Laptop Battery

Should I Leave My Laptop Plugged In All The Time?

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Have you ever asked these questions from yourself before: “Should I leave my laptop plugged in all the time?”, “Does it decrease my battery lifetime?”, “Does permanent connection to the power damage my battery?” or “Should I let battery charge go down to zero and then plug the laptop in again?”

Battery is one of the main laptop parts and people always ask different questions about laptop batteries in the Internet. Although there is no easy answer to these questions, we’re going to give you some information about laptop batteries here which might help you find answers to these questions.

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The main structure of laptop battery


Most of laptop batteries are lithium-ion or lithium polymer and their design lets them recharge many times. This kind of batteries can’t be overcharged and every time they get full of charge, their charging process will stop automatically. So connecting your laptop to the power after full charge of the battery, does not affect the battery negatively and only affects its life time.
Of course, we can increase battery life in some ways. Laptop batteries can charge and discharge for specific amount of times; so if battery charge runs out many times, it will certainly reduce battery life time.

Overheating – One of the Main Factors that Damage the Battery


Overheating is very harmful for the battery and reduces battery life a lot. It’s OK for the battery if the laptop is connected to the power full charged, but heat generated by the laptop hardware is one of the main enemies for the laptop battery.

So if the temperature of CPU or laptop hard disk is about 40°C (104°F), connecting laptop to the power after full charge does not hurt its battery, but if you want to do some heavy tasks on your laptop, it`s better to take the battery out.

What is the best to keep battery healthy?


Today not all laptops come with a removable battery, so our solution won’t work for these laptops. Instead, you can use another solution to easily increase your laptop battery life. According to some tests, if the battery charges 100%, the number of times it can recharge reduces to 300-500 times; however, if the battery charges about 70-80%, it can recharge 1000 or 2000 times. So, here are our recommendations.

Don’t let your battery charge go down to zero. The best thing is to keep battery charge between 40% and 80%.
When you’re using the battery, don’t do heavy tasks on your laptop and make sure fans work properly.

With doing above simple tasks, you’ll keep your laptop’s battery healthy which results a longer lifetime. Hope you enjoyed this post and do not hesitate share your opinion about laptop batteries in comments below.

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18 comments

  1. My laptop usually overheats when it’s almost charged fully. I have to unplug to allow it cool for a while before plugging back to continue charging. I think leaving the laptop plugged in after it’s fully charged is not advisable though.

    1. You’re right Miguel but modern laptops have features which discount laptop’s power even if it’s plugged so there is nothing to worry about. Thanks for your comment.

  2. You provide good common sense information on getting the best battery life, but I have to read between the lines to get answers to the questions you pose.

    Keeping your battery cool and not overcharging it can substantially improve your battery life. So I think you are recommending not keeping the laptop plugged in and not charging the battery to full charge. Don’t run the battery till it is fully discharged and don’t put a big load on the battery doing things that cause a big draw like video streaming.

    This is all good information. I guess people are going to have to make a choice between long battery life and doing a lot of things on their laptop they like to do.

    1. Hi Bill, you got the point very well and with your clarification, it’s now clear for everyone to know how to keep their laptop’s battery healthy.

      Thanks for your comment

      Best,
      Ali

  3. Hi,
    I can’t tell you how many laptop batteries I replaced over the years. And yes, do not leave your laptop plug in! The battery has a life cycle and the more you recharge, it will eventually give out.. What I do now is that I remove the battery so I can keep my laptop plugged in all the time, and when I need to carry my laptop; I just put the battery back in. However, like you mention not all laptops have removable batteries these days. That’s a good tip to keep the batteries at 40 – 80 percent, cheers.

    1. Hi Xdeem, that’s nice to see that this article had some useful tips for you ) Yes, unfortunately many people lose their batteries because they don’t know how to keep it healthy. Above tips help people to have a battery with longer lifetime.

      Best,
      Ali

  4. Yeah, I leave my laptop plugged in all the time and only unplugged when it is necessary to work with a remote. I own a Samsung laptop and it claimed that it could charge up more than 1000-2000 times which I feel is very reasonable for wear and tear for the battery life.

    After reading this I also realize that is true also I didn’t let my laptop battery percentage drop to 0-20%. Most of the times I plugged in when the battery life dropped to 50% or more.

    Just out of curiosity whether can we just replace the laptop battery if, I mean if the battery has gone some days?

    1. Hi Max and Thanks for your comment. I don’t see any problem with replacing your battery laptop if it gets some issues. You can also take a look at Best under $500 laptops which have long time battery life and high quality.

      Best,
      Ali

  5. I think this is a good article. Not too long, but covers the points nicely. Increasing battery life is an important issue. I had no idea that charging to 100% is such a bad thing. I definitely think that you need to link to the “According to some tests”, so that people can see the source for themselves.

    Presumably this advice also applies to mobile phone batteries?

    1. Hi Derek and thanks for your comment. Nice to see that this article was useful for you ) Yes it applies for all devices that use battery.

      Best,
      Ali

  6. I was just thinking about my laptop battery life last night,thanks for keeping me informed,now I know how to handle mine.

    1. You’re welcome David ) Nice to see that it was helpful for you. Next time that you’re thinking about a technical issue, come back here again and take a look at new articles, you may find another useful article 😉

      Best,
      Ali

  7. My laptop is always plugged in and I honestly never thought it wouldn’t affect it. I kind of noticed that my unplugged lifespan has decreased but i blamed it on my paranoia. Thanks for confirming my fears though lol. Should I then take out my battery when I’m using it plugged in?

    1. Hi Kerron, yes if your battery is full charged (it’s recommended to keep its charge up to 85%-90% not 100%) it’s better to take it out.

      Best,
      Ali

  8. Hi!
    I have asked this question many times, and I have heard varying answers. Some experts have said it won’t hurt and others have said it would hurt. Usually, my laptop stays turned on–only because I am usually in a hurry to leave or too tired to think about shutting it down. I learned something new from you today. I will be sure not to allow my battery to charge to 100%. I always thought that was best.
    Thank you for sharing some useful information.
    Kathy

    1. You’re welcome Kathy and nice to see that this post had some useful points for you )
      By the way, never let your laptop stays turned on for a long time. It the same as what happens if we can’t sleep for a long time! 🙂

      Best,
      Ali

  9. Well I never realised I could take the battery out and just run the laptop off the mains ~ I just assumed the battery was some kind of converter (ok so I’m no tech head, but there’s no need to laugh!!!) ~ So if when I’m at home say and doing a lot on the laptop as I’m uploading, downloading got several tabs open; I could take my battery out and run the laptop off the mains helping to prolong my battery life? Then just remember to put the battery back in when you’re using it away from home. Have I Understood that right?

    1. Hi Jacqui and thanks for your comment. Yes, you got it and that’s why I’m doing too.
      Actually if you use your laptop’s battery less, you’ll help it to stand more healthy and as a result more lifetime but it does not mean that you shouldn’t use it all time. It’s recommended to use your laptop’s battery at least once in a month and lets its charge go down to 0% (or close to 0) from 100% then charge it again till when it reaches 85%-90%. Also if you keep it on a some cooler place (not your fridge!) it’ll have effect on its performance positively.

      Best,
      Ali

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