Microsoft recently announced important new features relating to Windows 11. As usual, these will be first introduced to Windows 11 Insiders, then eventually to everyone else. One important change is a new laptop battery indicator that visualizes the charge level with new symbols.
This change was actually supposed to be implemented last month, but the release was postponed on short notice. But now the time has come and Windows 11 Insiders are getting their first taste of the new battery display, as Windows Latest reports.
The new battery icons in Windows 11
The battery icon in the taskbar is getting a completely new look in Windows 11. Previously, the small black symbol wasn’t very informative and didn’t tell enough about battery status at a glance.
Going forward, the new battery icon will look a lot more like what you see on smartphones, which have long understood what users want to know about their batteries. The indicator will use a new design along with new colors, replacing the bland and useless one we’ve had thus far:
Microsoft / Windows Latest
- Battery (when the PC isn’t connected to the power supply)
- Energy saver (colored yellow when this feature is active)
- Charging (a lightning bolt icon with a green fill)
- Smart charging (to indicate battery charging protection)
- Slow charging (an error symbol with a solid color fill)
- Low battery level (a narrow red bar when between 1% and 5%)
- Battery unknown (a cross symbol indicating there’s no battery)
It’s also notable that the new icons are slightly longer than the previous ones. This makes it easier to see how much battery remains as the bar fills up or empties. Testers have already been able to try out this improved battery display in an earlier preview, as we reported in this article.
However, the red, yellow, and green colors are the clearest way to draw attention to the current charge level. Overall, this new look is much more user-friendly and, as already mentioned, is based on Android and iOS devices, which gives it a certain recognizable value.
According to Microsoft, the display will continue to be based on your selected theme. If you’re using the classic light theme, the battery will be black at 100% charge. With dark theme, the battery will be white.
When is this change coming?
For Windows 11 Insiders, the new battery display is expected to be introduced with one of the next updates.
The majority of Windows 11 users will have to be patient until they can test the new look. However, we assume that the new battery indicator will be introduced for everyone within the next few months.
Further reading: How to check your laptop battery’s health
This article originally appeared on our sister publication PC-WELT and was translated and localized from German.