I thought pre-installed PC manufacturer apps were junk — but this one proved me wrong

Windows laptops come with a variety of preinstalled apps, some from Microsoft and others from the manufacturer. Like many people, I used to ignore the manufacturer's apps, assuming they were just unnecessary bloatware taking up space. I never imagined they could actually be useful—until I tried the Lenovo Vantage app.

It isn’t just another tool for checking your laptop's serial number, warranty status, or contacting support. It’s packed with features that genuinely improve the way you use your laptop. From monitoring battery health and managing updates to optimizing gaming performance and enhancing audio, Lenovo Vantage made me realize just how many hidden capabilities my laptop actually has.

Battery limit keeps my laptop healthy

Keeping the battery happy doesn’t have to be difficult

Battery life is one of the most important aspects of any laptop, yet Windows doesn't offer many useful tools to monitor its performance or protect its health. Lenovo Vantage fixes that for me. Under Device Settings > Power, I can quickly check the battery's overall health and current temperature. It even shows the number of charge cycles, which gives me a clear indication of when it’s time to replace the battery.

But the most useful feature is the ability to set a charging limit. You can set your laptop to stop charging at around 80%, which goes a long way in reducing long-term battery degradation. And for those moments when you’re in a rush and need a quick top-up, there’s Rapid Charge. It replenishes the battery much faster when the laptop is hibernating or powered off.

Then there’s the Overnight Battery Charging mode, which is useful for anyone who prefers keeping their laptop plugged in overnight. Much like your phone, Lenovo Vantage learns your daily charging habits and delays charging from 80% to full until right before you typically start your day. This helps prevent overheating or swelling and extends the overall battery lifespan.

Useful gaming settings that improve performance

Unlock your laptop’s full gaming potential

For those using a gaming laptop, Lenovo Vantage offers plenty of useful features. Right on the dashboard, you can monitor your CPU, GPU, and VRAM usage in real time. It’s incredibly handy for spotting bottlenecks when you’re gaming or streaming and seeing exactly what’s holding your frame rates back.

The Thermal Mode menu lets you toggle between Balanced, Performance, and Quiet modes depending on what you’re doing. If you want to push your system further, Lenovo Vantage lets you enable GPU overclocking with a single click. It’s a safe, manufacturer-approved boost that gives your graphics card a little extra edge for demanding games. In the same section, the Network Boost feature prioritizes game traffic over background apps, so you can enjoy smoother, lag-free multiplayer sessions.

Lenovo Vantage also packs in small but thoughtful features that make a big difference. You can lock the touchpad to prevent accidental taps mid-game, automatically close background apps to free up resources, or enable adaptive refresh rate to save power when you're not gaming. And if you like keeping an eye on system stats while multitasking, you can enable the Lenovo Vantage Toolbar from the Widgets menu, which lets you monitor GPU, CPU, RAM, and network performance even while you're in other apps.

Easy updates and built-in troubleshooting tools

One-click updates that save hours

Keeping your laptop’s drivers and BIOS up to date can be a tedious chore, especially if you have to hunt them down manually from manufacturer websites. Lenovo Vantage completely removes that hassle. It automatically checks for the latest drivers, firmware, and BIOS updates tailored to your specific device model, so you never have to wonder what’s compatible or safe to install.

Beyond updates, Lenovo Vantage packs in several handy tools. The built-in Wi-Fi Security feature, for instance, helps your laptop identify safe networks and warns you if a connection looks suspicious. There’s also a Memory Cleaner that can close multiple background apps and processes at once, freeing up RAM and improving performance in seconds.

Noise cancellation and useful hidden gestures

Small features that make a big difference

Lenovo Vantage also includes a few smaller features that I didn’t know my laptop had. Under Device Settings > Sound, you can enable Speaker Noise Cancelling. This feature filters out unwanted sounds and focuses on vocals, which is ideal for online meetings in noisy environments.

The app also includes Microphone Noise Cancelling, which intelligently reduces input noise with three modes. In Normal mode, it picks up your voice and suppresses all other ambient sounds. Voice Recognition mode focuses on distinguishing your voice specifically, while the Multiple Voices mode, which is the default, captures multiple voices while still eliminating background noise.

Under the Gestures tab, there are a couple of useful touchpad gestures that let me control brightness and volume. Swiping up or down on the left side of the trackpad adjusts screen brightness, while the same gesture on the right side controls volume.

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Lenovo Vantage completely changed how I see PC manufacturer apps. What I once dismissed as unnecessary bloatware has become an essential part of how I use my laptop every day. If you've ever written off manufacturer apps on your devices, give them a try. They might just surprise you the way Lenovo Vantage surprised me.