How to Generate a Full Battery Report in Windows 11 for Health and Performance Insights

Getting a detailed battery report in Windows 11 — the straightforward way

So, I’ve been trying to figure out how to get a clear picture of my laptop’s battery health without pulling my hair out. Turns out, Windows 11 doesn’t make this particularly obvious — it’s tucked away in some obscure corner of the system, and the process can feel a bit like a treasure hunt. Anyway, here’s how I finally managed to get a complete battery report that covers everything from capacity loss to recent usage. Hopefully, it saves you some time too.

Step 1: Open an elevated Command Prompt

First up, you need to run the command prompt with administrator rights. If you try to open it normally, it probably won’t work or won’t generate the report you need. So, press Windows key + S and type cmd. When the Command Prompt icon appears, right-click and select Run as administrator. You’ll likely see a security prompt — just click Yes. Trust me, this step is essential because generating the report requires admin privileges, especially if your device is managed by IT policies or security software.

Step 2: Run the command for the report

In that elevated command prompt window, type:

powercfg /batteryreport

and press Enter. The command runs and gathers all the battery data. When it finishes, it will tell you where the HTML report has been saved — usually something like:

C:\Users\yourusername\AppData\Local\Microsoft\Windows\PowerCfg\battery-report.html

It’s a bit clunky because it doesn’t automatically open or save to your Desktop — you’ll need to check the command prompt window to see the file’s location. Make a note of that path or copy it, as you’ll need to navigate to it later to view your report.

Step 3: Find and open the report

Open File Explorer (type file explorer into the Start menu search), then paste the folder path from the command prompt into the address bar. Or, if you’re feeling lazy, you can just type “battery report” into the File Explorer search bar; it should locate the HTML file if it’s stored somewhere in common locations. Sometimes, it takes a couple of tries depending on where Windows saved it, especially after a clean install or system reset. Don’t worry if it’s not immediately obvious — just search or browse to the right folder.

Step 4: Read and interpret the report

Double-click the HTML file to open it in your default web browser — I usually use Edge or Chrome. The report actually surprised me because it’s quite detailed. It includes sections like Battery Information, Recent Usage, Battery Capacity History, and Battery Life Estimates. The part I found most useful was comparing the Design Capacity with the Full Charge Capacity. For example, I’ve seen my battery’s capacity decline by about 20-30% over the year, which sounds about right but still gives a bit of a shock. Seeing real data is handy, especially if your laptop’s running out of juice faster than it used to or isn’t holding a charge like before.

Why bother with this?

This report is actually pretty handy if you want to troubleshoot or just get a reality check on your battery’s condition. It reveals whether your battery has significantly degraded or if background software is draining it more than it should. If your Full Charge Capacity is much lower than the Design Capacity, it might be time to consider calibrating or replacing the battery. For those of us with batteries that suddenly die or act up, this info can help you figure out if it’s hardware aging or just a quirky software glitch. Plus, it can help you decide if dimming your screen or closing background apps is enough, or if you need to get more serious.

<p class=”more”>Honestly, I was surprised at how hidden this info was to start with — it’s not exactly in Settings or anywhere obvious. It took a bit of digging and trial-and-error to find the process, but once you know where to look, it’s quite straightforward. Just keep in mind that the report includes some technical terms like Cycle Count, Full Charge Capacity, and Design Capacity, which can seem confusing at first glance. Take your time to read through it, and don’t fret if some figures look odd or unfamiliar.

Hope this helps — it took me ages to figure out the process, so maybe it will save you some hassle too. Anyway, good luck, and feel free to ask if you get stuck!