Maximize your Surface battery life
Your Surface uses an internal lithium-ion battery. The amount of time your battery lasts will vary depending on the kinds of things you do with your Surface. This article will help you learn more about how to get the most out of your Surface battery.
Making your battery last
Choose a power mode for the best battery life and performance
On some Surface models you can select a power mode, which affects how much battery life and the performance you can get from your Surface.
To switch to a different power mode, disconnect the power supply (if it's plugged in), select Start > Settings > System > Power & battery > Power mode. If you want to save power to write an email or finish watching a movie, move the slider to a lower setting, like Recommended or Battery saver. Or, if you need better performance for playing a game or using a Windows Mixed Reality headset, move the slider to a higher setting (like Best performance).
Battery usage
Use the detailed Battery information in Windows to see which apps are using the battery power.
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Select Settings > System > Power and battery.
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For Battery levels, select Last 24 hours, and then select an hour of high battery usage.
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For Show, select Apps with usage.
Look for apps that are using a lot of battery power. If you're not using them, you should close those unused apps.
If the apps start automatically, open Task Manager and then select the Startup tab. For any apps, you don't want to start automatically, you can select the app, then select Disable. For more info see Change which apps run automatically at startup in Windows.
If you're using the apps that use a lot of battery power, you might want to plug in your Surface while using those apps to help get the most from your battery over time.
General battery tips and tricks
For ways to save battery power, including how to find out which apps are using the most battery, see Battery saving tips for Windows.
Get the latest Windows and Surface updates
Installing the latest updates will help keep your Surface performing at its best. Select Check for Windows updates below to open Windows Update in Settings.
Related topics
Your Surface uses an internal lithium-ion battery. The amount of time your battery lasts will vary depending on the kinds of things you do with your Surface. This article will help you learn more about how to get the most out of your Surface battery.

Making your battery last
Choose a power mode for the best battery life and performance
On some Surface models you can select a power mode, which affects how much battery life and the performance you can get from your Surface.
To switch to a different power mode, disconnect the power supply (if it's plugged in), select the Battery icon on the right side of the taskbar. If you want to save power to write an email or finish watching a movie, move the slider to a lower setting, like Recommended or Battery saver. Or, if you need better performance for playing a game or using a Windows Mixed Reality headset, move the slider to a higher setting (like Best performance).
Battery usage
Use the detailed Battery information in Windows to see which apps are using the battery power.
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Open Settings > System > Battery, and then See which apps are affecting your battery life.
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For Time period, select 6 hours, 24 hours, or 1 week (depending on which time period has a higher amount of battery usage).
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For Show, select Apps with usage.
Look for apps that are using a lot of battery power. If you're not using them, you should close those unused apps.
If the apps start automatically, open Task Manager and then select the Startup tab. For any apps, you don't want to start automatically, you can select the app, then select Disable. For more info see Change which apps run automatically at startup in Windows.
If you're using the apps that use a lot of battery power, you might want to plug in your Surface while using those apps to help get the most from your battery over time.
General battery tips and tricks
For ways to save battery power, including how to find out which apps are using the most battery, see Battery saving tips for Windows.
Get the latest Windows and Surface updates
Installing the latest updates will help keep your Surface performing at its best. Select Check for Windows updates below to open Windows Update in Settings.