does leaving a laptop plugged in for extended periods of time would harm the battery?

I usually keep my laptop plugged into the outlet at night, and when I use the laptop at home. Does this hurt the battery life? If yes, would unplugging every night be worth the effort in the long run?

 

well, modern batteries can't overcharge, but the heat emitted by the laptop can damage the battery if you leave it in over a long period of time. this is why i only have my battery in my laptop if i'm taking it somewhere (or charging it in preparation thereof). if i've got my lappy stationary on my desk, i remove the battery.

 

Yeah I remove the battery since most of the time my laptop is at my desk. It only stays in to charge and then it sits out until I'm taking it somewhere.

 

http://batteryuniversity.com/index.htm has some pretty good info.

 

Check out NBR's Battery Guide. All you questions are addressed in that thread.

 

wow david thanks alot lol i didnt even know something like this existed on the site....+ Rep!

 

No problem Yea, that thread was created quite a while ago, and is usually buried beneath newer threads. Nevertheless, it contains many useful info

 

i read it somewhere b4 but I forgot where

What is the appropriate charge to leave your battery at when its not in use. ie. put away

i think it was 40% or something? can some1 confirm the exact value for me? ty

 

43%.

Realistically 40 to 50% will do just fine.

I recommend keeping the battery in. For a good battery, I am not sure whether this causes a sensible difference in battery wear within the typical usage timeframe of a laptop. Like this you will not need to shutdown the laptop just to move it around / won't worry about power outages etc.

 

well for me.... The battery discharges about 5% every week, meaning it recharges once a week

Realistically, this laptop is my desktop replacement. I always have it plugged in, so im guessing it would be a better option to take out the battery?

 

If it's always plugged in and in the same location, yeah, there is little point in keeping it in except defense from power outages (which in Western countries are very uncommon).

 

thnx, its plugged into a UPS anyway >.> so no worries

 

Li-Ion batteries don't like being discharged, don't like being heated, and degrade as time goes on. Leaving it plugged in or removed will eventually lead to it's untimely demise either way. ;p

Leaving it plugged in does expose it to higher temperatures, but leaving it out and totally forgetting to keep it's maintenance charge EVEN ONCE will likely kill it WAY more. It's WORSE to leave it out and let it sit at 0% for a month than to leave it in and floating for a month.

 

Just figure out which type of battery you have and google the info on it.