How to Fix Microsoft Edge’s Battery Drain on Windows 11
Microsoft Edge is the go-to browser for many of us, and it continues to compete with Chrome for the title of the most popular browser. But, much like Chrome, Edge shares a lot of flaws that exist in Chromium-based browsers. For instance, the Microsoft forum has ample complaints about the high battery usage of the Edge browser.
If you experience the same issue on your Windows 11 laptop, don’t worry. We will help you fix the high battery drain issue while using Edge on Windows 11.
What Causes Microsoft Edge to Have High Battery Drain on Windows 11?
Microsoft Edge can drain your battery faster due to a variety of reasons. Some of them are:
Now, you know about the reasons why Edge is draining your laptop’s battery faster. Here are the fixes which you can try, to prevent Edge from consuming high battery power.
1. Disable Hardware Acceleration
Hardware Acceleration is a nifty feature that uses your GPU for graphics-intensive tasks, but there is a downside to using this feature. Earlier, Edge was only using the CPU, thus consuming less power. But if you enable hardware acceleration, it will offload graphical tasks to the GPU.
Running two power-consuming hardware for web browsing will consume more battery. So, if you are using a laptop and need to extend battery runtime, disable hardware acceleration.
To disable hardware acceleration in Edge, do as follows:
2. Remove Non-Essential Extensions
If you have a lot of active extensions in Edge, they can cause excessive battery drain. Each extension requires system resources to run when you open the browser. You need to be picky and keep only those that you need on a regular basis. Remove all the remaining ones from Edge.
To remove extensions in Edge, perform the following steps:
Now, Edge will consume fewer system resources and battery power.
3. Disable Background Apps and Extensions
Edge can continue running background apps and extensions even after you close it. This setting comes enabled by default in the Edge browser.
If you don’t use any specific extensions or apps that should run 24/7 in the background, you can disable this feature. Doing so will close all the Edge background processes and save on your battery.
To disable background apps and Extensions, repeat the following steps:
Now, Edge won’t run anything in the background after you close it.
4. Enable Sleeping Tabs
Opening multiple tabs and forgetting about them while working is common behavior. However, each tab consumes system resources while it is open. These tabs will continue to drain battery power even if you’re not using them.
Fortunately, Microsoft introduced a new feature to Edge called “sleeping tabs.” This handy tool puts unused tabs to sleep and reduces their impact on your system resources. So, even if you forget to close them, they’ll eventually “go to sleep” after a set amount of time.
To enable sleeping tabs in Edge, perform the following steps:
For more advice on this, see ourguide to sleeping tabs in Microsoft Edge.
5. Use Efficiency Mode in Edge
Edge has an Efficiency Mode feature that optimizes its CPU usage. As such, you can use this feature to extend the laptop’s battery life.
Efficiency mode puts tabs to sleep after five minutes of inactivity. However, you will notice that the videos and animations appear less smooth while using this mode.
To enable Efficiency Mode in Edge, do as follows:
6. Repair Edge
There could be an issue with the current build of Edge installed on your system. Repairing Edge can restore missing/corrupt files, without deleting your browsing data.
To repair Edge, do as follows:
7. Run the Power Troubleshooter
You can use the Windows Troubleshooter to find the cause of excessive battery drain. Windows 11 has a dedicated troubleshooter for each component, and each troubleshooter uses diagnostic data to suggest and apply fixes for your problems.
To run the power troubleshooter, repeat the following steps:
Save Battery Life While Using Edge
Edge is among the top browsers that you can use today. You can try out the above-mentioned fixes to minimize the battery drain while using Edge. Moreover, Edge now offers inbuilt features such as sleeping tabs which economize battery usage.
Whether for convenience or accessibility reasons, Microsoft Edge’s image labels provide an image description. Here’s how to use them.
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