How to run Windows 11’s battery report to check laptop battery health

Windows 11 includes a built-in battery report that lets you check a laptop’s battery health. In the Windows search bar type powershell, press Enter, then run: powercfg /batteryreport /output "C:\battery-report.html". The command writes an HTML file to C:\ that you can open in your browser, and you don’t need to be a pro to use it.

The generated report shows metrics such as design capacity (the battery’s original energy in mWh) and full charge capacity (its current energy in mWh). The gap between those two numbers indicates overall health. For most small to mid-range batteries (45Wh, 48Wh, 60Wh, or 65Wh), a drop of 15% or more in full charge capacity will likely produce noticeable degradation, and a 20% loss is generally considered grounds for replacement, though the article notes that is not a hard rule.

The report also lists cycle count, which records how many times you’ve used 100% of the battery’s capacity. Most consumer laptop batteries are designed to last around 500 cycles, and that is roughly when you may see a 20% capacity loss. How quickly you reach that point depends on usage habits; heavier use and higher heat loads shorten battery life, while light office use can extend it.

Battery life estimates in the report compare recent drain durations with what those durations would have been when the battery was new. Because those numbers reflect different usage patterns, large differences between them can indicate significant degradation.

Key Topics

Tech, Battery Health, Battery Report, Powercfg Command, Cycle Count, Full Charge Capacity