Quick answer: Windows 11 has no battery health percentage in Settings, but it can build a detailed battery report. Open Command Prompt as administrator, run powercfg /batteryreport, then open the HTML file it saves. Under Installed batteries, divide FULL CHARGE CAPACITY by DESIGN CAPACITY and multiply by 100. The result is roughly how much of its original capacity the battery still holds; the lower it is, the more the battery has worn.
In this guide
Applies to: Windows 11 laptops, 2-in-1s and tablets with a built-in battery. The same command works on Windows 10. A desktop PC without a battery has nothing to report.
Battery health here means wear: how much charge the battery can hold now compared with when it was new. Microsoft’s battery care page explains that lithium-ion batteries lose capacity over many charge and discharge cycles, so a battery that once lasted a full day may need charging more often after a few years. That loss is normal and gradual. The report tells you how far it has gone.
Step 1: Create the battery report
The report comes from powercfg, a command-line tool built into Windows. Microsoft’s own steps run it from an elevated Command Prompt:
- Select Start and type Command Prompt.
- Right-click Command Prompt, choose Run as administrator and select Yes. Our guide on opening Command Prompt as administrator lists other ways in.
- Type the command below and press Enter:
powercfg /batteryreportWindows replies with a line that ends in the full path of the saved file, for example in your user folder or in C:\Windows\System32 when the window opened there. Microsoft’s powercfg command-line reference says the report is saved in the current path, which is simply the folder the command window is working in.
To skip hunting for the file, tell powercfg where to save it. This saves the report straight to your user folder with a clear name:
powercfg /batteryreport /output "%USERPROFILE%\battery-report.html"That line is written for Command Prompt. In PowerShell or Windows Terminal with a PowerShell tab, replace %USERPROFILE% with $env:USERPROFILE, because PowerShell writes environment variables differently.
Step 2: Open the report
Open File Explorer, go to the folder named in the command window and double-click the HTML file. It opens in your default web browser. Nothing is uploaded; the report is a local file, and you can delete it when you’re done.
The page is long and mostly tables. Microsoft’s battery care page points to the installed battery, recent usage and battery usage sections. Further down you’ll usually find Usage history, Battery capacity history and Battery life estimates. Headings can differ slightly between Windows versions.
Step 3: Work out the battery’s health
Scroll to Installed batteries. Three lines matter most:
| Report field | What it means | How to use it |
|---|---|---|
| DESIGN CAPACITY | How much energy the battery was built to hold, in mWh | Your starting point; it never changes |
| FULL CHARGE CAPACITY | How much energy it held at its last full charge | Compare it with the design capacity |
| CYCLE COUNT | Number of full charge cycles recorded | A rising count goes with gradual wear; some laptops leave it blank |
Divide the full charge capacity by the design capacity, then multiply by 100. For example, a battery designed for 50,000 mWh that now reaches 40,000 mWh at full charge is at 80% of its original capacity, so it runs for roughly four-fifths of the time it did when new under the same load.
A few things can skew the figure. The full charge capacity is an estimate reported by the battery’s own electronics, so it can move up or down a little from day to day. A new battery can even show slightly more than its design capacity. If the number looks odd, letting the battery run down to a low level and charging it to full once can help the reading settle; then create the report again.
Microsoft doesn’t publish a percentage at which a battery counts as worn out. Laptop makers set their own thresholds and warranty terms, so check your maker’s support site if you’re deciding whether a replacement is covered.
Step 4: Check the history and estimates
One number is a snapshot. The lower sections show whether it’s falling quickly or slowly:
- Battery capacity history lists the full charge capacity against the design capacity over time. A steady, slow decline is normal ageing. A sudden drop can point to heat, a fault or a firmware update that recalibrated the reading.
- Battery life estimates compare how long the battery should last at full charge and at design capacity, based on how the laptop has been used. The gap between the two columns shows what the wear costs you in runtime.
- Recent usage and Battery usage show when the laptop ran on battery or on mains power, and how fast the charge dropped. A fast drain with little wear usually means a power-hungry app or setting rather than a bad battery.
If runtime is short but the capacity is still high, look at power settings first. Microsoft’s power settings page covers Power mode, Energy saver and screen and sleep timeouts under Settings > System > Power & battery, and our guide to Efficiency mode explains how Windows limits background apps.
Useful report options
Microsoft’s powercfg reference documents a few switches for /batteryreport:
/output file_namesets the path and file name, as in Step 1./xmlsaves the report as XML instead of HTML, which suits scripts or spreadsheets. Use it together with/output./duration dayssets how many days of history the report analyses, for examplepowercfg /batteryreport /duration 7for the last week.
A related command, powercfg /energy, watches the PC for 60 seconds by default and writes a separate report about energy efficiency and battery life problems, such as devices that stop the laptop from saving power. Microsoft advises running it while the computer is idle with no programs or documents open. It doesn’t measure wear, so use it alongside the battery report rather than instead of it.
Other ways to check battery health
- Your laptop maker’s app. Many makers include battery health in their own software, for example Lenovo Vantage, MyASUS, Dell’s power or optimizer apps and HP’s support tools. Names and features vary by model. These apps often add charge-limit settings that the battery report doesn’t show.
- Surface devices. Microsoft’s Surface battery page suggests checking the health of a Surface in the Surface app, which also links to updates and Get help. If the app isn’t installed, it’s free in the Microsoft Store.
- Built-in hardware diagnostics. Many laptops have a diagnostic tool you can start from the boot menu or the UEFI setup, which can test the battery outside Windows. Your maker’s support site explains which key opens it.
Settings in Windows 11 shows the current charge and power options under Settings > System > Power & battery, but Microsoft’s page for that screen doesn’t describe a wear or health reading there, so the battery report remains the built-in way to see capacity.
What to do with a worn battery
Wear can’t be reversed, but you can slow it down. The tips on Microsoft’s battery care page come down to a few habits:
- Keep the charge roughly between 20% and 80% when you can, and avoid running it flat often.
- Avoid using or charging the laptop in high heat, which can permanently reduce capacity.
- Turn on Smart charging or your maker’s charge limit if the laptop supports it, so the battery isn’t held at 100% while plugged in. If the laptop then stops charging at a set level, our plugged in, not charging guide explains why.
- To store a laptop for a long time, leave the battery at about 40% to 60% in a cool, dry place and check it now and then.
Warning: a badly worn battery can swell. If the case, keyboard or touchpad starts to bulge, stop using the laptop, don’t press on or puncture the battery, and contact the maker or a repair service. Use only a genuine or correctly rated replacement.
On some laptops a weak battery can also hold back performance under load. If the PC feels slow on battery or even when plugged in, see our guide to a CPU not running at full speed.
If the report doesn’t work
- Access is denied or the file isn’t saved. Run Command Prompt as administrator, as Microsoft’s steps do, or use
/outputto save to a folder you own, such as your user folder. - The report shows no battery details. This happens on desktops and can happen when Windows doesn’t detect the battery. On a laptop, restart and check that the battery appears under Batteries in Device Manager; the battery driver steps in our charging guide cover reinstalling it.
- Cycle count shows a dash or nothing. The battery or its firmware doesn’t report that value to Windows. The capacity figures still work for the health calculation.
- You can’t find the file. Look at the full path in the command window again, or create the report with
/outputso you choose the location.
Known issues
As of November 2026, Microsoft’s Windows 11, version 25H2 known issues and notifications page, last updated on November 5, 2026, lists no issue with batteries, charging, power settings or powercfg. Its recent entries cover Remote Desktop, a black screen after sign-in, AC-3 audio, domain trust and USB audio devices.
Known issues change, so check that page again if battery readings or runtime changed right after an update. A sudden jump or drop in full charge capacity after a BIOS or firmware update can be a recalibrated reading rather than real wear; create a new report after a few full charge cycles before drawing conclusions.
Related guides
- Plugged in, not charging in Windows 10: how to fix it
- How to open Command Prompt as administrator in Windows 11 and 10
- How to turn off Efficiency mode in Windows 11
- CPU not running at full speed in Windows 11/10: how to fix it
- Laptop battery draining fast in Windows 11: how to fix it
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