{"id":794,"date":"2014-07-20T10:21:16","date_gmt":"2014-07-20T10:21:16","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.battaussie.com\/blog\/?p=794"},"modified":"2014-07-20T10:21:16","modified_gmt":"2014-07-20T10:21:16","slug":"maximize-windows-8-notebooks-tablets-battery-life","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.battaussie.com\/blog\/maximize-windows-8-notebooks-tablets-battery-life.htm","title":{"rendered":"How to maximize Windows 8 notebooks and tablets battery life"},"content":{"rendered":"

Windows\u00a08 includes support for ambient light sensors so a device\u00a0can adjust its\u00a0screen brightness on its own.\u00a0It also includes easy to use controls for adjusting\u00a0brightness, no matter where the user is. Of course, better battery life doesn\u2019t end with just the operating system. The devices we have today have more power-efficient processors than what we could have dreamed of during Windows 7\u2032s life time.<\/p>\n

Unfortunately, that doesn\u2019t always\u00a0mean that users can expect long battery life. In some specific cases things going on in Windows 8 can directly affect\u00a0the battery life of Windows 8 notebooks and tablets. Here\u2019s how to fix bad Windows 8 battery life and make your notebook or tablet last longer when you need it to.<\/p>\n

Adjust Your Windows 8 Device Screen Brightness<\/h2>\n

The biggest drain on\u00a0a notebook or tablet\u2019s battery isn\u2019t the processor or the hard drive \u2014 though, those can\u00a0certainly be a factor. No, the biggest\u00a0power draw is the thing you\u2019re expected\u00a0\u00a0to keep your eyes on: the screen.<\/p>\n

Most Windows 8 laptops and tablets have high-resolution screens, but they\u2019re still LCDs. This means that the screen needs a backlight before users can\u00a0actually see what the screen is displaying. Earlier, I mentioned that Windows 8 includes built-in support for ambient light sensors like those used in smartphones.\u00a0This allows\u00a0Windows to measure how bright a room is and adjust\u00a0a screen\u2019s back light\u00a0based on that.<\/p>\n

Mouse and keyboard users, place your mouse cursor in the top-right or bottom-right<\/strong> corner of their\u00a0screen to reveal the Charms\u00a0Bar. Now click on\u00a0Settings<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

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Then click on Brightness<\/strong> in the Settings menu.<\/p>\n

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Tablet users, do the same by placing their\u00a0finger on the right edge of their\u00a0screen and sliding it to the\u00a0left to open the\u00a0Charms Bar. Then tap on\u00a0Settings<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

Now Tap on Brightness<\/strong> to adjust it.<\/p>\n

Adjust your device\u2019s brightness so that it isn\u2019t hard to see, but isn\u2019t all the way up. The lower\u00a0the screen brightness, the\u00a0more battery life you\u2019ll save.<\/p>\n

Switch to Power Saver Mode<\/h1>\n

Switching to Power Saver mode actually does a lot of what is mentioned here, albeit instantly with the push of a button.<\/p>\n

Go to the Desktop<\/strong> by tapping or clicking on its Live Tile.<\/p>\n

Keyboard and mouse users should left-click<\/strong> on the battery<\/strong> icon on the far-right end of the taskbar. Tablet\u00a0users should tap\u00a0on the battery<\/strong> icon.<\/p>\n

Tap or click on Power Saver<\/strong>. Windows will reduce your device\u2019s screen brightness and more almost instantly, giving you a bit more time to finish your work before having to plug into a PC.<\/p>\n

Close the Desktop Apps\u00a0You\u2019re Not Using<\/h2>\n

Desktop apps like iTunes are still the way most users get work done, even in Windows 8.\u00a0We open\u00a0tons of them every day, and before you know it they\u2019ve taken over the entire screen. Sometimes closing them doesn\u2019t mean they\u2019re gone. Instead, they could just be lurking in the background,\u00a0calling on processor power and sipping\u00a0on your device\u2019s memory.<\/p>\n

Close any desktop applications that you aren\u2019t using. After doing that click or tap on the arrow in the\u00a0right<\/strong> on\u00a0the Desktop\u2019s Taskbar.\u00a0Right-click<\/strong> or tap and hold to close those apps too.<\/p>\n

Turn Off Wireless\u00a0Options You\u2019re Not Using<\/h2>\n

You can\u2019t see them, but every Windows 8\u00a0laptop or desktop has two wireless components that allow them to communicate with other devices. Chances are you\u2019re pretty familiar with the first one: Wi-Fi.<\/p>\n

When it\u2019s turned on Wi-Fi is how your device communicates with the\u00a0wireless routers and connects you to the internet.\u00a0If you\u2019re on a plane, train or in a car, you\u2019re\u00a0probably not going to be using Wi-Fi. You can turn it off to\u00a0save battery life.<\/p>\n

If you have a mouse and keyboard, place the mouse cursor in the top-right<\/strong> corner of your screen to reveal the\u00a0Charms Bar. Click on Settings<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

Then\u00a0click on the Network button\u00a0in the\u00a0first row of settings at the bottom on the far left<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

Click on the switch to turn Wi-Fi off and save some\u00a0Dell Inspiron 6400 Battery<\/a> life.<\/p>\n

Tablet users should place their finger on the right side<\/strong> of their device\u2019s screen and slide it to the left<\/strong> to reveal the Charms Bar. Then tap on Settings.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Tap on the Network button.<\/p>\n

Above that\u00a0Wi-Fi switch is another\u00a0for what\u2019s called Airplane Mode<\/strong>.\u00a0That switch shuts down\u00a0all external communications from\u00a0your device, including the second most widely used\u00a0wireless technology: Bluetooth. Today, Bluetooth is\u00a0mostly used \u00a0to connect with car stereos and\u00a0smartphones. If you\u00a0aren\u2019t planning on using either just switch on this button.<\/p>\n

Bluetooth can be turned off\u00a0separately by\u00a0opening the\u00a0Charms Bar and\u00a0tapping or clicking on the Settings Charm.<\/p>\n

These tips are the simple ways for you to save battery life when you need it most. If you\u2019re noticing that your\u00a0Windows 8 laptop, tablet or 2-in-1 is having chronic problems with Toshiba PA3399U-2BRS Laptop Battery<\/b><\/a> life that it didn\u2019t before, it may be time for you to look into\u00a0a new battery.\u00a0Many large laptops still have removable batteries that you can change out yourself.\u00a0Thin laptops, 2-in-1s and tablets don\u2019t, so you\u2019ll have to send it back to the manufacturer to have the battery replaced.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Windows\u00a08 includes support for ambient light sensors so a device\u00a0can adjust its\u00a0screen brightness on its own.\u00a0It also includes easy to use controls for adjusting\u00a0brightness, no matter where the user is. Of course, better battery life doesn\u2019t end with just the operating system. The devices we have today have more power-efficient processors than what we could […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2,3,4],"tags":[409,410,411],"class_list":["post-794","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-battery-knowledge-base","category-how-to","category-laptop-batteries-tips","tag-hp-484170-001-long-life-battery","tag-hp-presario-cq62-battery","tag-improve-windows-8-battery-life"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.battaussie.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/794","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.battaussie.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.battaussie.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.battaussie.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.battaussie.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=794"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.battaussie.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/794\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":797,"href":"https:\/\/www.battaussie.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/794\/revisions\/797"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.battaussie.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=794"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.battaussie.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=794"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.battaussie.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=794"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}