10 easy ways to boost your laptop's battery

Plus a tip for bigger text  ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ [Windows Intelligence](#) [Windows Intelligence](#) Brought to you by: [1440 logo](​ Do you really need a new laptop? Maybe not. The tech industry always wants to sell new hardware. Plus, new gadgets give us journalists something to talk about. It's easy to get sucked into the hype. But your current PC may be perfectly fine. So, since everyone's talking about the battery life boost you can get from buying a new laptop, I want to share tips for getting more battery life from your current laptop — without spending a single extra cent. Head down to this week's Things to Try section for all the details. (And don't miss the big Notepad news in the Things to Know section!) [Chris Hoffman, AUthor] Chris Today's read: ⌚ 3 Things to Know: 1 minute 30 seconds ⌚ 3 Things to Try: 2 minutes ⌚ Top Thurrott Thoughts: 30 seconds ⌚ Just for Fun: 20 seconds ​ [] [3 Things to Know This Week] ​ 1. Notepad now has spellcheck after 40+ years ➜ THE SHORT VERSION: Notepad now has built-in spellcheck and autocorrect on your Windows 11 PC. This feature is here today! 🔎 KNOW MORE: This upgrade arrives more than 40 years after Notepad launched in 1983. It comes after Microsoft recently decided to remove Wordpad from Windows. - This change has already launched, and you'll likely see spelling suggestions in Notepad on your Windows 11 PC today. (If you don't see them, you may need to wait a few more weeks.) - Notepad now highlights misspelled words, and you can click them or use Shift+F10 to see spelling suggestions. Microsoft also added autocorrect to fix common mistakes. - The tweak makes Notepad an even more capable text editor — in recent years, Notepad has also gained other useful features, including tabs and auto-save support. 📌 READ MORE: Check out [the Notepad upgrade](. --------------------------------------------------------------- 2. This month's Patch Tuesday update arrives ➜ THE SHORT VERSION: Microsoft's July 2024 "Patch Tuesday" update for Windows 11 just arrived with a variety of tweaks and changes. 🔎 KNOW MORE: Microsoft releases an update for Windows on the second Tuesday of each month — that's "Patch Tuesday." This month's Windows 11 update contains more than just security fixes. - All Windows PCs are getting the new Copilot app — a web-based Windows desktop application that isn't a sidebar. - The Show Desktop icon is back on the taskbar by default, you can create new types of archives from File Explorer, and Windows gets new emojis like one for a phoenix. - These changes will likely roll out over time, as is typical with Windows updates. I don't see any of them on any of my PCs — even after installing the update. They'll likely pop up in the coming weeks. 📌 READ MORE: Here's [what to expect from the update](. --------------------------------------------------------------- 3. Windows may let you "Continue from your phone" ➜ THE SHORT VERSION: Microsoft is testing a "Continue from Phone" feature for future versions of Windows. 🔎 KNOW MORE: This is one of many phone-to-PC integration features Microsoft has worked on. - This option will likely use OneDrive to detect a file you're editing on your phone and prompt you to continue working on it on your PC. - The "Continue from Phone" application is part of Insider builds of Windows 11, but it doesn't seem to do anything yet.​ - We don't know much about this yet, but if I had to guess, I'd say it will likely work with both Android phones and iPhones — as long as you're using a Microsoft Office app and saving your file in OneDrive. 📌 READ MORE: Check out what we know in [this quick report](=). SPONSORED MESSAGE PSA: Staying informed just got easier 👌 Does finding factual, unbiased news feel more like wandering around a maze, in the dark, shoelaces tied together? [Alice from Alice in Wonderland wandering around a giant maze](​ You should [read 1440](. Written by humans, for humans, 1440 sends you 1 single email every morning containing the top news stories of the day on everything from politics and world affairs to sports, business and finance, tech, and even fun, feel good stories (you know you love those!). The best part? It’s written to be as unbiased as humanly possible. No fluff, no snark, and no spin — just the facts! Hands down, it’s the easiest way to stay informed in just 5 minutes each day. For FREE. ➜ [Simplify your life and subscribe to 1440 in just a few minutes!]( [READ TODAY’S NEWS HEADLINES ➜]( ​ [] [3 Things to Try This Week] 1. Boost your laptop's battery life with these 10 tips The entire Windows PC tech media has been talking non-stop about these new Copilot+ PC laptops and the upcoming next-generation Intel "Lunar Lake" CPUs. The big thing everyone is excited about is long battery life. ➜ But you can get longer battery life on your current laptop today, without spending a single cent. I've got ten tips that will help your PC last longer, no matter how new or old it is. ⌚ It will take you 10 to 20 seconds to try out each individual tip here. 💻 This works on both Windows 10 and Windows 11. 📌 Check out [my latest Computerworld article]( for all the good stuff. 🗳️ I'm curious: [How do you feel about your current laptop's battery life?]() Vote in this week's Windows Intelligence poll! --------------------------------------------------------------- 2. Make text larger (almost) everywhere in Windows Windows has a convenient accessibility setting you can use to enlarge text everywhere on your PC — or at least almost everywhere, as some applications may ignore it ➜ This text-enlarging setting is the best way to enlarge text, as you won't be changing your display resolution or the size of other elements. You'll just be enlarging the text. ⌚ You can do this in 10 seconds. 💻 This works on both Windows 10 and Windows 11. To enlarge text in Windows, open the Settings app from the Start menu. Then: - On Windows 11, select "Accessibility," click "Text size," choose your desired text size with the slider, and click "Apply." - On Windows 10, select "Ease of access," drag the slider under "Make text bigger" to choose your desired text size, and click "Apply." [Changing text size on Windows 11.] --------------------------------------------------------------- 3. Get vertical browser tabs in almost any browser Mozilla is working on adding vertical browser tabs to Firefox as a built-in option — no browser extensions necessary. ➜ A vertical tab sidebar is a cult-favorite browser feature that most people don't use but many people swear by. They're pretty easy to get in nearly any browser. ⌚ You can try out vertical tabs in about 8 seconds. 💻 This works on both Windows 10 and Windows 11. Here's how to get vertical tabs in popular web browsers: - Google Chrome: Install the [Vertical Tabs in Side Panel extension](. - Mozilla Firefox: Download the [Tree Style Tab extension](). - Microsoft Edge: Right-click the tab bar at the top of the Edge browser window, and select "Turn on vertical tabs." - Brave: Click menu > Settings. Select appearance, scroll down, and activate "Use vertical tabs" under Tabs. ​ [] [Top Thurrott Thoughts] Some standout links and expert analysis from our friends at Thurrott, who have been covering Windows since 1994: - ​[Report: AI PCs Won’t Help the PC Industry This Year](​ - IDC isn't projecting huge sales this year. - ​[Snapdragon X Copilot+ PC: Differentiators (Premium)]()​ - Paul Thurrott compares various Copilot+ PCs. - ​[Game Pass is Getting Price Increases and New ‘Standard’ Tier Without Day-One Releases](=) - No more "Xbox Game Pass for Console" (for new members.) - ​[Quick Mini-Review: Apple iPad Air 13-Inch M2]() - Let's talk iPads. - ​[Snapdragon X Copilot+ PC: Not So Fast (Premium)](=) - Intel may be about to counter these new PCs. ​ SPONSORED MESSAGE = Meeting scheduling magic Does scheduling meetings take longer than the actual meetings? Skip the headaches with [Bookable Schedule from Boomerang](=), which embeds your calendar directly into your email. [TRY IT FOR FREE](=) [And Just for Funsies...] Tech presentations are so professional these days. We've forgotten how profoundly weird they often used to be. Steve Ballmer, who is now one of the richest billionaires in the world, brought a wild energy to many of his presentations at Microsoft. This particular [clip from a Microsoft company event](=) is still widely shared online today: [[video preview]​](=) What more is there to say? This clip speaks for itself. Farewell for now Thanks for inviting me into your inbox once again! I hope you had a great week. Until next time! --------------------------------------------------------------- 📊 The most recent poll results: Did you use Windows Phone? 43% of people who responded never used Windows Phone. 39% of people who responded used it and remember it fondly as their favorite mobile operating system. Of the rest, 13% of people used it and are happier with Android, while 5% used it and are happier with iPhone. That's a strong showing for Windows Phone! 🗳️ Finally, if you haven't already voted in this week's poll, be sure to make your voice heard: [How do you feel about your current laptop's battery life?]()​ 🤚 Wait! Before you go: What'd you think of this issue? [Thumbs Up]( [Thumbs Down]() Hit the thumbs-up or thumbs-down to cast your vote and let me know. Want less email? [Update your reading preferences](=) to opt out of any individual publications or unsubscribe entirely. New here and not yet subscribed? Take two seconds to [sign up for our newsletters](): Windows Intelligence, Android Intelligence, or Cool Tools (or all three!). Hungry for even more? [Learn about becoming an Intelligence Insider](=) to gain access to our one-of-a-kind community, power-packed advanced resources, on-demand help desk, and tons of free apps and services. Independent journalism relies on you. 🤝 An [Intelligence Insider membership](=) is the best way to support my work and keep this newsletter sustainable. 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