If you find that your laptop battery isn’t as good as it used to be, one electrical engineer has claimed it could be due to one big mistake you make when you charge it
Laptops are convenient tools that many of us use daily. You might use one for work, as it’s easy to take to the office with you on some days while working from home on others. Alternatively, you may have one for personal use that’s more convenient than a desktop PC, as you can store it away when you’re not using it.
The biggest downside of a laptop, however, is the battery life. You may find that your computer no longer holds its charge for as long as it used to when it was new, and you’re constantly having to plug it in to charge the battery. But is it better to leave it plugged in on full charge, or keep letting the battery drain?
One electrical engineer has claimed that most people make the same mistake when charging their laptop batteries, which could be killing the device. Although it’s often said you should never leave a fully charged device plugged in, the experts at Tech Explain on TikTok have insisted that’s not always true.
They claimed that using a laptop while it’s plugged in is actually “less damaging to the battery” than charging it and letting it die – and it’s all due to the strain each method puts on the battery itself.
The expert said: “The lithium-ion battery inside is actually a chemical reaction. If you add in electricity, there’s some chemical reaction going on, and that can actually age the battery. Discharging and charging will basically make the capacity slower and slower.
“If you leave it charging, it will charge to full, right? After it charges to full, it basically stops charging. There’s a chip inside all battery-powered electronics that we call battery management ICs. When the battery is at 100%, [the chip] will actually stop diverging most of the current.”
This means that when your laptop is fully charged, the battery itself stops receiving current, and your laptop begins to operate like a desktop PC that requires a constant power source.
The expert also said the same applies to your phone or any other battery-powered device you may have – even though we’re often told that leaving these devices on charge can ruin the battery by over-charging it.
Commenters on the post were baffled by the revelation. Many said they had no idea they could keep their laptop plugged in, while others admitted they had been scared to do this before watching the video.
One person said: “Wow… and I intentionally use my laptop until it’s low before I recharge, thinking I was helping the battery health!”
Another added: “My brother and I bought the same MacBook Pro in 2013. I always used it plugged in, but he didn’t. He changed the battery in 2019, and I will in January 2026.”
A third shared: “I’ll use my laptop while charging from now on!”
Other commenters noted that you should not leave your laptop plugged in on 100% if you are not using it, as this could damage the battery, as there is nowhere else for the power to be diverted to.
Many laptops have a battery-saving mode that will only charge your laptop to around 60-80%, which could help prolong your battery life further by holding it at a lesser charge when you use it while plugged in.
Commenters also pointed out that the trick will only work on laptops and phones that have a bypass charging feature, so old laptops and many phones won’t benefit from this technique.
