Is it safe to use laptop while charging

Oron J

2013-10-29 16:28:20

There's an excellent article on the subject at //batteryuniversity.com/learn/article/how_to_prolong_lithium_based_batteries

In a nutshell, to extend a Lithium based battery's life to the max. you want to keep it charged at around 40% and keep it cold. Running the laptop directly on the mains without the battery will help with that, but remember to put the battery in to recharge from time to time so it is not kept deeply discharged for much of the time. That said, most laptops now have clever battery charging algorythms and it hardly makes a difference to battery life if you keep the battery in.

charles

2013-10-29 10:31:45

Use your battery to keep it fresh. Don't keep your computer plugged in all the time. It's a good idea to discharge and then recharge your laptop battery about once a month. Also, you should let your battery run down before you recharge it.

Lisa P

2013-10-14 08:18:00

A lot of people seem to be still giving information about old technologies. for the last few years more or less every device with a [semi] integrated battery will be using li-ion. Devices like hand drills use Ni-MH [usually] as they can provide high current, but they are prone to 'memory effect' this is basically the cells not losing the full capacity and is caused by charging the battery here and there, a bit at a time. These USED to be used for laptops as well, so it would have been better to fully discharge your laptop, then let it fully charge up.

A non-utter crap laptop would then notice that the battery was fully charged, and stop trying to charge it and just run of the mains anyway.

Like I said, Li-ion is the technology that is used today, better in more or less every way except it can't provide high current like other batteries [think car lead acid batteries] but this is not an issue for laptops. A basic Li-ion CELL [cell being the key] is a bit dodgy, if you short them or try to draw too much current they can over heat and explode. if they get too hot, they can explode. if they get discharged too much, they can stop working and you will not be able to charge them.

NOTE THAT I AM TALKING ABOUT CELLS THERE!

In your laptop you have a smart battery. It manages the power for you. It stops charging the cells when they are full, and stops giving power when they are too low. Prevents them getting shorted or having too much current drawn from them. The best thing about Li-ion cells though is that you can just top them up here and there, giving them a bit of power every so often, a full charge. They do how ever have a life time of about two or three years [last I checked anyway] and thus eventually lose their max charge [read time you can run of the battery for].

One key thing to consider [depending on where you live] is power cuts, if you computer suddenly lose AC power, it is not healthy. The same for your laptop, if you have removed the battery. The battery works like a UPS [uninterruptable power supply] so you can still use your laptop and turn it off safely.

Budhiardjo

2013-07-30 18:17:22

so, which one is true?

Hovsep A

2013-08-02 14:17:39

Proper laptop battery usage guide

//batterycare.net/en/guide.html

ModServ LLC.

2013-07-30 16:16:04

My laptop is always in charge and the battery is on .. I haven't face any kind of problems, I think that's much useful if the electricity has gone off :]

prabhat

2013-07-30 09:08:12

Using laptop while charging doesn't effect your battery life if the max. charging is set to 80-90%. let me explain it.

If you normally use laptop while charging, this may accelerate the attenuation of the battery lifespan. so it's better to set the charging limit to 0 - 90%.

Dalsan M

2013-07-30 09:01:47

*There is a difference in damaging the battery and battery wear. Yes, leaving the battery in and charging while using the laptop, especially when the battery is fully charged, will reduce the life of the battery. This is not damaging the battery, only produces wear on the battery. As others have mentioned, if you intend on using the laptop for a prolonged amount of time, it is best for the battery to be removed from the laptop before turning it on. This will allow you to reduce wear on the battery so when you do need the battery, it can hold a longer charge for use.

Sujit

2013-07-30 03:50:02

There are so many myths regarding this matter.

There is no harm in keeping the charger on with your laptop and it doesn't hurt the battery. If you've started discharging, go on discharging until it have around 40% is left and by that time, its recommended to charge again. Once in every 3-4 months, you should allow lithium-ion batteries to almost completely discharge.

Another point that should be kept in mind is that battery life is depended on different factors like, temperature, recharging cycle. So when you're using your laptop with the charger ON, check the temperature and if the temperature is too high, you should check the reason. Sometimes it may be due to improper ventilation or high CPU activity. Otherwise everything is good to go.

David Bobb

2013-07-29 22:57:21

Your laptop will be fine. Do note constantly using it while it's plugged in and at full battery power will slowly shorten its life. Do not, for example, leave your laptop always plugged in and always on like you might do to a desktop computer as it can shorten the life of the battery. I did this with a laptop before [because I had it plugged into a keyboard, mouse, monitor and speakers] and the heat and constantly-on state killed the battery in about 2 years after I purchased it.

Ahmed

2013-07-29 22:38:40

Yes it will.

This happens with phone batteries, too, I believe. There is no "switch to ONLY AC connection after battery charged" function implemented yet.

Why?

Companies want to make money.

Sheila F

2013-07-29 22:01:22

Not all laptops are created equal. That being said, the "damage" to a laptop battery that is continuously plugged in charging will eventually result in the battery continuously "needing" to be plugged in. You should also know, that not all laptops bypass the battery while it is charging..meaning that your use of the laptop will keep draining away at the current battery reserve. I have had this problem over several years when I had to buy new replacement batteries [mine are appx $100] all because I used my laptop as a desktop mostly and always kept it plugged in. I researched recently why when my battery started getting low [after I had unplugged it from charging and let it discharge through normal use] and I plug the power cord back in, my computer would still lose power and shut down..the results were that in my laptop, you have to take the battery OUT in order for the laptop to be using the power cord as it's source of power. So depending on your model, you can use the laptop while the battery is charging, but be sure to unplug the power adapter or take the battery out when it is fully charged, to avoid the "memory" problem found in batteries.

Celsius C.

2013-07-29 21:19:36

There will not be any harmful effects when you are using a device while it is charging but there will be a problem if a laptop is shutdown while it charges. The battery cell will drain and there will be less battery life, for example: a 6-cell battery on a Dell Inspiron Laptop that usually has 3 hours of battery life [if left overnight] will deplete, leaving you with only 45 minutes of battery life. This change is irreversible so you might have to buy a new one. Unplug your laptop charger at night so it doesn't turn into a mini computer.

Lola C

2013-07-29 21:05:28

In my case, I would say IT DOES DAMAGES THE BATTERY. I had a laptop that was connected and charging with the battery on [Toshiba] and after a few months, the laptop + battery without being charged, started lasting only 45 minutes or so. After a few years, I changed laptops to another Toshiba and now if I will use it, I have the charged on without the battery so I can use it as much as I want. When I charge my battery, I do it when it's off and my battery lasts like a new one. So I do believe it helps to remove it.

iMacs don't last long if you don't have them plugged because they're usually over charged since users forget to unplug them... Anyway, like I said, this is my own experience and to be honest, I would prefer to have my battery charged and out of my laptop, than having it plugged + battery on and don't know if it will do something bad or not.

Benjamin T

2013-07-29 21:03:43

I believe you are referring to battery memory. All rechargeable batteries suffer from this.

Always use the manufacturer power adapter.

Karl S

2013-07-29 20:49:39

I have never come across an issue with using a laptop and charging it at the same time with Lithium Ion batteries [or others, for that matter]. In previous generations of laptop batteries, of course, there were "memory" issues but those days are over.

As pointed out earlier, the key issue you will have is that it'll run "hotter."

The additional issue will be that it'll take longer to get to "full charge" if you are using it at the same time.

Other than that, you shouldn't have a problem.

A good reference for this [and some additional information] is:

//www.dummies.com/how-to/content/how-to-charge-a-laptop-battery.html

Bely B

2013-07-29 20:46:27

I bought recently a new Laptop , so i do some researches about this topic, in many forums they said that using laptop while charging reduces battery life, i think there is no damage for your Laptop but this may reduces battrery life ,So the best way is to use you laptop until it reaches 10% and leave it charging and if you are near an electricity source,remove your battery and connect your laptop directly to power source.

I hope this helps you.

Jurmy C

2013-07-29 20:37:03

The repetitive process of charging/ discharging your laptop's battery will affect the battery but this happens in years of usage, you CAN use your laptop as an " desktop", so to answer your question: the battery won't be damaged if you use your laptop while charging.

Vladimir

2013-07-29 20:34:42

I read somewhere that heat reduces life of laptop battery, so when you use your laptop while it's charging it will generate more heat which will affect your battery life, also there was recommended that battery should be removed from laptop when it is used with AC adapter.

Stacey H

2013-07-29 20:13:01

The best way would be: keep it on charge while you work, but once you unplug let it run on battery power until it gives you a notification to plugin to power[when the battery is low] . I have noticed from previous laptops I've used that random plugging in and out when the battery still has power leads to damaging your battery. Worst case scenario my battery wouldn't store power anymore and I couldn't use my laptop without plugging it in.

Amit G

2013-07-29 20:10:24

If you have continuous power supply and yet you keep your laptop connected to power supply all the time you use your laptop, then the life cycle of your laptop will drastically reduce. You need to follow a ful charge and then discharge and then full charge cycle mostly on a weekly basis to keep your battery healthy.

I don't believe that using the laptop while charging has any effect on laptop or the battery.

MikeS

2013-07-29 19:57:29

When the PC or phone is plugged in the charging circuit pulls power in to charge the battery and a separate flow of electricity operates the PC. If you unplug while the PC is on the circuit instantly switches back to battery power. Bothe the PC and the battery are controlled by the charging controller or something similar.. This is a simplified explanation.

Badrul L

2013-07-29 19:52:48

Using your laptop while charging will not do any harm to your battery. But if you use your laptop on battery quite often without fully charging it or charging it when not empty might reduce the battery life. Once your battery is full while charging your laptop will save the battery and start taking direct power from the source. Calibrating the battery [google if you don't know what it means] once in 3-6 months is recommended.

Sabrina D

2013-07-29 19:35:59

it doesen't damage you laptop. you shouldn't let the ac-adapter plugged in when the battery is full and use your laptop. if you use yor laptop when the ac-adapter is plugged then you should remove the battery. otherwise your battery won't live as long as it should ;]

charles

2013-10-29 10:28:40

the system actually slows down when you remove your battery and plug it in...

Hovsep A

2013-07-28 08:11:00

if some reasons starts to get overheated while using laptop and charging then stop using the laptop to not damage battery then you can search the reason for overheating.

Dalsan M

2013-07-28 01:29:59

Using a device, such as a laptop or cell phone, normally will not cause any damage; I'd have to say that it is quite safe since I, like many others, have not really heard many instances where any damage has been done just by using a device while plugged in and charging. Plugging in or unplugging your laptop while it is on poses more of a chance to do damages not only to your battery, but to other parts of the device. Damages caused by this are fairly rare, so I wouldn't worry that much about it, either. As long as the charger is plugged into a surge protector, I would not worry about it.

Hiang Suan H

2013-08-07 14:49:43

Depends actually, we do heard of isolated cases of handphone exploded when using while charging or laptop explode overnight charge and/or manufacturer issued global recall due to hardware problem found. A lot of times these are due to defective charger component or battery quality. Buy quality products.

Tim Brookes

2013-07-28 01:01:14

Your laptop battery will not be damaged by using it while it charges. I assume you're referring to a new laptop, but even if not it makes no difference. Generally, the way it works is your laptop battery is always charging while plugged in anyway. Your PC will charge it to near-capacity, then let it discharge a small amount, then charge back up again. At least, that's how I understand most Lithium Ion batteries to be most effective.

The fact remains that you can use your laptop while charging, though be aware it might generate more heat while doing so [generally only an issue while using it on your lap].

Hope this helps.