Laptops provide people with computer access regardless of their location. As convenient as this may be, battery life is a widespread problem among most laptops. Although you are charging your laptop as much as possible, this may or may not be the reason your laptop battery is draining so quickly.

Generally, your HP battery is draining quickly due to a discharged or old battery. However, there could be other causes, such as excessive use for streaming or too many programs running at once.

However, if this is not the reasoning for your battery drain, there are other reasons that may be causing this issue. We will discuss why your HP laptop is draining battery quickly, how to fix this problem, and how to prevent this problem from recurring.

Causes and Their Fixes for a Fast Draining Battery

The best option to determine issues with your battery is to run a battery check on HP’s Customer Support website. Unfortunately, this requires HP Support Assistant version 8.5 or later.  If you don’t have this version, there are many causes for your HP laptop battery to be draining at a fast and unusually high rate that can be self-diagnosed. Below are some of the most common reasons your laptop battery may be draining quickly.

  • Discharged or old batteryExcess use of external devices including wireless mouse supplies, headphones, and other items that can be connected to the USB port.The laptop’s brightness of your laptop screen or backlight functionWifi or Bluetooth connections are not working properlyToo many programs running at any one time

Let’s take a look at each cause and how to fix the specific problem.

Discharged or Old Battery

Determining if your HP laptop battery is old is pretty simple and only requires your laptop and 10 minutes of your time. With your laptop charging and at 100% battery to start, follow the directions below to gauge your battery health.

  • Open the “Start” menu and select “Control Panel”.Select “Power Options” from the control panel and select the “Power Meter” tab.With the laptop running, unplug your laptop for 10 minutes.After 10 minutes, if your battery drained 10% within the 10 minutes it may be time for a new battery.

If you followed the steps above and determined that you may need a new battery, contact HP Support to order a new battery for your laptop.

Excess Use of External Devices

If you have a new battery, but your battery seems to be draining quickly, identifying how many external devices you are using with your laptop may be the root of the problem. Unplug all unused or unnecessary devices to alleviate some of the pressure on your battery.

Laptop Brightness or Backlight Functions

A key component powered by the battery is the brightness function. Make sure your brightness is only as bright as required. Excess brightness can cause the battery to drain faster. To do this, simply go to the “Control Panel” on the laptop menu and decrease the brightness levels.

If you have a keyboard with backlight capabilities, adjust the backlight intensity and only utilize this feature when absolutely necessary, such as working at night or in the dark. To adjust, use the keyboard shortcuts to reduce the backlight intensity. This feature can be shut off from the “Control Center” menu under the mouse and keyboard settings.

WIFI and Bluetooth Connections

Similar to excess external devices and brightness/backlight functions, only utilize Wifi and Bluetooth connections as necessary. Usually, these are required for your laptop use, so this tip is only helpful if you are working on a document or spreadsheet that does not require an internet or Bluetooth connection.

To disable the connections, you will need to navigate to your Network connections and disable WIFI and/or Bluetooth connections. From here you can disable or “forget” any connections that you are not using. This will decrease the number of network connections your laptop may use.

Amount of Programs Running

Make sure the only programs you have running on the laptop are the programs you need at that time. Reducing the number of programs from the Task Manager function on the laptop will stop the unnecessary programs from running. You can access the Task Manager function by pressing Ctrl + Alt + Delete or Ctrl + Alt + Esc.

These may not be the only reasons your laptop’s battery is draining fast, but these are the most common reasons. Now, let’s discuss ways to prevent your battery drain for the longest use.

Tips to Prevent Battery Drainage

Preventing battery drain or damage is the best way to resolve these issues before the issue arises. The same causes for battery drainage can also prolong the life of your battery before your battery drains and you are scrambling for resolutions. Here are a couple of other battery tips to prevent battery drain.

Do not keep your laptop plugged in at all times when the battery is full. Keeping your laptop plugged in at all times can overheat or overuse your battery and may cause issues with your battery. Allowing your laptop battery to drain every now and then is helpful to the life of the battery.

Avoid using your laptop in extreme environments. Using your laptop in harsh environmental conditions can affect your internal laptop functions, including your battery. If your battery is overheating, clean the vents and use your laptop in cleaner environments.

Conclusion

After researching the most common reasons for HP laptop drainage, sometimes even the most conscience laptop owner will have to come to terms with excess battery drainage. It is important to note that all laptop batteries have “life terms”. Eventually, there will come a time that you will need to order a new battery. When that time comes, HP Customer Support will be there to assist you with the purchase.