- On Windows 11, you can use the Smart charging feature in the Surface app to limit your Surface battery to 80 percent, which helps extend its lifespan.
- Open the Surface app, open to “Battery & charging,” and select “Limit to 80%.” You can also disable or set it to “Adaptive” if you prefer full charging flexibility.
On Windows 11, if you have a Surface laptop or tablet, you can use the “Smart charging” feature in the Surface app to configure the battery settings to stop charging after reaching 80 percent. This can help reduce battery wear and extend its overall lifespan. In this guide, I’ll walk you through the steps to configure this feature.
By default, the Smart charging feature is active and automatically enables limiting charging to 80 percent when your Surface is plugged in for long periods or used in an environment with elevated temperatures. Also, you’ll notice a heart badge in the battery icon in the System Tray, indicating the feature is active.
Furthermore, if the battery drops below 20 percent or the system detects continuous usage of the battery, then the feature will pause automatically, letting the Surface charge to 100 percent.
In this guide, I’ll explain the steps to limit the charge of your Surface device running Windows 11.
- Limit battery charging to 80 percent on Windows 11 for Surface
- Disable battery charging limit on Windows 11 for Surface
Limit battery charging to 80 percent on Windows 11 for Surface
To limit the battery charging to 80% on your Microsoft Surface device, follow these steps:
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Open the Surface app.
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Click on Battery & charging.
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Select the “Limit to 80%” option in the “Charging mode” section.
Surface limit battery charge to 80 percent / Image: Reddit
Once you complete the steps, your Surface devices will be limited to 80 percent charging to extend the lifespan of the battery.
If the Surface app isn’t available on your device, you can download it from the Microsoft Store.
Disable battery charging limit on Windows 11 for Surface
To disable battery charging limits on a Surface, follow these steps:
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Open the Surface app.
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Click on Battery & charging.
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Select the “Charge to 100%” option in the “Smart charging” section.
Surface charge battery 100 percent / Image: Reddit - (Optional) Select the “Adaptive” option in the “Smart charging” section to let the system control charging as needed by the device.
It’s important to note that, depending on the device, you may be able to select the time period for pausing the Smart Charging feature.
Microsoft has also released an update for the firmware available in the Surface Pro 11 and Surface Laptop 7 to bring this capability to Qualcomm Snapdragon processors. In the past, the option was only available for devices using Intel processors. Additionally, these devices previously included an option within the Unified Extensible Firmware Interface (UEFI) to limit charging to 50 percent. However, this setting couldn’t be changed from within the operating system.
The firmware update now allows users to change the charge limit of Snapdragon devices to 80 percent using the Surface app.
Mauro Huculak is a Windows How-To Expert and founder of Pureinfotech in 2010. With over 22 years as a technology writer and IT Specialist, Mauro specializes in Windows, software, and cross-platform systems such as Linux, Android, and macOS.
Certifications: Microsoft Certified Solutions Associate (MCSA), Cisco Certified Network Professional (CCNP), VMware Certified Professional (VCP), and CompTIA A+ and Network+.
Mauro is a recognized Microsoft MVP and has also been a long-time contributor to Windows Central.
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