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Run laptop on battery or keep it plugged in?

A tech person at Best Buy warned me against "overcharging" my battery, and suggested deliberately discharging it "once a week."

I have observed that the charger's adapter becomes warm during charging, but when the battery becomes fully charged, even if not unplugged, the adapter goes cold. This seems to indicate that the battery will not "overcharge."

My instinct tells me to reserve the battery for those times when I'm not near an AC outlet, but otherwise to keep my laptop plugged in.

After reading many posts on this question, I am more confused than ever. I thought I had understood that with lithium ion batteries it was safe to keep the laptop plugged in, to save battery life. However, to my dismay, I found this on the MICROSOFT web site:

http://windows.microsoft.com/en-US/windows7/Taking-care-of-your-laptop-battery

"Don't keep your computer plugged in all the time. It's a good idea to discharge and then recharge your laptop battery about once a month. Also, you should let your battery run down before you recharge it."

What do the best minds here recommend?

Thanks a million.

Answer
Answer

 FWIW, here's what my Toshiba User's Guide has to say on the subject.  I have a Satellite L755 I bought 6 months ago.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

To ensure that the battery maintains its maximum capacity,

operate the computer on battery power at least once a month. The

Lithium-Ion battery has no memory effect so it is not necessary to

let the battery fully discharge each time. However, for better

accuracy of the battery meter, it is helpful to fully discharge the

battery periodically. Please see

"Maintaining your battery" on

page 134

for procedures. If the computer is continuously operated

on AC power, either through an AC adaptor or a port replicator (if

applicable to your system), for an extended period (more than a

month), the battery may fail to retain a charge. This may shorten the

life of the battery, and may cause the battery meter to be inaccurate.

Maintaining your battery

Fully discharging your battery pack will allow better accuracy of

the battery meter.

To fully discharge your battery pack:

❖

Periodically, disconnect the computer from a power source and

operate it on battery power until the battery pack fully

discharges. Before doing so, follow the steps below:

1

Turn off the computer’s power.

2

Disconnect the AC adaptor and turn on the computer’s

power. If it does not turn on, go to step

4.

3

Operate the computer on battery power for five minutes. If

the battery pack has at least five minutes of operating time,

continue operating until the battery pack is fully

discharged. If the battery light flashes or there is some

other warning to indicate a low battery, go to step

4.

4

Connect the AC adaptor to the computer and the

power cord/cable to a power outlet. The DC-IN or AC

power-light should glow white, and the battery light

should glow amber to indicate that the battery pack is

being charged. If the DC-IN or AC power-light indicator

does not glow, power is not being supplied. Check the

connections for the AC adaptor and power cord/cable.

5

Charge the battery pack until the battery light glows white.

❖

If you have extra battery packs, rotate their use.

Mobile Computing

135

Disposing of used batteries

❖

If you will not be using the system for an extended period,

more than one month, remove the battery pack.

❖

If you are not going to use the computer for more than eight

hours, disconnect the AC adaptor.

❖

Store spare

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Answer
Answer

Most newer batteries today are rated for charge/discharge cycles - you can run it down so many times and then when you reach that limit, the battery will stop taking charges.  Most laptop manufacturers recommend just leaving it plugged in.  Have you checked with your laptop manufacturer to see what they have to say on the subject?

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Last updated May 9, 2024 Views 1,865 Applies to: