The Tool
Windows 11 includes a command-line battery diagnostics tool that's been around since Windows 10. Run powercfg /batteryreport in Command Prompt (as admin) and it generates an HTML file with battery capacity data, cycle counts, and usage history.
The report lands in C:\Windows\System32 by default, or specify a path: powercfg /batteryreport /output "C:\battery-report.html".
What Actually Matters
Two numbers tell the story:
Design capacity: What the battery held when new (in milliwatt-hours). Full charge capacity: What it holds now.
If full charge has dropped 20% or more below design capacity, replacement is typically warranted. For a 60Wh battery, that's around 48Wh remaining.
Cycle count matters too. Most consumer laptop batteries are rated for 500 cycles before hitting that 20% degradation threshold. A cycle represents 100% of capacity used - whether that's one full discharge or multiple partial ones.
The Enterprise Angle
For IT managing distributed laptop fleets, this tool has limited utility:
- No remote deployment capability
- No automated monitoring
- Requires local admin access
- Manual report generation
It's useful for ad-hoc diagnostics when a user reports battery issues, but it's not a fleet management solution. Proper endpoint management tools (Intune, SCCM, or third-party equivalents) will surface this data more systematically.
Microsoft's Settings app (System > Power & battery) shows basic battery health for users who don't need the detail.
Trade-offs
The tool is reliable - sources confirm consistency since Windows 10. But "hidden" only because it requires CLI access, not because Microsoft is concealing it.
For organisations with refresh cycles, battery degradation is typically a non-issue - devices get replaced before batteries become critical. For extended deployments or bring-your-own-device scenarios, knowing this tool exists is worthwhile.
What it won't do: Fix degradation. Batteries degrade. Full stop. No amount of charge management theatre changes the chemistry.