Laptops are convenient devices to have, especially if you like bringing your piece of work with you. These battery-powered devices allow you lot pretty much reach things anywhere, as long as you have aplenty charge left.

But what should you do if your laptop doesn't hold a charge anymore? Permit's detect out.

Signs of a Dead Bombardment

bloated macbook pro battery from 2009
Prototype Credit: K Chu/Flickr

The most glaring sign of a dead laptop bombardment is when information technology bloats. If yous have a removable bombardment, you tin take it off your laptop and check the seams of its case for signs of cracking. Simply if y'all have a computer with a permanent battery, you tin look at the chassis for signs of swelling.

These signs tin include not bad along the seams of your laptop chassis or bloating near the trackpad or keyboard surface area. When you come across any of these signs, it'south fourth dimension to replace the battery.

If you tin remove the battery, practice so carefully. But if it refuses to budge, don't forcefully remove it. Instead, bring your laptop to a service center and have a professional do it for yous. Too, you should non use your computer one time its battery swells. Even if it rarely happens, batteries can grab burn or even explode when damaged.

In case it starts smoking or catches on fire, the best matter y'all can practice is place information technology in sand or kitty litter to help smother the flames. You tin also utilise a Class B burn down extinguisher to deal with information technology. Remember: never use water to dunk the fire. Hydrogen in water could react with the bombardment, making the situation worse.

Finding Your Laptop'southward Battery Health

Acer Care Center showing good battery health

Fifty-fifty if the battery looks normal on the exterior or shows no signs of clothing, it could be on its concluding legs. One sure-fire way to know that it'due south no longer working as it should is when it no longer provides the expected bombardment life.

Most functioning laptops tin final two to iii hours in typical use, while newer devices can more than double that in some cases. If you have the latest Apple M1 MacBooks, you could potentially squeeze more ten-15 hours on a unmarried charge.

Only if you're just getting 15-30 minutes of power from a full charge, so your laptop battery probably needs replacement.

You can further ostend this by looking through your computer's settings. On Windows, look at the battery icon on the lower right corner of your screen. If you see a blood-red cross over information technology, with the prompt Plugged in, non charging, you need a new battery.

If y'all want to check your laptop battery's actual status, open the control prompt, type powercfg /batteryreport, and press enter. It volition and so evidence the file path where y'all tin can find the study. All you need is to copy it and paste it into the address bar of your preferred browser.

One time you've opened the report, you will meet your battery's Design Capacity and Full Accuse Capacity under Installed Batteries. Using the formula ( Total Charge Capacity / Blueprint Capacity ) 10 100, y'all can come up with the estimated battery life of your device. Yous tin can too see its past operation based on its designed capacity versus its fully charged capacity under Battery life estimates.

Battery report large showing design capacity and full charge capacity

You can too download a third-political party battery-checking utility, like NirSoft's BatteryInfoView, which compiles the same information from above without requiring y'all to go through the command prompt. Some manufacturers also include battery checking utilities, but these vary between makers.

What to Do When You Need a Battery Replacement

open macbook pro ready for battery replacement

When your laptop'southward battery no longer holds a charge, or if its battery health falls below 25%, it's fourth dimension to replace it. Here'south what you can do.

i. Check Your Warranty

The warranty is the kickoff thing you should check if your laptop'southward battery is already defective. That's because if your service warranty covers battery life and information technology'due south still within the coverage period, and then you lot can take the battery replaced for free.

ii. Head to Your Nearest Authorized Service Center

Whether the warranty is still in strength or not, this is the best identify to have your bombardment replaced. While replacement may price a bit more hither, these authorized service centers ensure that yous get an original or OEM bombardment.

These batteries will tend to last equally long equally the original ane in your laptop did when it was new. And since they're an authorized service center, they know the exact part number of the battery that your laptop needs.

That way, you're certain that they install the correct battery on your reckoner, avoiding the possibility of frying your laptop due to the installation of an wrong or incompatible battery.

3. A Little Fleck of DIY

If your laptop is out of warranty and has a removable battery, yous no longer have to bring it to the service center. All you need is to find the correct part number and club information technology from the manufacturer. If the original maker no longer has it in stock, you can also search for OEM parts online—but ensure that you're buying from a reputable shop and you lot're skillful to go.

To ensure that y'all choose the correct battery for your laptop, you lot have to discover its role number. You can usually find it printed on the battery itself. Unfortunately, battery part numbers are non commonly included in the laptop's user manual, so you must have the battery on hand to check information technology. Alternatively, you can contact your laptop'south service center and directly enquire for the function number.

Only if your laptop uses a permanently installed battery, you would need to disassemble information technology to get the information you need. Usually, you but need to remove its backplate to access the battery, so ensure you take the right tools available when taking your computer apart.

Once you tin see the battery, you tin can then look for the correct part number and society it. You as well have to check how to connect the battery to the motherboard, as that may require boosted tools. Merely if you're unsure about what you're doing, information technology's best to bring the laptop to a professional person.

Making Your Laptop Last

Laptops tend to terminal fashion longer than the batteries they come with. Currently, well-nigh batteries last between two to four years with proper care. Yet, a high-end figurer can potentially provide decent performance for upwards to viii-10 years.

If yous find your laptop's bombardment not performing as information technology should, but you're still satisfied with how your computer runs, don't purchase a new device—become a replacement bombardment instead.

The 4 Safest MacBook Battery Replacement Options

Here are your options for replacing a MacBook battery and how much a Mac battery replacement volition cost.

Read Next

About The Writer