Battery saving tips

Here are some things you can do to extend your PC’s battery life.

When battery saver is on, your PC temporarily turns off some things that use a lot of power, like automatic email and calendar syncing, live tile updates, and apps you’re not actively using. Using battery saver is the easiest way to extend battery life.

Select the Start button, and then select Settings > System > Battery . If you want battery saver to turn on whenever the battery falls below a certain level, select Turn battery saver on automatically if my battery falls below: and set it where you’d like. To turn on battery saver now and leave it on until the next time you plug in your PC, turn on Battery saver status until next charge.

Change display and power settings

To help extend battery life, adjust some of your PC’s display and power settings. For example:

Let Windows lend a hand. Windows can change some power settings for you automatically, so you don’t have to do it on your own. Select the Start button, and then select Settings > Update & security > Troubleshoot > Power > Run the troubleshooter.
Open Troubleshoot settings
Set a shorter duration for the display when it’s inactive. Select the Start button, and then select Settings > System > Power & sleep . Under On battery power, turn off after, pick a shorter duration.
Reduce your display’s brightness. Select the Start button, and then select Settings > System > Display . Turn off Change brightness automatically when lighting changes (if it appears), and then use the Change brightness slider to set the brightness level you want.
Set a shorter duration for when your PC sleeps. Select the Start button, and then select Settings > System > Power & sleep . Under On battery power, PC goes to sleep after, pick a shorter duration.
Put a lid on it. Most laptops can go to sleep automatically by closing the lid. To set this, select the Start button, and then select Settings > System > Power & sleep > Additional power settings > Choose what closing the lid does.
Just press the power button. Most PCs let you turn off your display, shut down, sleep, or hibernate with a press of the Power button. To choose what the power button does, select the Start button, and then select Settings > System > Power & sleep > Additional power settings > Choose what the power buttons do.
Have your PC hibernate when you’re not using it. When you're on battery power, your PC will hibernate during a certain time of the day at first. After a few days, it’ll learn about the time you usually use your PC, and then hibernate when you're not using it to save battery power. To use this option, select Settings > System > Power & sleep > Save me power when my device knows I’m away. (This option isn’t available on all PCs and depends on your PC hardware and manufacturer.)
Create a power plan. Select the Start button, and then select Settings > System > Power & sleep > Additional power settings > Create a power plan. Select Balanced or Power saver (not High performance), type a plan name in the box (optional), and then select Next. Choose your display and sleep options, and then select Create.
Get more out of your battery when watching videos. Select the Start button > Settings > System > Battery , and then select Optimize for battery life for When watching movies and videos on battery power. When this is selected on devices that can play high dynamic range (HDR) movies and videos, HDR videos will play as standard dynamic range (SDR) videos when your laptop or tablet isn’t plugged in.
Use a dark background or theme. For backgrounds, select the Start button, select Settings > Personalization > Background, and then choose a dark picture or dark solid color. For themes, select the Start button, select Settings > Personalization > Themes > Theme settings, and then choose a dark theme.

Turn off what you aren't using

Turning off idle apps and other features can go a long way to help extend battery life. For example:

Optimize your background apps. Get the most out of your PC’s battery by choosing which apps are okay to run in the background. Select the Start button, then select Settings > System > Battery > Battery usage by app. You’ll see a list of apps and how much battery each one is using relatively. This can help you choose which apps to allow (the ones you care about most) versus which apps to disallow (the ones you care about least). Select an app from the list, turn off Managed by Windows, and then select or clear the Allow app to run background tasks check box. (Note that some apps can’t be changed.)
Turn off location. Select the Start button, then select Settings > Privacy > Location and turn off Location service.
Turn off Bluetooth. Select the Start button, then select Settings > Devices > Bluetooth & other devices and turn off Bluetooth.
Unplug your unused devices. If you have devices or accessories connected to your PC that you don’t use, turn off your PC, unplug the devices, and then turn your PC back on.

Change sync settings

Increase battery life by changing how frequently your PC syncs. For example:

Sync email less often. Select the Start button, and then select Settings > Accounts > Email & app accounts . Select the account that you want to change, and then select Manage > Change mailbox sync settings. Under Download new email, choose a longer interval.
Sync only the email, calendars, and contacts you want. You don’t have to sync email, calendars, or contacts unless you want to. Select the Start button, and then select Settings > Accounts > Email & app accounts . Select the account that you want to change, and then select Manage > Change mailbox sync settings. Under Sync options, select Email, Calendar, or Contacts to turn them off.

Other things you can do

Keep your PC plugged in until it’s fully charged. To check your PC’s battery level, move the mouse pointer over the battery symbol on the taskbar, or go to Settings > System > Battery .
Restart your PC. This can sometimes fix problems that can shorten battery life. Select the Start button, and then select Power > Restart.
Turn on airplane mode if you don’t need Internet, Bluetooth, or other wireless communications. Select the Start button, then select Settings > Network & Internet > Airplane mode , and turn on airplane mode.
Use Microsoft Edge for browsing. Tests show that when browsing with Microsoft Edge, your battery lasts 36-53% longer per charge than when browsing with Chrome, Firefox, or Opera on Windows 10.

Properties

Article ID: 20443 - Last Review: 23 May 2017 - Revision: 57

Applies to

Windows 10

Feedback

Was this information helpful?