{"appState":{"pageLoadApiCallsStatus":true},"articleState":{"article":{"headers":{"creationTime":"2016-03-26T22:59:48+00:00","modifiedTime":"2016-03-26T22:59:48+00:00","timestamp":"2022-09-14T18:12:09+00:00"},"data":{"breadcrumbs":[{"name":"Technology","_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/categories/33512"},"slug":"technology","categoryId":33512},{"name":"Computers","_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/categories/33513"},"slug":"computers","categoryId":33513},{"name":"Basic Skills","_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/categories/33514"},"slug":"basic-skills","categoryId":33514}],"title":"Laptop Battery Status","strippedTitle":"laptop battery status","slug":"laptop-battery-status","canonicalUrl":"","seo":{"metaDescription":"Monitor the status of your laptop’s battery to make sure the battery doesn’t run out in the middle of something important. You can monitor the battery by viewin","noIndex":0,"noFollow":0},"content":"<p>Monitor the status of your laptop’s battery to make sure the battery doesn’t run out in the middle of something important. You can monitor the battery by viewing the tiny battery icon on the system tray. The icon graphically shows how much power is left; the icon’s color “drains” out as you use the laptop. Often, that display is too tiny, so what you can do is point the mouse at the icon to see a pop-up bubble explain how much juice you have left, similar to what’s shown in the following figure.</p>\n<div class=\"imageBlock\" style=\"width:535px;\"><img src=\"https://www.dummies.com/wp-content/uploads/78921.image0.jpg\" width=\"535\" height=\"170\" alt=\"Check to see how much charge is left in your battery.\"/><div class=\"imageCaption\">Check to see how much charge is left in your battery.</div></div>\n<p>In this figure, Windows Vista shows that 21 minutes remain for battery life, and the battery has about 10 percent of its power remaining. The display for Windows XP is just as informative, though visually different. Here are some additional tips regarding battery life:</p>\n<p>Finally, your laptop may feature a battery light on its case. The light may change color as the laptop drains. Or the battery light may be a fancy display that accurately tracks battery power. And, as usual, custom programs may monitor your battery’s status. For example, my laptop has a battery icon on the 3 key. Pressing Fn+3 on my laptop displays the battery status on the screen.</p>\n<ul class=\"level-one\">\n <li><p class=\"first-para\">Oops! Almost forgot: You can also monitor battery use from the Control Panel's Windows Mobility Center. Type Win+X on the keyboard to quickly summon that window.</p>\n </li>\n <li><p class=\"first-para\">If you’re using the Windows Sidebar, you can get a battery monitor widget to display the battery life. Refer to a good Windows Vista reference for information on obtaining Sidebar gadgets.</p>\n </li>\n <li><p class=\"first-para\">A different icon may appear in the notification area when the laptop is AC powered. For example, a power plug or other icon may show up in its place.</p>\n </li>\n <li><p class=\"first-para\">Smart-battery technology is responsible for the ability of Windows to determine how much power is left in the battery. Be aware, however, that such a thing is an <i>estimate.</i> Different things can affect battery life, so don't bet real money on how much longer your laptop can survive on the battery.</p>\n </li>\n</ul>\n<p class=\"Remember\"><i>AC powered</i> means being powered by electricity from a wall socket.</p>\n<p><i>DC powered</i> means being powered by the battery.</p>","description":"<p>Monitor the status of your laptop’s battery to make sure the battery doesn’t run out in the middle of something important. You can monitor the battery by viewing the tiny battery icon on the system tray. The icon graphically shows how much power is left; the icon’s color “drains” out as you use the laptop. Often, that display is too tiny, so what you can do is point the mouse at the icon to see a pop-up bubble explain how much juice you have left, similar to what’s shown in the following figure.</p>\n<div class=\"imageBlock\" style=\"width:535px;\"><img src=\"https://www.dummies.com/wp-content/uploads/78921.image0.jpg\" width=\"535\" height=\"170\" alt=\"Check to see how much charge is left in your battery.\"/><div class=\"imageCaption\">Check to see how much charge is left in your battery.</div></div>\n<p>In this figure, Windows Vista shows that 21 minutes remain for battery life, and the battery has about 10 percent of its power remaining. The display for Windows XP is just as informative, though visually different. Here are some additional tips regarding battery life:</p>\n<p>Finally, your laptop may feature a battery light on its case. The light may change color as the laptop drains. Or the battery light may be a fancy display that accurately tracks battery power. And, as usual, custom programs may monitor your battery’s status. For example, my laptop has a battery icon on the 3 key. Pressing Fn+3 on my laptop displays the battery status on the screen.</p>\n<ul class=\"level-one\">\n <li><p class=\"first-para\">Oops! Almost forgot: You can also monitor battery use from the Control Panel's Windows Mobility Center. Type Win+X on the keyboard to quickly summon that window.</p>\n </li>\n <li><p class=\"first-para\">If you’re using the Windows Sidebar, you can get a battery monitor widget to display the battery life. Refer to a good Windows Vista reference for information on obtaining Sidebar gadgets.</p>\n </li>\n <li><p class=\"first-para\">A different icon may appear in the notification area when the laptop is AC powered. For example, a power plug or other icon may show up in its place.</p>\n </li>\n <li><p class=\"first-para\">Smart-battery technology is responsible for the ability of Windows to determine how much power is left in the battery. Be aware, however, that such a thing is an <i>estimate.</i> Different things can affect battery life, so don't bet real money on how much longer your laptop can survive on the battery.</p>\n </li>\n</ul>\n<p class=\"Remember\"><i>AC powered</i> means being powered by electricity from a wall socket.</p>\n<p><i>DC powered</i> means being powered by the battery.</p>","blurb":"","authors":[],"primaryCategoryTaxonomy":{"categoryId":33514,"title":"Basic Skills","slug":"basic-skills","_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/categories/33514"}},"secondaryCategoryTaxonomy":{"categoryId":0,"title":null,"slug":null,"_links":null},"tertiaryCategoryTaxonomy":{"categoryId":0,"title":null,"slug":null,"_links":null},"trendingArticles":null,"inThisArticle":[],"relatedArticles":{"fromBook":[],"fromCategory":[{"articleId":248604,"title":"How to Run a Scan on Your Windows 10 Laptop with Windows Defender","slug":"run-scan-windows-10-laptop-windows-defender","categoryList":["technology","computers","basic-skills"],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/articles/248604"}},{"articleId":248601,"title":"Understanding Windows Update Options","slug":"understanding-windows-update-options","categoryList":["technology","computers","basic-skills"],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/articles/248601"}},{"articleId":248598,"title":"Understanding Security Threats to Your Windows 10 Laptop","slug":"understanding-security-threats-windows-10-laptop","categoryList":["technology","computers","basic-skills"],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/articles/248598"}},{"articleId":248595,"title":"How to Go Online Using Your Laptop’s Cellular Network","slug":"go-online-using-laptops-cellular-network","categoryList":["technology","computers","basic-skills"],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/articles/248595"}},{"articleId":248588,"title":"How to Use Microsoft’s Discussion Board","slug":"use-microsofts-discussion-board","categoryList":["technology","computers","basic-skills"],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/articles/248588"}}]},"hasRelatedBookFromSearch":true,"relatedBook":{"bookId":281751,"slug":"laptops-for-dummies-6th-edition","isbn":"9781119041801","categoryList":["technology","computers","basic-skills"],"amazon":{"default":"https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1119041805/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=wiley01-20","ca":"https://www.amazon.ca/gp/product/1119041805/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=wiley01-20","indigo_ca":"http://www.tkqlhce.com/click-9208661-13710633?url=https://www.chapters.indigo.ca/en-ca/books/product/1119041805-item.html&cjsku=978111945484","gb":"https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/1119041805/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=wiley01-20","de":"https://www.amazon.de/gp/product/1119041805/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=wiley01-20"},"image":{"src":"https://www.dummies.com/wp-content/uploads/laptops-for-dummies-6th-edition-cover-9781119041801-203x255.jpg","width":203,"height":255},"title":"Laptops For Dummies, 6th Edition","testBankPinActivationLink":"","bookOutOfPrint":true,"authorsInfo":"\n <p><b><b data-author-id=\"9003\">Dan Gookin</b></b> has been writing about technology for 20 years. He has contributed articles to numerous high-tech magazines and written more than 90 books about personal computing technology, many of them accurate.<br /> He combines his love of writing with his interest in technology to create books that are informative and entertaining, but not boring. Having sold more than 14 million titles translated into more than 30 languages, Dan can attest that his method of crafting computer tomes does seem to work.<br /> Perhaps Dan’s most famous title is the original <i>DOS For Dummies,</i> published in 1991. It became the world’s fastest-selling computer book, at one time moving more copies per week than the <i>New York Times</i> number-one best seller (although, because it’s a reference book, it could not be listed on the <i>NYT</i> best seller list). That book spawned the entire line of <i>For Dummies</i> books, which remains a publishing phenomenon to this day.<br /> Dan’s most recent titles include <i>PCs For Dummies,</i> 9th Edition; <i>Buying a Computer For Dummies,</i> 2005 Edition; <i>Troubleshooting Your PC For Dummies; <b data-author-id=\"9003\">Dan Gookin</b>’s Naked Windows XP;</i> and <i><b data-author-id=\"9003\">Dan Gookin</b>’s Naked Office.</i> He publishes a free weekly computer newsletter, “Weekly Wambooli Salad,” and also maintains the vast and helpful Web site www.wambooli.com.</p>","authors":[{"authorId":9003,"name":"Dan Gookin","slug":"dan-gookin","description":" <b>Dan Gookin</b> has been writing about technology for 20 years. He has contributed articles to numerous high-tech magazines and written more than 90 books about personal computing technology, many of them accurate.<br /> He combines his love of writing with his interest in technology to create books that are informative and entertaining, but not boring. Having sold more than 14 million titles translated into more than 30 languages, Dan can attest that his method of crafting computer tomes does seem to work.<br /> Perhaps Dan’s most famous title is the original <i>DOS For Dummies,</i> published in 1991. It became the world’s fastest-selling computer book, at one time moving more copies per week than the <i>New York Times</i> number-one best seller (although, because it’s a reference book, it could not be listed on the <i>NYT</i> best seller list). That book spawned the entire line of <i>For Dummies</i> books, which remains a publishing phenomenon to this day.<br /> Dan’s most recent titles include <i>PCs For Dummies,</i> 9th Edition; <i>Buying a Computer For Dummies,</i> 2005 Edition; <i>Troubleshooting Your PC For Dummies; Dan Gookin’s Naked Windows XP;</i> and <i>Dan Gookin’s Naked Office.</i> He publishes a free weekly computer newsletter, “Weekly Wambooli Salad,” and also maintains the vast and helpful Web site www.wambooli.com.","hasArticle":false,"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/authors/9003"}}],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/books/281751"}},"collections":[],"articleAds":{"footerAd":"<div class=\"du-ad-region row\" id=\"article_page_adhesion_ad\"><div class=\"du-ad-unit col-md-12\" data-slot-id=\"article_page_adhesion_ad\" data-refreshed=\"false\" \r\n data-target = \"[{"key":"cat","values":["technology","computers","basic-skills"]},{"key":"isbn","values":[null]}]\" 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Laptop Battery Status

Updated: 03-26-2016

Laptops For Dummies, 6th Edition

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Monitor the status of your laptop’s battery to make sure the battery doesn’t run out in the middle of something important. You can monitor the battery by viewing the tiny battery icon on the system tray. The icon graphically shows how much power is left; the icon’s color “drains” out as you use the laptop. Often, that display is too tiny, so what you can do is point the mouse at the icon to see a pop-up bubble explain how much juice you have left, similar to what’s shown in the following figure.

Check to see how much charge is left in your battery.

Check to see how much charge is left in your battery.

In this figure, Windows Vista shows that 21 minutes remain for battery life, and the battery has about 10 percent of its power remaining. The display for Windows XP is just as informative, though visually different. Here are some additional tips regarding battery life:

Finally, your laptop may feature a battery light on its case. The light may change color as the laptop drains. Or the battery light may be a fancy display that accurately tracks battery power. And, as usual, custom programs may monitor your battery’s status. For example, my laptop has a battery icon on the 3 key. Pressing Fn+3 on my laptop displays the battery status on the screen.

Oops! Almost forgot: You can also monitor battery use from the Control Panel's Windows Mobility Center. Type Win+X on the keyboard to quickly summon that window.
If you’re using the Windows Sidebar, you can get a battery monitor widget to display the battery life. Refer to a good Windows Vista reference for information on obtaining Sidebar gadgets.
A different icon may appear in the notification area when the laptop is AC powered. For example, a power plug or other icon may show up in its place.
Smart-battery technology is responsible for the ability of Windows to determine how much power is left in the battery. Be aware, however, that such a thing is an estimate. Different things can affect battery life, so don't bet real money on how much longer your laptop can survive on the battery.

AC powered means being powered by electricity from a wall socket.

DC powered means being powered by the battery.

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