How to show battery percentage on Windows 10 and 11
Windows still does not show the battery percentage in the taskbar by default — even in Windows 11. Here are three ways to see it: one zero-install, one one-click, and one that puts it in the taskbar permanently.
Method 1 — hover the battery icon (zero install)
Move your cursor over the battery icon in the taskbar (bottom-right corner). A tooltip appears with the exact percentage and the estimated time remaining.
Annoying because you have to actively hover, but it works on every Windows 10 and Windows 11 install with no setup.
Method 2 — Settings > Power & battery (one click)
Click the battery icon in the taskbar. In Windows 11, this opens Quick Settings — the percentage shows next to the battery slider. In Windows 10, click the battery icon then click "Battery settings".
Or use the keyboard shortcut: Win + X, then U, then B on Windows 11 (Win+X, U, Y on Windows 10) — opens the power settings page directly.
To make this permanently one click away, right-click an empty area of the taskbar, choose Taskbar settings, and pin Settings to the taskbar.
Method 3 — install BatteryBar (always-on, free)
BatteryBar is a free taskbar utility that shows the battery percentage permanently next to the system tray. It also tracks charge cycles and tells you the actual capacity vs. the design capacity (useful for spotting a tired battery).
Download from the official site — search "BatteryBar download" rather than clicking the first ad result, which is often a fake. The free version covers the percentage display; the paid Pro version adds graphs.
Alternatives if you do not want third-party software:
- Microsoft PowerToys (free, official Microsoft) — does not display battery percentage but adds many other useful Windows features. Worth installing anyway.
- RBTray — minimises any window to the system tray, including a Settings window pinned to Power.
Method 4 — Windows 11 lock screen widget
If you want the percentage visible without unlocking, Windows 11 lets you add a battery widget to the lock screen. Go to Settings → Personalisation → Lock screen → Lock screen status. Pick "Battery" from the dropdown.
This works only on the lock screen, not the desktop — but for many people, glancing at the lock screen before unlocking is faster than waking the cursor and hovering.
Why this is so much harder than it should be
Microsoft has had multiple chances to add a "show percentage in taskbar" toggle to Settings — and has consistently chosen not to. The official line is that the percentage is "noisy" and not aligned with Fluent Design. The actual reason is probably that it would highlight how aggressively Windows estimates remaining battery time (often badly).
Both major Windows alternatives — macOS and most Linux distributions — show the battery percentage by default. Windows is the outlier here.