Use the power management features in this section to achieve the best balance between
performance and power efficiency.
Rechargeable battery pack
Your computer includes a built-in, rechargeable battery pack that makes mobile computing a
reality. When the computer is plugged into an electrical outlet, the battery charges. If you
use the computer when you don't have access to an electrical outlet, the battery discharges
to supply electricity that the computer system requires for operation.
You can charge the battery any time you want. The battery packs of Lenovo computers support
multiple charging modes that are suitable for different power usage habits. You can switch
the battery’s active charging mode in Lenovo Vantage or Lenovo PC Manager.
Battery charging is also affected by its temperature. The recommended temperature range for
charging the battery is between 10°C (50°F) and 35°C (95°F).
You can check the battery temperature in Lenovo Vantage.
To maximize the life of the
battery, once the battery is fully charged, it must discharge to 94% or lower before it
will be allowed to recharge again.
Normal mode
Normal mode is the most basic charging mode. In normal mode, it typically takes 2 to 4 hours
for the battery to charge from 0% to 100%.
Rapid charge mode
If you want the battery to be charged faster than in normal mode, switch the battery charging
to rapid charge mode.
Conservation mode
If your computer is constantly plugged into an electrical outlet, consider switching the
battery charging to conservation mode. In conservation mode, the battery will not be fully
charged. Instead, the battery’s charge will be kept within 75%–80%. This is beneficial to
the long-term health of the battery.
If you want the battery to be fully charged before
bringing the computer to work, disable conservation mode by switching the battery charging
to normal or rapid charge mode.
Overnight battery charging mode
Some people follow a regular pattern when using their computers. They finish their workday
with the computer at a low battery charge level. They plug in their computers at night and
need the battery to be fully charged the next morning so they can unplug the computer and
bring it to work. These activities happen at approximately the same time each day. If this
sounds like you, consider enabling overnight battery charging mode for the battery.
Overnight battery charging mode affects battery charging during the night hours, the time
when you’re usually asleep. When it is enabled, the computer regularly adapts its charging
behavior based on observation of when you plug in the computer at night and unplug it in the
morning. During the nighttime, the battery is charged to a particular range and is kept
within that range for an extended period, before being further charged to 100%. Overnight
battery charging mode ensures safe charging during the night and is beneficial to the
long-term health of the battery.
- With overnight battery charging mode enabled, if you break your routine one day by
unplugging the computer much earlier than usual in the morning, you may find that
the battery is not fully charged.
- If the battery pack of your computer supports overnight battery charging mode, it
can be enabled in Lenovo Vantage or Lenovo PC Manager.
Recover full battery capacity
If your computer is constantly plugged in to an electrical outlet and the battery rarely
discharges, the battery may not be charged to its full capacity even if the battery meter
reports 100% charge. You can recover the battery’s full charging potential simply by
discharging and re-charging the battery.
Step 1
Unplug the computer and use it until the battery charge drops below 20%.
Step 2
Plug in the computer and charge the battery to 100%.
Shut down your PC
When you have finished using your PC and do not plan to resume shortly, shut it down.
Step 1
Select Start ➙ Power.
Step 2
Select Shut down.
Set power button behavior
By default, pressing the power button puts the computer to sleep mode. However, you can
change the power button behavior in Windows Control Panel.
Step 1
Type Control Panel in the Windows search box
and then press Enter. Open the control panel and view by large or small icons.
Step 2
Select the power options and then click choose what the power button does.
Put your PC into sleep mode
If you need to stop using your PC but plan to resume shortly, you can put it into sleep mode. Your PC will wake up more quickly from sleep mode, allowing you to return to where you left off with your work.
Step 1
Select Start ➙ Power.
Step 2
Select Sleep.
Adjust timeout settings for saving power
Setting appropriate timeouts for your PC to enter sleep mode and for the built-in screen to turn off is an effective method of reducing your PC's power consumption. The Windows operating system comes with default timeout settings for these two items, which you can adjust to better suit your preferences.
Step 1
Select Start ➙ Settings ➙ System ➙ Power & battery ➙ Screen, sleep, & hibernation timeouts.
Step 2
Adjust the settings.
For notebook PCs, you can set distinct timeouts for two usage scenarios: when the PC is plugged in and when it is running on battery power.
Default timeout settings for power saving
The operating system on your PC has the following timeouts enabled by default. You can adjust these settings to better suit your preferences.
Setting appropriate timeouts is an effective method of reducing your PC's power consumption. Avoid setting excessively long timeouts to effectively disable this power-saving feature.
Table 1: Default timeout settings for the PC to enter sleep mode and the screen to turn off
Power saving action |
Power state |
Timeout |
Turn off the screen |
Plugged in |
5 |
On battery |
3 |
Put the PC into sleep mode |
Plugged in |
5 |
On battery |
3 |
To wake the PC from sleep mode, press the power
button or any key on the keyboard.
System operation modes
Lenovo has preset several modes in which your computer can operate. The maximum attainable performance, power consumption, and speed limit for the heat sink fan vary between the operation modes. Consider the following conditions when you want to switch operation modes.
- The environment where you use your computer, and
- The tasks running on your computer
You can switch the operation mode in the pre-installed app Lenovo Vantage or Lenovo PC
Manager. As a shortcut, you can also use the key combination fn + Q. Three modes are usually
available for most Lenovo computers. The following table lists the operation modes and the
recommended conditions for each mode.
The operation modes listed in the table are
descriptive and may not be the same as those displayed by the app.
Table 2: Operation modes and their recommended usage conditions
Operation mode |
Recommended conditions |
High Performance |
- Your computer is plugged into an electrical outlet.
- You want the best performance, and
- You don't care if the fan makes a little noise.
|
Auto (Balance) |
You plan to frequently switch between different computer tasks over a period of
time. |
Power Saving (Quiet) |
- Your computer is operating on battery power, or
- You want the computer to be as quiet as possible.
|
In Auto (Balance) mode, the computer dynamically
switches between High Performance mode and Power Saving (Quiet) mode depending on the tasks
running on the computer.
Adjustable display refresh rate (for selected models)
Your eyes might not notice it but the content displayed on the computer screen refreshes
constantly. Display refresh rate refers to the number of times per second the screen content
refreshes itself and is measured in hertz (Hz).
A refresh rate of 60 Hz is adequate for most situations and is energy efficient. However,
when viewing videos or playing video games, a higher refresh rate usually provides a
smoother viewing experience.
The displays of some Lenovo computers support dual refresh rates. For such a computer, you
can manually switch its display to work at either the higher or lower refresh rate. For
Windows operation systems, the manual settings are usually found in Settings ➙
System ➙ Display. As a shortcut, you can also use the key combination fn + R to
switch the display refresh rate.
Not all displays support dual refresh rates. If you
cannot find settings to change the display refresh rate, the refresh rate of the display
might be fixed or cannot be manually changed.