Acer Care Center showing good battery health
Even if the battery looks normal on the outside or shows no signs of wear, it could be on its last legs. One sure-fire way to know that it’s no longer working as it should is when it no longer provides the expected battery life.
Most performance laptops can last two to three 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 10-15 hours on a single charge.
But if you’re only getting 15-30 minutes of power from a full charge, then your laptop battery probably needs replacement.
You can further confirm 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 red cross over it, with the prompt Plugged in, not charging, you need a new battery.
How to Check Your Battery Capacity on Windows and MacOS
When you spend hours charging your laptop only for it to die faster than it did when you first got it, that’s a clear indicator that you’re facing a battery problem. Checking your laptop’s battery health will rule out whether or not this is in fact the case. While both MacOS and Windows devices will warn you when it’s time to replace the battery with a service pop-up or warning, this message normally comes a bit too late. If you’re noticing rapid battery drain, check on the health of your laptop battery yourself.
If you find your laptop’s battery not performing as it should, but you’re still satisfied with how your computer runs, don’t buy a new device—get a replacement battery instead.
Swapping out the battery is easy on most Windows laptops and MacBooks. With that said, older models can be a pain to work with due to their stronger adhesive.