# How long can a laptop be left on and running? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [August 14, 2014, 3:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-long-can-a-laptop-be-left-on-and-running/695487 "2014-08-14T03:15:19Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 12\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![GusNSpot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gusnspot/32/436_2.png) [@GusNSpot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GusNSpot)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2014, 8:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-long-can-a-laptop-be-left-on-and-running/695487/21 "2014-08-14T20:58:56Z")
If the main line is not on a battery backup, the on board battery is the battery backup, right? So no protection for the unit plus needing a surge proctor. Maybe the plugin in is on something from a bigger up stream backup. Or they have really good steady power? Had a old LT that the battery was underneath right in front & easy & simple to pull. One I have now it is under the back edge, needs the screen down & two hands while the LT is on edge or upside down. Does not induce me to pull the battery as often. This battery has never gone over 1½ hours of use since it was new. ??? Asus K52P - win 7 hm premium. Just a data point. ---
**Author:** ![GusNSpot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gusnspot/32/436_2.png) [@GusNSpot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GusNSpot)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2014, 9:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-long-can-a-laptop-be-left-on-and-running/695487/22 "2014-08-14T21:02:06Z")
I have always used mine on a cooling pad-stand with a big fan in it. Hope it has been worth the trouble to haul it around when traveling. ---
**Author:** ![Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecccb3/32.png) [@Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skald_the_Rhymer)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2014, 9:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-long-can-a-laptop-be-left-on-and-running/695487/23 "2014-08-14T21:02:47Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > While I can believe that leaving it plugged in was bad for the battery once upon a time, I’d be amazed if modern laptops aren’t smart enough about charging to prevent this. My work laptop will not accept additional charge if the battery is at 97% or greater when it’s plugged in. Oh, it’ll charge all the way to 100% but only if the battery was at 96% of less to begin with. ---
**Author:** ![gazpacho](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/6f9a4e/32.png) [@gazpacho](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gazpacho)\ **Post date:** [August 15, 2014, 1:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-long-can-a-laptop-be-left-on-and-running/695487/24 "2014-08-15T01:01:21Z")
> [@wolfpup](#): > > I wonder how much operational runtime you’d get on that battery compared to a new one. I would guess much less. If you never take your laptop off the docking station, would you even know? Sure I would know. I take the laptop out occasionally for meetings and the like the battery lasted about 3 hours new and lasts about 3 hours now. As Shagnasty pointed out laptops in docking stations are an extremely common business setup. Pretty much everybody where I work has such a setup. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Pig](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/c57346/32.png) [@Little\_Pig](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Pig)\ **Post date:** [August 15, 2014, 1:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-long-can-a-laptop-be-left-on-and-running/695487/25 "2014-08-15T01:33:22Z")
I have a Lenovo T400 Thinkpad that I once left running for almost 2 years straight. Still works fine. There again it runs Linux, not Windows, so I never needed to reboot. ---
**Author:** ![beowulff](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beowulff/32/542_2.png) [@beowulff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/beowulff)\ **Post date:** [August 15, 2014, 2:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-long-can-a-laptop-be-left-on-and-running/695487/26 "2014-08-15T02:22:13Z")
> [@Little\_Pig](#): > > I have a Lenovo T400 Thinkpad that I once left running for almost 2 years straight. Still works fine. There again it runs Linux, not Windows, so I never needed to reboot. I have a MacBook that has been running OS X 10.4 for _seven years_ without a reboot. So there. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Pig](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/c57346/32.png) [@Little\_Pig](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Pig)\ **Post date:** [August 15, 2014, 3:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-long-can-a-laptop-be-left-on-and-running/695487/27 "2014-08-15T03:03:28Z")
> [@beowulff](#): > > I have a MacBook that has been running OS X 10.4 for _seven years_ without a reboot. > > So there. 😃 MacBook Model number please. ---
**Author:** ![beowulff](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beowulff/32/542_2.png) [@beowulff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/beowulff)\ **Post date:** [August 15, 2014, 3:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-long-can-a-laptop-be-left-on-and-running/695487/28 "2014-08-15T03:32:39Z")
> [@Little\_Pig](#): > > MacBook Model number please. It’s a [Pismo](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/PowerBook_G3). Oh, yeah - they were called PowerBooks back then! ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Pig](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/c57346/32.png) [@Little\_Pig](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Pig)\ **Post date:** [August 15, 2014, 7:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-long-can-a-laptop-be-left-on-and-running/695487/29 "2014-08-15T07:36:54Z")
> [@beowulff](#): > > It’s a [Pismo](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/PowerBook_G3). > Oh, yeah - they were called PowerBooks back then! Wow! Still got it? ---
**Author:** ![beowulff](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beowulff/32/542_2.png) [@beowulff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/beowulff)\ **Post date:** [August 15, 2014, 1:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-long-can-a-laptop-be-left-on-and-running/695487/30 "2014-08-15T13:54:12Z")
> [@Little\_Pig](#): > > Wow! Still got it? Yeah, it’s our “kitchen” computer. My wife keeps pestering me to get rid of it, since an iPad is 800 zillion times faster, but I’m curious how along it will stay up… Slowness aside, it’s still usable for surfing the web (although it can’t play video worth a damn). ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Pig](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/c57346/32.png) [@Little\_Pig](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Pig)\ **Post date:** [August 15, 2014, 4:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-long-can-a-laptop-be-left-on-and-running/695487/31 "2014-08-15T16:47:42Z")
I recently found [this](http://www.computinghistory.org.uk/det/32328/Compaq-Contura-2820D/) in a storage box that had been gather dust for years. Out of curiosity I fired it up and it worked (!!?!) Running MS-DOS 6.22 and it had Turbo C installed. Amazingly, they still make [batteries](http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00111WXHK/ref=wl_it_dp_o_pC_S_ttl?_encoding=UTF8&colid=1KW3WJ7U5FF86&coliid=I178J089BFS7ET) for this device. I have no idea what to do with it. ---
**Author:** ![TBG](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c89c15/32.png) [@TBG](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TBG)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2014, 2:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-long-can-a-laptop-be-left-on-and-running/695487/32 "2014-08-17T02:22:21Z")
So long as there’s adequate ventilation and power, you can leave a laptop on for months, at least I did with one so I could use it to serve media. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-long-can-a-laptop-be-left-on-and-running/695487.md?page=1)