If you have a Windows laptop and have ever wondered what the actual battery status is, you've probably noticed that the operating system barely displays any relevant information beyond the charge percentage. However, know if the battery is in good condition, how much capacity it has lost, or if it's worth considering a replacement can be key to getting the most out of your device and avoiding unexpected scares. Fortunately, Windows includes powerful, if little-known, built-in tools that allow you to obtain a complete and detailed report with just a few commands.
Let's see step by step How to get the Battery Report in Windows, what each section means and how to interpret the key data to know the health and status of your battery.
Why is it important to know the actual state of the battery?
The battery is an essential component in any laptop or tablet, as having good battery life is essential for using the device anywhere. But over time, batteries lose capacity or deteriorate.
Knowing how your battery is actually doing is useful for:
- Optimize duration and autonomy identifying applications or settings that waste too much energy.
- Detect problems before it's too late, such as sudden drops in capacity or errors, to suggest a battery change or request technical assistance.
- Plan the use when commuting, traveling, or when you can't charge your device.
- Improve performance and lifespan following good practices based on your team's real data.
What is the Windows Battery Report and what is it for?
Windows 10 and Windows 11 include a built-in utility called Battery Report, which generates a comprehensive report with all kinds of data about the battery: technical information, manufacturer, maximum design and current capacity, number of charge cycles, usage history, estimated battery life, and much more.
While other systems like iOS or Android have specific sections in settings to see the battery status and health, Windows does not provide a visual shortcut to this information.Instead, you must request the Battery Report from the command line. The result is an HTML file (a web page) that you can open with your browser and that summarizes all the key aspects you need to know.
This detailed report is the most reliable tool for diagnosing battery health and anticipating problems. Derivatives of degradation, which over time can leave you stranded without warning.
Steps to generate the battery report with commands in Windows
Generating the Battery Report is much simpler than it seems and only takes a few minutes. Here's the step-by-step guide for Windows 10 and Windows 11:
- Open Command Prompt (CMD) or PowerShell as administrator. You can search for 'cmd' or 'PowerShell' in the start menu, right click and choose Run as administratorIf you don't have administrator privileges, you won't be able to complete the process.
- Enter the appropriate command. There are two valid variants:
- To save the report to the default folder: powercfg / batteryreport
- If you want to choose the location and name of the file (recommended to find it easily): powercfg /batteryreport /output C:\battery-report.htmlYou can change the path and name if you prefer.
- Execute the command by pressing Enter. Windows will generate the report and tell you the exact location where it was saved.
- Open the HTML file with any browser. You just have to enter the path you specified (for example, C:\) and double-click on the file battery-report. html.
What data does the Battery Report include?
The Battery Report compiles and organizes a multitude of sections that allow you to comprehensively analyze the status of your battery.
- System information: Device name, manufacturer, model, BIOS date… Although it does not directly affect the battery, it is useful for identifying the device.
- Installed batteries: Specifies the model, manufacturer, battery technology, and other identification codes.
- Design capacity: maximum capacity for which the battery was designed at the factory (original value in mWh).
- Full charge capacity: The maximum actual capacity the battery currently reaches. If this number is much lower than the previous number, the battery is degraded.
- Total charge cycles (if the battery and system report it): indicates how many accumulated full charges it has supported, which gives an idea of its aging.
- Recent usage / Usage history: Battery activity history, showing when it has been used, charged, and the device statuses (in use, hibernation, connected, etc.).
- Battery usage: Shows the energy consumption over different periods, allowing you to see when it has discharged the fastest.
- Battery capacity history: evolution of maximum capacity over time, useful for detecting progressive deterioration.
- Battery life estimates: Estimates remaining range based on actual usage and battery capacity.
- States and errors: any incident, failure or abnormal situation found in the battery.
Interpreting the report: keys to assessing the health of your battery
The HTML report may seem complex at first, but if you look at these sections, you'll understand almost everything important.
- Compare design capacity and current maximum capacityIf the current capacity is below 80% of the design capacity (for example, it went from 50.000 mWh to 30.000 mWh), the battery has lost significant health. When it drops below 60-65%, it's usually advisable to consider a replacement.
- Check the number of charge cyclesDepending on the technology, batteries typically last 300-800 cycles before showing any noticeable deterioration. If your report already shows many cycles, it's logical to notice a drop in capacity.
- View usage history and estimated battery lifeIf the estimated battery life drops significantly compared to when the device was new, it is a sign of wear.
- Detect possible errors or warningsSome reports may identify abnormal conditions, batteries that do not reach full charge, or reading errors.
Additionally, details on battery type, manufacturer, and model are included, which can be helpful if you need to find a genuinely compatible replacement. If you want to learn more about battery management and optimization, I recommend reviewing various Strategies to save battery life in Windows.
Once analyzed, if you find that the maximum capacity percentage has significantly decreased from the design value and the range estimates are low, it may be advisable to consider a replacement to maintain optimal performance.
