Lithium-ion batteries are the most common type of battery used in today’s mobile devices—including laptops and tablets. These batteries charge quickly, discharge at a steady rate, and they have high-energy density that allows for small cell sizes in batteries.
By understanding a little about lithium-ion batteries, you can help maximize your battery life and the overall longevity of the battery in your device:
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The capacity of lithium-ion cells is reduced after a certain number of times the battery is charged and then discharged. This means you’ll need to charge your battery more often and the overall battery capacity may be lower.
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To help slow battery degradation, it’s best to avoid frequent deep discharges and instead keep the battery within a moderate charge range (roughly 20%–80%) whenever possible.
Low battery capacity
When battery capacity decreases, the battery holds less charge than it did when it was new. As a result, battery life may be reduced and you may need to charge the device more frequently.
Maximize battery health
Like all batteries, lithium-ion cells age and deteriorate over time and with use. To help extend battery life and performance, try to keep the battery level between 20% and 80% several times a week instead of using your device for only a short amount of time, and then plugging it in to recharge the battery. If your device supports Smart charging, turn it on to make sure that your device stays charged to the recommended battery level—even if you keep your device plugged in.
As you use your battery, you should avoid some conditions because they can lead to the battery deteriorating and aging at a faster rate:
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Try not to use your device or charge it at high temperatures. Excessive heat can cause lithium‑ion batteries to deteriorate more quickly, permanently reducing their capacity.
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If you plan to store your device, keep the battery charged to around 40–60% and avoid storing it fully charged or completely drained. Batteries stored at higher charge levels tend to lose capacity faster over time. For long‑term storage, place the device in a cool, dry location and check the battery level periodically to prevent deep discharge.
Severely deteriorated batteries may provide very short battery life or may visibly expand. Battery swelling occurs when internal chemical reactions generate gas inside the cell. If a battery expands beyond the device’s mechanical enclosure, stop using the device immediately. Handle the device with caution and avoid applying pressure or puncturing the battery, as this can pose a safety risk.
Get a detailed battery report in Windows 11
If you’re interested in getting more technical info about your battery usage and estimated capacity, you can use the Powerfg command-line option that’s built into Windows 11 to generate a battery report.
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Select Start , then type Command prompt, press and hold (or right-click) Command prompt, choose Run as administrator and select Yes.
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At the command prompt, type powercfg /batteryreport, then press Enter. The battery report will be an HTML file that’s stored in a folder on your PC. The file location will be shown in the Command Prompt window.
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Open File Explorer, go to the folder that the report was saved to, and then double-click the battery report (HTML file) to open it in your web browser.
You can get a lot of detailed info about your battery usage and capacity. Some particular sections you might want to look at to get started include the following: Installed battery, Recent usage, and Battery usage.
