How to Generate Battery Report Using the POWERCFG Command

The following steps can be used to generate a report for the battery that may help troubleshoot issues like:

• The laptop battery is not holding a charge like before.
• The laptop battery only lasts one hour or less time.

Battery Report Using the POWERCFG Command

1. Open the Command (CMD) prompt. (The Command Prompt: What It Is and How to Use It on a Dell System)
2. Type the following Command (Figure 1): powercfg /batteryreport
   Press Enter.
   
   Figure 1
3. Go to C:\Users\"user_name" in File Explorer and look for the battery_report.html file (Figure 2) and double-click it. It should open in the default Internet browser.
   
   Figure 2

The following are example screenshots of what information is in the report and may help if the battery must be replaced.

• Battery Report (Figure 3):
  
  Figure 3
• Recent Usage (Figure 4):
  
  Figure 4
• Battery Usage (Figure 5)
  
  Figure 5
• Battery Usage History (Figure 6):
  
  Figure 6
• Battery Capacity History (Figure 7):
  Note: Battery Capacity is a primary way to determine if a battery must be replaced.
  
  Figure 7
• Battery Life Estimates (Figure 8):
  
  Figure 8

If the "Full Charge Capacity" (Figure 7) is less than 25% of the Designed Capacity and the battery is more than a year old, this is normal. If the battery is less than a year old, the battery may need to be replaced. The System BIOS can be checked as well for the battery health.

For more Information:
How to Check Battery Health Status on Dell Laptops
The Command Prompt: What It Is and How to Use It on a Dell System

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