ion batteries back then. Old NiMh batteries suffered from 'battery memory' issues & needed handling completely differently to modern systems. The linked picture says nothing on its own.
    – Tetsujin
    Commented Aug 8, 2018 at 9:43
  • 8
    "Most Li-ions charge to 4.20V/cell, and every reduction in peak charge voltage of 0.10V/cell is said to double the cycle life. For example, a lithium-ion cell charged to 4.20V/cell typically delivers 300–500 cycles. If charged to only 4.10V/cell, the life can be prolonged to 600–1,000 cycles; 4.0V/cell should deliver 1,200–2,000 and 3.90V/cell should provide 2,400–4,000 cycles." batteryuniversity.com/index.php/learn/article/… Commented Aug 8, 2018 at 14:29
  • Added an example. Also answers your question @Tetsujin Commented Aug 16, 2018 at 11:04
  • Some laptops have a setting in BIOS/UEFI firmware to force the laptop to use a standard vs <other> charge and there is either a setting in Windows, or it may be an OEM application, that will only charge at a certain percentage and to a certain percentage. This all being said, lithium batteries should be fully discharged and fully recharged every so often (I want to say ~1x - 2x/mo, but I may be misremembering). It's not the charging itself that shortens battery life, but the higher voltage charging that such "Express" charging schemes allow (versus a Standard charge scheme).
    – JW0914
    Commented Jan 8, 2020 at 13:16

5 Answers 5

8

How to increaes the battery lifespan with operating system Windwos 10?

As of Windows 10, and the current technical standards for portable computer power-control (i.e. ACPI and more modern UEFI-based specifications), you can't. This is unfortunate because the benefits of limiting battery charge level are well-documented (cynically, keep-in-mind that computer manufacturers have a perverse incentive to sell batteries that wear out such that you'll purchase new batteries - also note that many laptops with 3 or even 5 year warranties will specifically exclude the Lithium-Ion battery pack or give the battery a much shorter warranty, even if it's an non-user-serviceable internal battery.

Do I need to install software or is it possible with Windows 10 Settings to change the behavior. e.g. stop charching after a specific percentage / Do not charge to 100%

It isn't possible from within Windows simply because the computer's battery charger controller hardware operates entirely independently from the operating-system - it's often a simple electronic connection from the DC jack on your laptop directly to the internal Lithium-Ion - protected only by commodity overcharge (i.e. beyond 100%) and overheating protection circuits - and these are not necessarily configurable by the OS or EFI firmware. Remember that your laptop will charge its battery to 100% when it's plugged-in, even when it's turned-off (so the OS has literally no way of limiting the battery's charge).

That said, some laptop makers do provide tools that do let you configure your battery charging hardware - both my old Toshiba Tecra laptop from 2006 and my Sony Vaio laptop from 2010 both had "battery health" / "battery care" utility programs that would configure the charge-limiter, which was nice.

Until Microsoft or another OS vendor - or civic-minded member of the EFI forum decides to champion a proposal for limiting battery charge, the best we can do is manually monitor battery charge and to physically unplug or switch-off the charger/docking-station if it exceeds some sensible limit. It's frustrating that it can't be easily automated.

1
  • "It's frustrating that it can't be easily automated" - that's an understatement IMO! :P Thanks for the very useful info. I never would've thought charging a battery could be so simple at the hardware level, meaning that software "hacks" are completely impossible, but it totally makes sense when explained so succinctly :-)
    – Kenny83
    Commented Jan 1, 2022 at 17:20
4

Scientific studies show optimal battery charge percentage for long life is 50 percent and a temperature of 60 degrees fahrenheit. 50 percent is best for someone who uses a laptop as a desktop replacement and rarely uses the battery. I work at a desk plugged in, but have meetings for a few hours. In my case the optimal charge percent is 85 and discharges to 40. Wear conditions for batteries are cycle count, temperature, and continuous high or low charge states. Windows does not have any native settings to limit charge rate. Most newer laptops have settings in the bios for automatic charge rate, full charge, or user set charge rate. Another way to limit charge rate but is not optimal is to use an under spec power adapter. For example if your laptop requires a 90w charger, using a 65w usually won't charge the battery but can cause a slightly reduced cpu speed/performance.

2
  • I downvoted this post because it doesn't answer the question at all but only provides background information.
    – Dai
    Commented Mar 3, 2020 at 10:30
  • 1
    This is a helpful tip for battery health. There is no answer, this needs to be done manually.
    – Alex G
    Commented Apr 23, 2020 at 0:15
3

There is a program for Windows called Battery Limiter that will sound an alarm when the battery charge exceeds a specified high limit and drops below a low limit; this is probably the best that can be done unless the specific computer supports actually controlling the charge. I haven't used it yet, but the Web site says for version 1.0.6 (still current March 2021) that it has

"so smart" feature, allows user to connect Battery Limiter with their smart devices, like smartplugs to automate your charger ... smart feature will probably require some more explanation for most users I will prepare some basic manual of the idea, also I hope some users might send me their setup so could share with the rest of you

The manual available for download as of March 2021 didn't mention the "smart" feature.

By the way, there is a program like this for Android (AccuBattery), and a program for rooted Android that stops charging when the specified limit is reached (Battery Charge Limit).

HTH

1

You can do that, but it seems to be vendor specific: the vendor/maker of the computer has to integrate that function in their firmware or software.

For selected lenovo models, you can try "OneKey Optimizer". You can find a download link deep in here: https://support.lenovo.com/us/en/solutions/ht503119-battery-performance-drops-critically-on-ideapad-laptops-running-windows-10

-3

All batteries lose charging capacity over time and will eventually need to be replaced. n my opinion, we don't need to add software to extend battery life. The main thing is that we need to avoid improper charging and use, sometimes we need to keep proper power settings so that we can optimization battery life, and we can use the computer for a little longer. I have summarized some of the following areas that need attention.

Temperature aspects: 1. Keep the laptop cool.

  1. We have to be careful about heat, clean the laptop's vents and fan regularly.

  2. Do not use the laptop on a pillow or blanket, but on firm surfaces such as a table or a desk, which won't flex and block airflow or cooling.

  3. Avoid extreme ambient temperatures(do not be too hot or too cold).

Power and settings aspects:

  1. Use our laptop manufacturer’s battery maintenance tools.

  2. By default, the machine was always charging the battery up to 100%, we can modified this to max out at 80%.

  3. We should also avoid full discharges.

  4. We can unplug the laptop overnight, it can protect the machine from potential electrical surges. That's a good Defensive Computing.

  5. Adjust graphics and display settings (for example, lower the lights).

  6. Tweak our built-in power saving options.

  7. Turn off the sounds and backlit keyboards.

In terms of use: 1. Turn off Power-Hungry Apps and Processes.

  1. Turn off Power-Hungry Hardware(for example, turn off bluetooth).

  2. Use hibernate, not just sleep, whenever possible.

  3. Try a different browser.

  4. Unplug all USB devices and remove all discs when not needed.

  5. Update software and drivers and use the right adapter.

  6. Turn off wifi when not in use.

If we don’t plan to use the laptop on batteries for quite some time, ensure that the charge is nearly 40 percent, remove the batteries and store it in a cool place. The details we may have to pay attention to during normal use are more than the above. A typical lithium ion battery has an overall average life of 2-3 years. With some care and caution, its mortality can be delayed.

We can refer part settings in the links: https://fossbytes.com/how-to-maximize-battery-life-on-windows-10/

2
  • 4
    This is too broad to answer this question. It asks specificly about Windows 10, also asks how to limit battery charging, your answer cover none of those. Commented Aug 9, 2018 at 6:20
  • 3
    "All batteries lose charging capacity over time and will eventually need to be replaced, in my opinion, we don't need to add software to extend battery life" - limiting lithium-ion charging increases the operational life of a battery considerably. Tesla's cars all have user-configurable charge-limiters and they recommend not charging beyond 66-75% unless you absolutely need 100% range. Other resources agree as well, so I think it's safe to say that your opinion is incorrect.
    – Dai
    Commented Mar 3, 2020 at 10:32

You must log in to answer this question.

Not the answer you're looking for? Browse other questions tagged .