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powercfg: Generating a Battery Health Report from Command Prompt

Beginner Command Prompt Fixes Applies to: Windows 10, Windows 11

See your laptop battery's actual current capacity versus its original designed capacity in a few seconds.

Before you start: save any open work and note down what you were doing when the problem started — that context helps if you need to search further or ask for help.
  1. Open Command Prompt (administrator not required for this specific command) and type powercfg /batteryreport.
  2. It will confirm the report was saved as an HTML file, typically to your user folder — copy the file path it shows and open it in any browser.
  3. Look at "Design Capacity" versus "Full Charge Capacity" near the top — the gap between them tells you how much of the battery's original life is actually left.
  4. The report also includes a battery usage history and estimated runtime table, useful for spotting a sudden trend rather than just a single snapshot.
  5. If Full Charge Capacity has dropped significantly below Design Capacity, that reflects normal wear over time rather than a fault — very low remaining capacity is when it's worth considering a battery replacement.
Still not fixed? Send us the details and we'll help you dig further, or browse related guides in Command Prompt Fixes.

Frequently Asked Questions

How accurate is the battery report Windows generates?
It's based on real usage data Windows has been tracking, so it's generally quite accurate for your specific battery and usage pattern — more reliable than a generic manufacturer estimate.
What battery capacity percentage should worry me?
Some capacity loss over time is normal and expected — a battery holding below roughly 80% of its original design capacity is a reasonable point to start considering whether it needs replacing, depending on how much that affects your actual usage.

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