How to check laptop battery status on Windows 10 and 11

According to computer manufacturer HP, laptop batteries typically last between two and four years, or about 1,000 charge cycles. Beyond that point, there’s a good chance the battery will start to degrade or stop working. In addition, how you use and charge your laptop can also affect its lifespan.

Often, users may not notice problems with their laptop battery until it starts showing obvious signs of wear and tear. Have you ever faced the problem of your computer suddenly shutting down and not being able to turn back on without plugging in the charger? Or worse, your battery percentage can drop from 100% to 0% in just a few minutes.

There is a feature in Windows 10.11 that displays a detailed battery report that includes a lot of technical information about battery usage, estimated capacity, and more. But before you generate a battery report, you need to understand the terminology and values ​​that are displayed in it.

How to analyze battery health report on Windows laptop

Essentially, the battery health report includes information about how well the battery is performing and an estimate of how long the battery can last.

Specifically, the battery health report will contain details such as your username, your laptop system name, operating system version, and the time the report was generated.

The report also displays important statistics about the Design Capacity and Full Charge Capacity. While the laptop's Design Capacity indicates the initial capacity of the battery when it was manufactured, the Full Charge Capacity is the actual capacity remaining in the laptop at the current time. These are important parameters to consider in the battery health report, as they determine how worn the laptop's battery is.

You can also check your recent battery usage details in the Recent Usage section and check your battery usage history as well.

The report also contains some other information, such as Battery Usage which shows battery drain over the last three days, usage history, and estimated battery life.

How to generate battery health report on Windows laptop

While you can view battery health statistics in the Menu bar on a MacBook, Windows laptops require a bit more work to generate a battery health report. Here are the steps to create and view a battery health report for your Windows laptop.

1. On the Taskbar, find "Command Prompt".

2. Right-click on the search result and select "Run as administrator". This will open a Command Prompt window.

3. Type "powercfg /batteryreport", then press enter to generate a battery health report.

4. Command Prompt will display a message saying “Battery life report saved to file path C:\WINDOWS\system32\battery-report.html".

5. Scroll up and find the "pin-report.html" file.

6. Open the file using your laptop's web browser to view the battery health report.

At the top, you’ll see your username and details about your laptop. Scroll down to the Installed Batteries section to check the Design Capacity and Full Charge Capacity. Scroll down further to check the power status and battery wear in the Recent Usage section.

Tips to increase battery life for Windows 10 & 11 laptops

Windows laptops use lithium-ion batteries that can be charged and discharged at a steady rate. However, like all batteries, they tend to age over time. While laptop battery degradation is inevitable, there are ways to maximize battery life.

Microsoft’s official support page lists a few ways to preserve your Windows laptop’s battery. According to Microsoft, users should avoid constantly charging their device when it has only been used for a short time and the battery has not been used up too much. Instead, keep the battery level between 20% and 80% to ensure maximum battery life.

Also, turn on the Smart Charging feature if your laptop supports it. This feature will help keep your laptop battery charged at the right level, even if you forget to unplug it.

Microsoft also recommends that users avoid using or charging their devices in high temperatures, as this can cause the battery to age more quickly. You can also set up Battery Saver mode on your laptop to get the most out of your battery. You can also check battery usage per app to see which apps are draining your battery and optimize usage accordingly.

According to VOV