“Why is my laptop battery draining fast, like from 100% to 10%, just in 20 minutes?”

(Answer requested by A.R.Talha)

The answer depends on how old the battery is.

By human analogy, think of the 100% effort that a 20 year old footballer can give compared to the 100% effort of a nursing home resident. It’s a full 100% effort in both cases, but the latter is less overall than the former.

Li-ion batteries slowly lose their ability to hold and deliver their full original capacity (mAh): Even when they show “100% charge,” the 100% charge (and run-time) of an old battery may be only a fraction of the 100% charge (and run-time) of a new battery.

In other words, an old battery at 100% charge is charged as much as it can be — but the old battery simply doesn’t have the innate capacity (or run time) it used to.

But old or new, with run times that short, you need a replacement battery.

If your laptop is still under warranty, contact the seller and tell them what’s going on: You may qualify for a free or reduced-cost replacement battery.

If the warranty has expired, then you’re on your own. If your laptop battery is user-serviceable (check the support site or docs) shop for a replacement battery and have at it. If yours is a non-user-serviceable battery, you’ll have to bring it to a repair shop to get a new battery installed.

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