The usefulness of a laptop is undeniable in today's society as they have grown in popularity significantly in recent years. However, a laptop can be so much more useful if you have the right accessories and additions so it will operate at its full potential. This article contains a list of the six key accessories any laptop user should keep on hand to ensure they are using their laptop to its greatest potential.

1. A laptop bag. A bag to carry your laptop is vital since ordinary bags will not have a compartment to keep your laptop secure and locked in place. In addition, laptop bags make it easier to carry a laptop around as opposed to carrying it in a traditional bag. When you are buying a laptop bag, ensure it is designed to hold a laptop with weight and size specifications which match your own laptop. A sleeve for your laptop might also be desirable to ensure there are no scratches on its exterior.

2. Electronic Wipes. These wipes are crucial to remove anything that sticks to your laptop screen including dust, oil and dirt. Having a dirty screen can seriously hamper your laptop experience and using standard wipes has the potential to scratch or damage your screen. Computer duster is another good product to use in place of the electronic wipes to ensure your laptop is always clean. Electronic Wipes and computer duster are available at most office supply stores.

3. Wireless headphones. If you don't want to disturb the company you are with, headphones will allow you to enjoy music or any other sounds without bothering those around you. Wireless headphones help by taking away some of the bulk and mess that wired headphones can cause. As technology has improved, so have wireless headphones, which now come in a variety of colors and styles.

4. External cooling fan. Many laptops have an issue of overheating. To avoid this, an external cooling fan will keep your laptop cool so you don't need to worry about putting it on your lap. When laptops continually overheat, it can damage some of its internal parts so these fans can be extremely useful to preserve your laptop.

5. Wireless mouse and keyboard. These are much easier to use than the built in mouse and keyboard which are included in most laptops. By splurging on a nicer mouse and keyboard, your laptop experience will improve tremendously.

6. A USB key. Particularly when internet access is not available, a USB key can be a very handy tool to transfer data between two different computers. USB keys are fast and easy to use which is part of the reason why they are so popular.

Laptops are a great electronic device and have increased our productivity tremendously. However, just like any electronic device, a laptop is not fully optimized if it is not accompanied by the right accessories. Use the suggestions in this article to enhance the functionality and utility you get from your laptop.