How to enable Surface Battery Limit feature

In September 2018, Microsoft started rolling out a new “feature called “Battery Limit” “Battery Limit” feature to all Surface devices, beginning from Surface Pro 3 forward. This feature can prolong your Surface’s battery lifespan by limiting the total charge to 50%.

Enabling the setting preserves the battery’s ability to take and hold a charge while it’s connected to external power for an extended period of time and is recommended for Surface devices integrated into solutions like kiosks, consoles, and other scenarios where they are constantly connected to an external power supply.

Microsoft Support

The feature is being rolled out to Surface devices via the Firmware update. This article will walk you through enabling this feature on your supported Surface devices.

1Battery Limit Supported Surface Devices

Here is the complete list of Surface devices that support the “Battery Limit” feature with the associated firmware updates.

Surface ModelRequired FirmwareUEFI versionEC* versionSA* version
Surface 3Dec 6, 2018 update1.51116.218.0
Surface GoNov 9, 2018 update1.0.10.0
Surface Go LTEJul 23, 2019 update1.1.12.0
Surface Pro 3Sep 10, 2018 update3.11.2550.038.14.80.0
Surface Pro 4Sep 10, 2018 update108.2318.769.0103.2241.256.0
Surface Pro 5Aug 1, 2019 update239.2660.257.0
Surface Pro 6Aug 1, 2019 update182.1004.139.0
Surface LaptopJan 24, 2019 update137.2439.769
Surface Laptop 2Jan 24, 2019 update137.2439.769
Surface BookOct 10, 2018 update90.2226.256.0
Surface Book 2Oct 10, 2019 update182.1004.139.0

*EC = Surface Embedded Controller Firmware
*SA = Surface System Aggregator Firmware

Make sure to check the Microsoft support page for the latest updates.

2Boot Into Surface UEFI

You can boot your Surface into the UEFI menu by using the following methods:

  • Method 1: Hardware Buttons or Keyboard
  • Method 2: Windows Recovery Settings

Let’s get into the details of each method.

Method 1: Boot to Surface UEFI via Hardware Buttons or Keyboard

To boot into the Surface UEFI menu on Surface Pro 3, Surface Pro 4, Surface Pro 5, Surface Pro 6, Surface Pro 7, Surface Pro 8, Surface Pro 9, or Surface Pro X, do the following:

How to Enter Surface Pro UEFI/BIOS Settings

  1. Shut down your Surface Pro.
  2. Press and hold the Volume Up button on your Surface, then press and release the Power button.
  3. When you see the Surface logo screen appear, release the Volume Up button. The Surface UEFI screen will appear in a few seconds.

To boot into the Surface UEFI menu on Surface Laptop (1st Gen), Surface Laptop 2, Surface Laptop 3, Surface Laptop 4, Surface Laptop 5, Surface Laptop Go (1st Gen), Surface Laptop Go 2, Surface Laptop SE, or Surface Laptop Studio, do the following:

How to Enter Surface Laptop UEFI/BIOS Settings

  1. Shut down your Surface Laptop.
  2. Press and hold the Volume Up (F6) key on your Surface, then press and release the Power Key next to the Del key.
  3. When you see the Surface logo appear, release the Volume Up button. The Surface UEFI screen will appear in a few seconds.

To boot into the Surface UEFI menu on Surface Book (1st Gen), Surface Book 2, or Surface Book 3, do the following:

How to Enter Surface Book UEFI/BIOS Settings

  1. Shut down your Surface Book.
  2. Press and hold the Volume Up button on your Surface, then press and release the Power button.
  3. When you see the Surface logo screen appear, release the Volume Up button. The Surface UEFI screen will appear in a few seconds.

To boot into the Surface UEFI menu on Surface Go (1st Gen), Surface Go 2, or Surface Go 3, do the following:

Surface Go - Entering UEFI Settings

  1. Shut down your Surface Go.
  2. Press and hold the Volume Up button on your Surface, then press and release the Power button.
  3. When you see the Surface logo screen appear, release the Volume Up button. The Surface UEFI screen will appear in a few seconds.

Method 2: Boot to Surface UEFI via Windows Recovery Settings

  1. Open Windows Settings
    First, you need to access Windows Settings by going to Start and opening the Settings app with the gear icon (or by using Win + I shortcut key).
  2. Go to Windows Updates > Advanced options
    On the left pane of the settings, select "Windows Updates". Then select "Advanced options" from the more options section.
    Windows 11: Settings > Windows Update > Advanced options
  3. Select the "Recovery" option
    Under the "Additional options", select "Recovery".
    Windows 11: Settings > Recovery
  4. Restart your Surface Laptop in "Advanced Startup" mode.
    Under recovery options, click the "Restart now" button to restart your Surface Laptop in advanced startup mode which will allow you to change startup settings.
    Windows 11: Settings > Advanced startup
  5. Select "Troubleshoot"
    After your Surface is restarted, you will see a blue screen with the following options. Select "Troubleshoot".
    Windows 11 Recovery - Troubleshooting
  6. Select "Advanced options".
    Windows 11 Recovery - Advanced Options
  7. Select "UEFI Firmware Settings".
    Windows 11 Recovery - UEFI Firmware Settings
  8. Select "Restart" to restart your Surface directly into the UEFI Firmware Settings.
    Windows 11 Recovery - UEFI Restart

  1. Open Windows Settings
    First, you need to access Windows Settings by going to Start and clicking the Gear icon (or by using Win + I shortcut key).
  2. Go to Update & Security
    In Windows Settings, select "Update & Security".
    Windows 10 Settings > Update & Security
  3. Go to Recovery
    On the left side of the settings, select Recovery.
    Windows 10 Settings > Update & Security > Recovery
  4. Restart your Surface in Advanced Startup
    Under the "Advanced startup" section, click Restart now to restart your Surface in an advanced startup mode.
    Windows 10 Settings > Update & Security > Recovery > Advanced Startup
  5. Select "Troubleshoot"
    After your Surface is restarted, you will see a blue screen with the following options. Select "Troubleshooting".
    Windows 11 Recovery - Troubleshoot
  6. Select "Advanced options".
    Windows 10 Recovery - Advanced Options
  7. Select "UEFI Firmware Settings".Windows 10 Recovery - UEFI Firmware Settings
  8. Select "Restart" to restart your Surface directly into the UEFI Firmware Settings.
    Windows 10 Recovery - UEFI Firmware Settings - Restart

3Enable the Battery Limit Mode in Surface UEFI

When you’ve successfully accessed the Surface UEFI menu, do the following:

  1. In the Surface UEFI menu, choose the Boot Configuration page as below:
    Surface UEFI - Boot Configuration Page
  2. Under Advanced Options, toggle the Enable Battery Limit Mode to On.
    Enable Battery Limit Feature
  3. After you have made changes, you can restart your Surface by choosing the Exit menu and clicking Restart Now.
    Surface Book UEFI Exit Page

4Verify the Battery Limit Mode

You can verify the Battery Limit feature by doing the following:

  • On the Windows taskbar, click on the battery icon; it will pop up the battery status windows with the following information.
    Battery Limit feature enabled on Surface Book
  • You will notice that after charging for a while, the battery will cap at 50%.
Note On Surface Book, the base section will remain fully charged (Battery 2) at 100%, while the tablet section (Battery 1) is capped at 50%.