How do I keep my laptop’s battery in good health?

You’ve probably heard some people say you should drain your battery completely before charging it, or that you should keep it between 40% and 80% all the time to make it last longer.

Most of these rules are outdated, applying to older nickel-based batteries. Luckily, most or all of your gadgets these days run on Lithium Ion batteries, which are easy to take care of.

They last longer when you perform shallow discharges, keep them cool, and don’t leave them plugged in while they’re running at 100%. Honestly, though, batteries have a finite life no matter what, and your efforts will only go so far—so don’t stress about it.

Focus your efforts on getting better battery life out of your phone or laptop on a given charge instead—and knowing how to replace the battery when it starts dying.