How to Check Battery Health on Windows Laptop

Over time, the performance of the laptop we use tends to decline. One of the components most affected by heavy usage is the battery.

The battery is a crucial part of a laptop that must always be in good condition to ensure the device functions optimally. A deteriorating battery can decrease efficiency and even shorten the lifespan of your laptop.

Therefore, checking the health of your laptop's battery is an essential step to determine when it's time for a replacement. A damaged battery is no longer usable.

Fortunately, checking the battery health on a Windows laptop is quite simple. You only need to use the Command Prompt (CMD). Here are the steps to do so:

1. Open Command Prompt

First, open the Command Prompt by pressing the Windows key + S to open the search box, then type cmd. Once it appears in the search results, right-click on Command Prompt and select Run as Administrator.

If a User Account Control (UAC) notification appears, click Yes to grant access. Using CMD with administrator privileges is essential because some commands require full system permissions to run properly.

2. Run Commands in Command Prompt

Once the Command Prompt window is open, type the following command: powercfg /batteryreport

Press Enter to execute the command. This will instruct the system to generate a battery health report in the form of an HTML file. After the command is executed, the system will notify you of the location where the report file is saved.

3. Open Battery Report

Once the report has been generated, you will see a message indicating the location where the report file is saved. Typically, the file is stored in the directory C:\Windows\System32\battery-report.html.

Next, open File Explorer and navigate to the location shown in the CMD message. Alternatively, you can quickly copy and paste the directory address into the address bar of File Explorer.

Once the directory is open, look for the file named battery-report.html, then double-click on it to open the file in your preferred browser. The report will appear as a web page, making it easy to read.

4. Review the Battery Health Report

Once the battery-report.html file is open in your browser, you will see detailed information about your laptop's battery health. Here are some key details to pay attention to in the report:

• Design Capacity vs Full Charge Capacity

This is the most important section for evaluating the health of your laptop's battery. Design Capacity refers to the battery’s initial capacity when it was brand new, while Full Charge Capacity indicates the current capacity of the battery when fully charged.

Now, compare these two values. If the Full Charge Capacity is significantly lower than the Design Capacity, this could indicate that your laptop's battery health has declined.

The greater the decrease in capacity, the less the battery is able to hold a charge. If the difference exceeds 50%, it’s time to start considering replacing the battery.

• Installed Batteries

This section displays information about the installed battery, including its name, ID, and manufacturer. This information helps identify the battery used in your laptop.

• Battery Cycles

This section shows the number of battery charge cycles. A charge cycle refers to one full discharge and recharge of the battery.

The more cycles the battery has gone through, the more likely it is that the battery's performance has begun to decline. On average, lithium-ion batteries have a lifespan of between 300 and 500 charge cycles.

• Recent Usage dan Battery Usage

This section shows the battery usage history over the past few days, including charging and discharging patterns. This data helps you understand your power usage habits and when the battery is most frequently drained.

• Usage History

This section displays the laptop's power usage history, both when using the battery and when connected to a power source. It shows how often the laptop is used in battery mode versus plugged-in mode.

• Battery Capacity History

This section shows the battery’s capacity changes over time, helping you track its decline periodically. This information is essential for monitoring whether the battery’s capacity has significantly decreased within a certain period.

That’s the information on how to check your laptop’s battery health. If the battery shows signs of damage or a significant decrease in charge cycles, take corrective action immediately to prevent further deterioration.

Please note that battery capacity decline is normal. This is a natural characteristic of lithium batteries, which degrade over time. Therefore, if your battery is damaged, it’s better to replace it rather than continue using it.