Test the battery status of a notebook

You can test the battery status of your notebook with a simple command or a freeware tool. We show you how it works.

Windows 8: Test the battery of a notebook with a command

If you are using a notebook with Windows 8 or a Surface tablet, you can use a native command to test the battery status:

1. Open the command line with the key combination [Windows] + [R], followed by the command »cmd«.
2. On the command line, type "powercfg / batteryreport" and press Enter. This command creates a report that is saved in your own user folder as an HTML file.
3. It contains information about the device, the built-in batteries, the runtime behavior in the last three days and the estimated service life.

Windows 7 and earlier: Analyze battery status via freeware

The command is not yet available in earlier versions of Windows. The "BatteryInfoView" tool, for example, will help you there.

1. Download the program and start the EXE file.
2. Let the program run for a few minutes in both AC and battery mode.
3. With the command »View | Show Battery Log «look at the logged history. Under »View | Show battery information «gives you general information.
4. The "Battery Wear Level" value informs you about the wear of the battery. However, this display is not always correct on older devices.
5. Always check the time »Full battery time for the current activity«. If the value of a freshly charged battery is less than an hour, it is practically dead.

Tip: In this practical tip you can find out what can happen if your notebook battery discharges even though it is switched off.