Windows 11 has a built-in battery report that shows you exactly how much capacity your battery has lost

You do not need to install anything or pay for a tool. Open Command Prompt as an administrator, run one command, and Windows generates a detailed HTML file showing your battery's current health, design capacity, and wear level. The report takes about 30 seconds to create and opens in your default browser.

The battery report tells you whether your battery is degrading normally or whether something is wrong. A battery that has lost 10 to 15 percent of its capacity after two years of daily use is normal. A battery that has lost 40 percent in six months suggests a hardware problem or a setting that is draining it faster than it should.

Key Takeaways

  • Run the command powercfg /batteryreport in Command Prompt as administrator to generate a battery health report in seconds.
  • The report shows your battery's design capacity, full charge capacity, and current wear level as a percentage.
  • A battery losing 10 to 15 percent capacity per year is normal; losing more than that suggests a problem worth investigating.
  • The report file saves to your user folder and opens automatically in your browser so you can read it right away.

How to generate the battery report

Press the Windows key and type "command prompt". Right-click on Command Prompt and select "Run as administrator". Click "Yes" when Windows asks for permission.

Type this exactly: powercfg /batteryreport and press Enter. Windows will tell you where it saved the file — usually something like C:\Users\[YourUsername]\battery-report.html. The report opens automatically in your browser within a few seconds.

What the numbers in your battery report mean

Design Capacity is what the manufacturer said your battery could hold when it was new. Full Charge Capacity is what it can actually hold right now. The difference between these two numbers, shown as a percentage, is your wear level.

For example, if Design Capacity is 50,000 mWh and Full Charge Capacity is 42,500 mWh, your battery has lost 15 percent of its capacity. That is normal after two years. If you see 30 or 40 percent loss in the first year, your battery is degrading faster than expected.

The report also lists recent battery usage — how long your laptop ran on battery, how much time you spent plugged in, and whether Windows detected any battery errors. If you see repeated error messages, that is a sign the battery itself may be failing.

When battery wear is normal versus when it signals a problem

Lithium batteries lose capacity every time they charge and discharge. Losing 5 to 10 percent per year is expected. Losing 20 percent or more per year, or seeing a sudden drop in capacity over a few weeks, usually means one of three things: the battery is defective, your laptop is running hot and damaging the battery, or a setting is causing it to drain unusually fast.

If your report shows normal wear but your laptop dies quickly anyway, the problem is not the battery itself — it is how fast your device is using the power. Check your screen brightness, background apps, and power plan settings. If the report shows high wear but your laptop still lasts a normal amount of time, Windows may be underestimating capacity, which sometimes happens with older batteries.

How often to check your battery health

Run the battery report once every three to six months if you use your laptop daily. This gives you a clear picture of whether your battery is degrading at a normal rate or whether something changed suddenly. If you notice your laptop dying much faster than usual, run the report when ready — it takes 30 seconds and will tell you whether the battery itself is the problem.

Keep the HTML files from different months in a folder so you can compare them side by side. Open two reports in separate browser tabs and look at the Full Charge Capacity number. If it dropped 5 percent in one month, something is wrong. If it dropped 2 percent, that is normal.

What to do if your battery report shows serious wear

If your battery has lost more than 30 percent capacity and your laptop is still under warranty, contact the manufacturer with your battery report. Most manufacturers will replace a battery that has degraded that much, especially if it happened in the first year.

If your laptop is out of warranty, you have two choices: replace the battery yourself if your model allows it, or accept that your laptop now needs to stay plugged in more often. Replacement batteries for most laptops cost between $50 and $150 and take 20 minutes to an hour to install, depending on your model. Look up your specific laptop model plus "battery replacement" to see whether it is something you can do or whether you need a technician.

Other battery settings worth checking alongside your health report

Your battery report shows capacity, but it does not show whether your settings are making the battery drain faster than necessary. After you check your health, look at your power plan. Press the Windows key, type "power plan", and open "Edit power plan". Check whether your laptop is set to "Balanced" or "Power saver" when unplugged. "Power saver" mode reduces screen brightness and slows your processor, which extends battery life significantly.

Also check your screen brightness and whether background apps are running. Open Settings, go to System > Battery, and look at "Battery saver". Turn it on automatically when your battery drops below 20 percent. These settings do not change your battery's health, but they change how long your battery lasts before it needs to charge.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I check battery health on a desktop computer?

No. Desktops do not have batteries, so the battery report command will not work. If your desktop has an uninterruptible power supply (UPS) — a backup battery box — that device has its own health monitoring software, usually accessible through a button on the device itself or through software the manufacturer provides.

What if the battery report command does not work?

Make sure you opened Command Prompt as administrator. Right-click the Command Prompt icon and choose "Run as administrator" — do not just click it normally. If it still does not work, try typing powercfg /batteryreport /output "C:\battery-report.html" instead, which tells Windows exactly where to save the file.

Does checking battery health drain my battery?

No. Running the command takes a few seconds and uses almost no power. You can run it as many times as you want without affecting your battery.

My battery report shows high wear but my laptop still lasts all day. Should I replace the battery?

Not necessarily. If your laptop still runs for the amount of time you need, the battery is doing its job. Capacity loss does not always match real-world battery life. Replace the battery when your laptop no longer lasts long enough for your actual use, not based on the percentage alone.

Can I improve my battery health after it has degraded?

No. Battery wear is permanent — you cannot restore lost capacity. You can only slow future degradation by keeping your laptop cool, avoiding extreme temperatures, and using power saver mode when unplugged. If your battery has already lost significant capacity, replacement is the only way to restore battery life.