Do you leave your laptop plugged in?

Question

When you are using it at home and you plug it in, do you unplug and drain the battery and then plug it up over and over?

Answer 1

I think this article will answer your questions.

Leave Laptop on or turn off – battery care

I'm amazed at how fairly simple technology like batteries are so controversial. Like you said, talk to five different people, and you'll get five different answers.
The fact is, it depends upon a lot of things: the type of battery in your laptop, the recharging characteristics of the type of battery you have, the age of the battery, how often you let that battery discharge by either unplugging the power cord or by going mobile with your machine and more.
But, for the most part, laptop manufacturers know how most people use their computers, leaving them on almost all the time, or sleeping them by closing the lid, or using them on the road on a fairly regular basis. And because they know those profiles, they've tailored their systems to extend the life of the battery.
This is a big help to the manufacturer, because one of the biggest discriminators in buying a laptop, other than weight and screen size, is battery life.
So, let's answer your questions one at a time.

Your laptop is designed for you to leave the battery in ALL the time. The circuitry inside the machine, the power supply, even the battery itself. It should be left in whether you've got it plugged in to a power conditioner or not. And you should know that the battery acts as a power conditioner itself - all the power from the power supply goes through the battery, if it's in place.

Actually, a power conditioner, or UPS, is nothing more than a big battery with an alarm on it.
So. leave the battery in. Discharge it all the way once a month (pull the plug a few hours before you have to go to bed, let it completely die and then plug it back in). And use the computer manufacturer's recommended conditioning software every so often to keep your battery fresh.

As to whether a battery will discharge over time if not in the machine, yes, it will. Left for months or years, it will discharge. So, it's a good idea to bicycle your batteries if you have more than one, rotating them every few weeks. Finally, it's fine to keep your laptop on all the time. I do, and my screen is fine. If you're using a plasma screen for a second screen, make sure your screen saver kicks in there, or you may burn the desktop pattern into your big screen.

Source: http://www.thedavidlawrenceshow.com/should_i_leave_my_battery_in_my_laptop_all_the_time_006696.html

Answer 2

It dose not matter anymore weather you leave your laptop plugged in or not. Modern laptops no longer use NyCad batteries which had 'memory' problems. Modern laptop power distributors switch charging off once the battery is full to avoid 'overcharge'. If your laptop is less than 6 years old it is designed to be plugged in for days / weeks / months at a time. i can also back this up by personal experience. At work we have over 300 laptops. Most of the users leave the laptop plugged in when they go home and never unplug it unless they are travelling out of state (for most laptop users in my company it is many years). This year we had to encrypt (federal law) all of the laptops in the building. We also took that opportunity to test all of the batteries and make sure any other updates were taken care of. By the end of that maintenance project we had found 3 batteries that needed to be replaced, one we didn't even bother replacing it. the laptop was 8 years old and we sent it to surplus.

Answer 3

I was told by Toshiba, my laptop manufacturer, to leave it plugged in. Laptops are not designed like a desktop. I only unplug mine when I take it with me somewhere. It has better performance plugged in. Laptops are not like cell phones, the more you drain the battery, the less memory it retains. Pretty soon, it doesn't have any battery time left. Some of the guys that answered your'e question are very knowledegable, I would heed their advice.

Answer 4

I leave mine plugged in most of the time, no matter where I am at. I am 99% sure that this is not good for the battery. With the plug in I get the most out of the computer, display and performance.

Answer 5

NO only leave it plugged in when you are using it or you will drain the battery. When you are not using it turn it off. Same with cell phones

Answer 6

Our office uses laptops exclusively, so I put mine in the docking station when I'm at my desk, and on wireless/battery power away from my desk. I very, very seldom have completely drained the battery. I dock and undock it several times a day, and leave it plugged in when I turn it off at night. I haven't noticed any battery degradation and I've been using this one (Dell Latitude x300) for over three years.

Answer 7

While batteries are better than they used to be you should cycle the battery (discharge and recharge completely) periodically to keep it ready for when you do need it. Remember if you start using the battery for any reason be sure to run the complete cycle of discharge and recharge (recharging a partially discharged battery or partially charging a battery is damaging to the batteries life).

Answer 8

I've been leaving mine plugged in. There is a regulator in the device that prevents overcharging. I only unplug it when we need to take it somewhere out of the house...

Answer 9

When I bought my laptop I was told that the more you use the battery the weaker it gets. IE; Not lasting as long when you use it. So I have always used the power pulg whenever possible. I only use the battery when I have no other choice.

Answer 10

i leave it plugged in and dump the battery once a month or so to cycle it ...so far my battery is about 3+years old and fine ..