Laptops and tablets use rechargeable lithium ion batteries. Although a lithium battery doesn’t have a “memory,” like older batteries, lithium batteries do have life spans. Their performance degrades over time and eventually, the battery won’t provide charge for as long as it used to. Most lithium ion laptop batteries provide 100% performance for the first year, or longer, especially if you follow some basic tips for improving the longevity of your battery. But if you suspect that your battery is underperforming, either due to a manufacturing defect or something screwy going on with your system, you can get a battery report from Windows 10.
This handy battery report gives you a rundown of your battery specs, along with servicing options available depending on the make, model, and age of your system. For example, if your battery or laptop is still under warranty and it’s not performing up to spec, then you might be able to get a free replacement.
Getting a battery report in Windows 10 is easy. Here’s how to do it:
How to Generate a Battery Report in Windows 10
You can easily generate a battery report by running the powercfg /batteryreport command. Press Windows key + X, click Command Prompt (Admin), type powercfg /batteryreport at the command prompt then hit the Enter key. The report will be saved under C:\Windows\System32 as battery-report.
The report provides details about your battery including the name, manufacturer, serial number, chemistry and cycle count. You can also view a usage report over a period of time.
Some laptop manufacturers will sometimes include their own battery diagnostics tool you can use to check the status of the battery.
A battery report is a useful tool for investigating poor battery performance. If your battery is defective, your battery report will help you prove it when processing a warranty claim. There are also other causes for poor battery performance that are worth investigating.
Recently, owners of Microsoft Surface Pro 3 devices started experiencing issues with battery life depleting rapidly. It turns out this issue was related to the type of battery installed in the device. Microsoft has since released a firmware update, resolving the problem. This proves that not all systems are alike, even though Surface Pro 3 devices were affected, not all models included the specific battery that was experiencing the issue.
For all machines, Windows 10 includes improvements for maintaining your battery. The battery saver setting, for example, helps you squeeze as much juice out of your tablet or laptop battery. You can also perform a manual recalibration by fully charging the device, then letting it deplete. Checking the manufacturer’s website for firmware updates for your system can sometimes help improve the efficiency of your battery. Also, it’s always a good idea to check for unnecessary processes running in the background that may be causing your computer to work harder than it needs to (and therefore deplete its battery faster).
Give the battery report a try. If you find out something interesting, let us know in the comments.
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