How to Check Battery Health in Windows 10 or 11

To check battery health in Windows 10 or Windows 11, run powercfg /batteryreport in Command Prompt, open the HTML file at the location Windows displays, and compare Full Charge Capacity with Design Capacity under Installed batteries. That comparison estimates how much capacity remains relative to when the battery was new. It is different from the current charge percentage on your taskbar.

You need a Windows 10 or Windows 11 laptop or tablet with a battery that Windows can detect. The built-in report requires no extra download. A desktop without a rechargeable system battery may not have useful battery information.

The Command Prompt method below works in both Windows versions. The linked Command Prompt tutorial shows Windows 11, but on Windows 10 you can also search Start for Command Prompt and right-click it to choose Run as administrator. Use Command Prompt for the %USERPROFILE% example; PowerShell uses different environment-variable syntax.

Generate and Open the Battery Report

1. Open Start, type Command Prompt, and choose Run as administrator. Approve the Windows permission prompt. If needed, see how to open Command Prompt in Windows 11.
2. Type powercfg /batteryreport and press Enter. Include the space before the slash.
3. Look for the message confirming that the battery life report was saved. Use the exact file location in that message; the folder depends on where the command ran.
4. Open File Explorer, browse to that folder, and double-click battery-report.html. Your browser should display a local report with headings and tables.
5. Find Installed batteries near the top, then read the capacity figures for your battery.

These steps follow Microsoft’s battery-report instructions. The report reads battery information; generating it does not reset the battery or improve its capacity.

Save the Report Somewhere Easier to Find

If you cannot find the default file, create a new report in your user folder by running this in Command Prompt:

powercfg /batteryreport /output "%USERPROFILE%\battery-report.html"

Then enter %USERPROFILE% in File Explorer’s address bar and open battery-report.html. This environment-variable syntax is for Command Prompt. If you prefer another location, replace the quoted path with a full path to a folder that already exists and that you can write to. Microsoft documents the batteryreport output option. A new report at the same path replaces that report file.

Calculate the Remaining Capacity Percentage

Design Capacity is the battery’s original rated capacity. Full Charge Capacity is the amount it is currently reported to hold when fully charged. Use the same units for both numbers, typically mWh:

Remaining capacity (%) = Full Charge Capacity ÷ Design Capacity × 100

For example, 40,000 mWh ÷ 50,000 mWh × 100 = 80%. Those are example numbers, not a measurement from your computer. In that example, the battery holds roughly four-fifths of its original rated capacity. The taskbar could still show 100% charged: that means full relative to its current capacity.

Microsoft explains this ratio in its battery-health documentation. Treat the result as an estimate rather than a complete hardware diagnosis. If your report lists two batteries, compare each separately.

What Else Should You Read?

• Battery capacity history: compare the full-charge figures across dates to see a trend.
• Recent usage and Battery usage: check when the PC was running on battery and when charge fell.
• Battery life estimates: use these as estimates based on recorded usage, rather than a promise of a fixed runtime.
• Cycle count: if supplied, this counts accumulated full discharge cycles, not how many times you plugged in a charger. A missing count does not by itself mean the battery has failed.

When the Numbers Look Wrong or the Battery Drains Quickly

If capacities or the battery itself are missing, check the laptop manufacturer’s diagnostics for your exact model. Do not calculate a percentage from a blank or zero design capacity. If the command reports a permissions error, reopen Command Prompt as administrator; if it reports an output-path error, use an existing writable folder.

A low capacity estimate combined with short runtime, sudden shutdowns, or a manufacturer replacement warning warrants a hardware check. There is no single percentage here that determines replacement for every laptop. For example, Dell’s battery-health guide describes its model-specific BIOS and diagnostic options. Use your own manufacturer’s instructions.

If capacity is still reasonable but runtime is short, review demanding apps and display brightness. Battery health and power consumption are related but different: reducing power use can extend a charge without restoring worn-out battery capacity.

For a separate look at app power use, Windows 10 uses Settings > System > Battery, while Windows 11 uses Settings > System > Power & battery > Battery usage. Dell distinguishes these paths in its battery-drain troubleshooting guide. Neither page replaces the capacity comparison in the battery report. For Windows 11 settings that can reduce power use, see our battery runtime guide.

Avoid Routine Deep Discharges

You do not need to drain the battery to zero to generate this report. Microsoft recommends avoiding frequent deep discharges and excessive heat, and using Smart charging when your device supports it. Follow model-specific manufacturer instructions if calibration is recommended for a particular problem. If the battery swells, stop using the device and contact the manufacturer or a qualified repair service. Do not press on or puncture it.