How to reduce overheating on Ubuntu laptops. Install TLP advanced power management tool on Ubuntu 16.04 Systems.
TLP power management application comes with a default configuration optimized for battery life. TLP applies various settings and battery tweaks that help to save laptop battery power and reduce overheating.
TLP packages are available for Arch, Debian, Fedora, Gentoo and Ubuntu. Please note that TLP runs on every laptop brand. Setting the battery charge thresholds is available for IBM/Lenovo ThinkPads only.
Install TLP On Ubuntu and Mint Systems
Before installing TLP, make sure “laptop-mode-tools” is not installed. If installed, you must remove “laptop-mode-tools” as it conflicts with TLP.
To uninstall the laptop mode-tools, open the Terminal and run the following command:
sudo apt-get remove laptop-mode-tools
Now run the following commands to install TLP by using its official PPA:
sudo add-apt-repository ppa:linrunner/tlp
sudo apt-get update
sudo apt-get install tlp tlp-rdw
Please remember, TLP will start automatically on startup, but for the first time you must start it manually. Run the following command to start TLP manually:
sudo tlp start
There are also some optional packages you can install to improve battery life in Linux Ubuntu with TLP. You can install the optional packages via package management tools (Ubuntu Software Center, Synaptic, …) or terminal command. Run the following command to install the optional TLP packages:
sudo apt-get install tlp tlp-rdw
ThinkPads require an additional:
sudo apt-get install tp-smapi-dkms acpi-call-tools
You can also install smartmontools, needed to display disk drive S.M.A.R.T. data and ethtool, needed to disable wake on lan. Run the following command to install smartmontools and ethtool:
sudo apt-get install smartmontools ethtool
Configuration
All TLP settings are stored in the config file /etc/default/tlp. As the default configuration already provides for optimized battery saving, in many cases there is no immediate need to change it.
Start
After installation TLP will be automatically activated upon system start. To start it immediately without reboot or to apply changed settings use:
sudo tlp start
Check
Use the tlp-stat terminal command to check if TLP is working properly
sudo tlp-stat
and check the output for
+++ System Status
TLP power save = enabled
power source = …
TLP is a pure command line tool with automated background tasks. It does not contain a GUI.
Increase Battery Life of Linux Ubuntu Laptops
If Ubuntu users are looking to increase battery life of their laptops, they can install Laptop Mode Tools. The application enables the users to extend their battery life by enabling the Laptop Mode Linux Kernel and doing a bunch other tweaks.