One Click to Find Out Which Apps Are Draining Your Laptop Battery

Nothing is more frustrating than opening your laptop for a quick task, only to watch the battery drop way faster than it should. The good news is you do not have to guess what’s causing it. Both Windows and Mac have a built-in battery report that can reveal which apps are using the most power, often in just a click or two. Below is a simple, non-technical way to find the culprits, plus a few easy fixes that can noticeably extend your battery life.

Why this matters (in plain English)

Your laptop battery drains faster when certain apps are working “hard” in the background. Sometimes that’s expected (video calls, photo editing, streaming). Other times it’s surprising, like a browser tab, a cloud sync app, or something that keeps waking up your computer when you’re not using it. When you can see which apps are using the most battery, you can make smarter choices, like closing the right thing instead of closing everything.

If you use Windows 11
(or still using Windows 10)

Step 1: Open your battery usage list

1. Click Start.
2. Click Settings.
3. Go to System.
4. Click Power & battery.
5. Look for Battery usage (you may need to scroll a bit).

You should see a list of apps and how much battery they use. In many cases, you can switch the view to see usage over the last 24 hours or last 7 days, which helps you spot patterns.

Step 2: Find the surprise drains

Look for apps that are high on the list that you did not expect, for example:

• A web browser (especially if you tend to leave lots of tabs open)
• Video meeting apps
• Cloud backup/sync tools
• Game launchers
• Anything you rarely use but still shows up as a big battery user

Step 3: Make one small change that helps immediately

Try these quick improvements:

• Close the app when you’re done, not just the window.
• Reduce browser tabs (each tab can use memory and background activity).
• In Power & battery, turn on Battery saver when you’re away from an outlet.
• Lower screen brightness a notch; it is one of the biggest battery drains on most laptops.

Bonus: Stop background activity for “non-essential” apps

On some Windows setups, you can limit what certain apps do in the background. If you see an app burning battery even when you are not using it, it is worth checking its permissions and startup behavior.

If you use a Mac (MacBook)

Step 1: Open Battery settings

1. Click the Apple menu (top-left).
2. Click System Settings (or System Preferences on older macOS).
3. Click Battery.

Step 2: Look at which apps are using “Significant Energy”

There are two very useful places to check: Option A: Activity Monitor

1. Open Finder.
2. Go to Applications > Utilities.
3. Open Activity Monitor.
4. Click the Energy tab.

In the Energy tab, you’ll see which apps are using the most energy right now. You may also see a column called “12 hr Power” (depending on macOS version), which helps identify apps that have been power-hungry over time.Option B: Battery menu. If you click the battery icon in the top menu bar, macOS may show apps that are using significant energy. This is a great quick check when the battery seems to be dropping faster than normal.

Step 3: Quick fixes that typically help MacBooks

• Quit apps you are not using (use Command + Q to fully quit).
• If your browser is at the top, close heavy tabs (streaming video, lots of ads, web apps).
• If you use external monitors or accessories on battery, unplug them when you do not need them.
• In Battery settings, consider enabling Low Power Mode when you are away from a charger.

A few “silent” battery drains to watch for (Windows and Mac)

Even if you do not see a single obvious culprit, these common issues can add up:

• Too many startup apps (things launching automatically)
• Cloud sync running constantly (especially if large files are changing)
• Browser extensions that are always active
• Bluetooth on when you are not using it
• An aging battery (sometimes the battery health is the real issue)

If your battery is draining quickly even with only a few apps open, it may be worth checking battery health and overall system performance.

The best part: you only have to do this once in a while

You do not need to babysit your battery every day. Just checking the battery usage screen occasionally can help you catch new apps that slowly become “battery hogs” after an update or after you install something new. Give it a try the next time your battery seems to drop too fast. You may be surprised how quickly you can fix it. Give us a call, or fill out the contact form to the right (below on mobile), for a personalized consultation to secure your family’s or business’s digital life.