If you feel your laptop isn't lasting as long as it used to, or you think its performance has decreased, don't worry. The problem could be the battery. We'll show you how to check its condition so you can find out if it's time to replace it.
Video tutorial
In this video from our YouTube channel , we explain how you can check the battery status of your laptop (whether it's a MacOS or Windows model) and also show you some important tips for maintaining the battery health of these devices:
Battery status and its impact on the user experience
The battery of your laptop, or of any other device in general, greatly affects the user experience depending on its state. Not only because of the number of hours that it will allow you to use it on the move, but also because of the performance that it will give you when you use it disconnected from the electrical current.
In modern computers, components (processor and battery) and the operating system are in constant communication. Thanks to this, when the remaining battery percentage drops to a certain level, the computer knows when to activate power-saving mode and change its operating behavior. This solution is practical when the battery is low, but when the battery is worn out, it can negatively impact the user experience.
When the battery is in poor condition, the hours of useful use are reduced and that activates the energy saving mode more quickly and, therefore, the performance of the equipment unless we force it via software to ignore this behavior. That's why checking the battery status is important if you want to have the best experience at all times.
How to check battery status in Windows 10
Checking the battery status in Windows 10 is very simple, and there are several methods. The first is to use the command prompt. To do this, press the Windows key + R.
In the window that will appear, type the following command:
powercfg /batteryreport
If that doesn't work, make sure you're logged in with administrator privileges. Once the command is executed, go to the folder C:\Windows\System32\battery-report.html . There you'll find an HTML document displaying the original capacity, current capacity, and charge cycles.
The second option is to use the BatteryInfoView application , a utility that provides more graphical and complete information on the original and current capacity, number of cycles, etc.
How to check battery status in macOS X
Checking battery health on macOS is very simple. There are three ways to do it. First, you can see its status from the battery icon in Finder. Apple defines several states, ranging from Good and Normal to Repaired. This doesn't mean it can't be used, but you will experience the limitations and problems mentioned earlier. By the way, knowing the estimated number of charge cycles that Apple guarantees for each device is always useful information.
The second method is by accessing the System Report . Click the Apple icon in the upper-left corner. Then click About This Mac, and in the window that appears, click System Report. Now, simply go to the Power section, and there you will find information such as the number of cycles, full-load capacity, remaining capacity, condition, etc.
Finally, there's also the coconutBattery app , which again provides all that relevant battery information in a more visual way. You can also keep a history of its performance to track its evolution and determine if its deterioration is within normal limits or if there's a potential problem.
How to Check Battery Status in Linux
The Linux Terminal also allows you to check your laptop's battery status. The command to use to obtain this information is:
upower -i /org/freedesktop/UPower/devices/battery_BAT0
Once executed you will receive a response with the data similar to this one.
native-path: BAT0
vendor: Samsung SDI
model: DELL 7XFJJA2
serial: 4448
power supply: yes
updated: Mon 01 Oct 2018 02:08:14 PM IST (100 seconds ago)
has history: yes
has statistics: yes
battery
present: yes
rechargeable: yes
state: charging
warning-level: none
energy: 43.3011 Wh
energy-empty: 0 Wh
energy-full: 44.5443 Wh
energy-full-design: 48.84 Wh
energy-rate: 9.8679 W
voltage: 12.548 V
time to full: 7.6 minutes
percentage: 97%
capacity: 91.2045%
technology: lithium-ion
icon-name: 'battery-full-charging-symbolic'
History (charge):
1526131128 97.000 charging
History (rate):
1526131128 9.868 charging
As always, Linux distributions allow you to run a wide variety of additional commands to obtain battery information. OSTechNix has a very good compilation of them if you want to delve deeper into the subject.