When we use a battery-connected device in the office or outside, we are usually most concerned about the device’s battery’s runtime. In the crucial moment, we frequently check the battery percentage so that the battery does not run out during any vital work.
But if you’re running Windows 11, sometimes you won’t be able to view the battery percentage from the taskbar. So, in this post, I will show you some proven and tested ways to check the battery percentage on Windows 11.
Keep reading and follow the instructions word for word.
Why Is The Battery Percentage Not Showing on Windows 11?
Normally Windows 11 does not show the battery percentage next to its icon. It was the same on Windows 10 too. Only when you hover your mouse over the battery icon, the battery percentage is displayed.
But sometimes the battery percentage is not displayed whatever you do. Even when going to the Battery Settings, you only see the battery icon shown.
This can happen when Windows cannot communicate with the battery and get the remaining runtime values. Most of the time, the battery driver is to blame for this. Even worse, the battery icon can disappear entirely.
Another thing to keep in mind is that some laptops have custom software that shows the battery percentage natively on the taskbar. Lenovo is one manufacturer that comes to mind.
But if your laptop does not come with such a solution, you may need to use third-party software to achieve this.
How to Show Battery Percentage on Windows 11
The easiest way to show the battery percentage is by hovering the mouse over the battery icon on your taskbar. Or you can go to the Battery Settings on Windows 11 and see the remaining battery there. Another way is to show the battery percentage using a third-party app from Microsoft Store.
Let’s look at how you can show the battery percentage on Windows 11:
1. Hover over the Battery Icon
The first and most effective and straightforward way to show the battery percentage on Windows 11 is to hover your mouse over the battery icon on your taskbar.
When you hover the mouse cursor over the battery icon on the system tray in Windows 11, a little hover box will show the battery percentage of your Windows laptop or tablet device. You will also see how much time is remaining in your device’s battery.
The second most accessible way to see the battery percentage is to use the Windows Action Center.
Here are the steps to show the battery percentage on Windows Action Center:
- Open Windows Action Center by pressing Win+A or clicking on the left of the taskbar.
- The battery percentage is shown on the left-side bottom corner.
2. Show Battery Percentage from Windows Settings
The simplest way to display the battery percentage icon on your Windows 11 is by using the Windows Settings app. It contains detailed statistics like battery percentage, battery levels, usage details, battery remaining time, etc.
Here are the steps to show the battery percentage from Windows 11 Settings:
- Open Windows System Settings.
- Select the System tab.
- Click on Power & Battery on the right-side window.
- The battery percentage is shown at the top of the window. The estimated time remaining for your battery is also shown here.
3. Use the Battery Percentage Icon App
Using a third-party Battery Percentage Icon app from Microsoft Store can help you see how much battery time is left on the taskbar. This is helpful for laptops that do not come with a built-in battery percentage app.
So, to show the battery percentage icon on the taskbar, install the third-party Battery Percentage Icon app on your Windows 11 device.
Here are the steps to install the Battery Percentage Icon app from Microsoft Store:
- Go to the Microsoft Store.
- Type in the Battery Percentage Icon on the search bar and click on the search result to open the app page.
- Click on the Get button to download and install the latest version of the app.
- Wait until the installation process is complete.
- Open the application to turn on the battery percentage icon to show on the taskbar.
- Right-click to open the settings menu and select the icon font style, color, size, and more to modify it using the app.
Now you can see the battery percentage right on the taskbar.
You may see another way to enable the battery percentage and remaining battery life in other articles that involves using a registry editor, but I have chosen not to include that as it’s dangerous, and a tiny mistake can render your system useless.
How to Fix the Battery Percentage Not Showing on Windows 11
To fix the battery percentage not showing on Windows 11, first, calibrate your battery to make Windows recognize the battery drain accurately. Next, reinstall the battery drivers from Device Manager. You can also try tweaking registry entries to reset the battery.
Follow these methods to fix the battery icon not showing on Windows 11:
1. Calibrate Laptop Battery
Windows can sometimes get confused about battery runtimes. As battery health decreases over time, you can get incorrect estimates. To fix this, you need to drain the battery all the way down. This helps Windows to properly give you a proper rundown of how much juice is left.
Now do not do this every time you use your laptop. Doing so will make the battery last less in the longer run. Re-calibrating the battery percentage every 3-6 months is the ideal thing to do.
Here are the steps to calibrate your laptop battery:
Step 1: Recharge the Battery to 100%
Plug the laptop into its charger. Do not unplug it until the battery gets to a full charge. You can keep using the laptop during this time.
After this, keep the laptop plugged into the mains for two hours. Make sure the laptop does not get heated up, so avoid running any CPU-intensive tasks.
Step 2: Turn Hibernation Off
Now, you need to make sure the laptop does not turn off its display when idle. Also, change the critical power levels to below 5% so that the laptop’s battery is completely drained off.
You can change these on Power Options inside Control Panel. Let’s see how you can do that.
Here are the steps to change Critical Power Levels on Windows 11:
- Open Control Panel. You can search for it from the Start Menu.
- Go to Hardware and Sound > Power Options.
- Click on Change Plan Settings.
- Open Advanced Power Settings.
- Scroll down and expand Battery > Critical Battery Levels.
- Set the value to something between 1 and 5 percent.
- Click Ok to close the dialog box.
Next, you need to set it such that Windows does not go into hibernation even when you are idle.
- Under Edit Plan Settings, set the Display to Turn Off and Put Computer to Sleep to Never. This will disable any power-saving mode set by Windows.
Click Save Changes and close any opened Windows.
Step 3: Unplug the Laptop
The final step will involve using the laptop as long as it does not turn off completely. Keep using it normally the way you do. There is no such rule for running taxing applications or such.
After the laptop shuts down, plug it in to charge again. The next time you use it on the battery, Windows has a fresh set of data that it will use to report the battery’s runtime. It is going to be more accurate than what you got before.
2. Re-install Battery Drivers
When Windows reports battery status that is simply bogus, either your battery’s health is critically low, or your battery’s drivers are not working properly.
Before you go and buy a new battery, why not check if the drivers are up to date? That will save both your time and money.
Here are the steps to re-install battery drivers on a Windows 11 laptop:
- Search for Device Manager from the Start Menu and open it.
- Expand Battery.
- Right-click on Microsoft ACPI Compliant Control Method Battery and select Uninstall.
- Follow the prompts on the screen and finish the process.
- Restart the laptop.
Now Windows should report the correct battery percentage when you hover over the battery icon on the taskbar. Any previous problems should be resolved by now.
3. Tweak Registry Entries
Sometimes, registry entries can get corrupted, and that can wreak havoc on your OS. As a result, the battery can stop reporting the time left.
You can easily fix this by adding some entries using the Registry Editor. But be very careful not to change any values other than what’s mentioned here. And yes, before attempting this, always back up your existing registries.
These are the steps to tweak the registry entries to bring back the battery percentage on Windows 11:
- Press Win + R and type in regedit. Press OK to open it.
- Navigate to the following location:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Power
- Right-click on Power > New > DWORD 32-bit Value.
- Set its name to EnergyEstimationEnabled.
- Double-click on the entry you just created and assign 1 as the value. Click Ok to save it.
- Repeat the same procedure to create two entries EnergyEstimationDisabled and UserBatteryDischargeEstimator.
- Set both entry values to 0.
- Close the Registry Editor and restart the computer.
Windows should show the battery percentage now.
Final Thoughts
The battery percentage and the estimated battery time features are useful. If you are one of those who need to check the battery percentage on your laptop regularly on Windows 10 but have upgraded to Windows 11 OS, you can use the alternative methods I mentioned in the post. That will do for you.
As always, comment below for any queries, and we will get back to you.
