How to change low battery notification settings on Windows 10

You can change the low battery level notifications settings to give yourself more time to find an power source — Here's how to do it.

Avatar for Mauro Huculak
@Pureinfotech
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Windows 10 low battery notification
Windows 10 low battery notification

Depending on how low the battery level is on your device (e.g., tablet, laptop), Windows 10 pops a few warning messages letting you know when the battery is low, critical, or running on reserves, and that you need to plug your device to a power source as soon as possible.

However, if you’re always on the move, sometimes it might be difficult to find a power outlet with the little time left on your device. If these messages pop sooner, you can have more time to find a power source you can use.

In this guide, you’ll learn the steps to adjust the settings for the Reserve battery level on your Windows 10 PC to get notify sooner that you’re running low on battery.

How to adjust battery notifications on Windows 10

Although you won’t find an option to do this in the Settings app, it’s possible to adjust the “Reserve battery level” using Control Panel.

  1. Open Control Panel.

  2. Click on Hardware and sound.

  3. Click on Power Options.

  4. Click the Change plan settings link for the current plan selected.

    Change plan settings on Windows 10
    Change plan settings on Windows 10

  5. Click the Change advanced power settings link.

    Change advanced power settings
    Change advanced power settings

  6. On “Power Options,” expand Battery.

  7. Expand Low battery level.

  8. Increase the percentage level for On Battery and Plugged in as necessary. When the battery level reaches 10 percent, Windows 10 will pop a warning message letting you know low battery level.

    Low battery level notification settings
    Low battery level notification settings

  9. Expand Critical battery level.

  10. Increase the percentage level for On Battery and Plugged in as necessary. When the battery level reaches 5 percent, Windows 10 will pop a warning message that your device is running on reserve power. At which point, you must save your work and plug your device to a power source before it shuts down.

    Critical battery level notification settings
    Critical battery level notification settings

  11. Expand Reserve battery level.

  12. Increase the percentage level for On Battery and Plugged in as necessary. When the battery level reaches 7 percent, Windows 10 will pop a warning message that your device is running out of battery, and it’ll go into hibernation mode.

    Reserve battery level notification settings
    Reserve battery level notification settings

  13. Click Apply.

  14. Click OK.

Once you’ve completed the steps, the running low on battery message will then pop sooner on the desktop (depending on your configuration) giving you more time to find a power source.

While we’re focusing this guide on Windows 10, you can use the same steps on Windows 8.1 and Windows 7.

About the author
Avatar for Mauro Huculak

Mauro Huculak is a Windows How-To Expert who started Pureinfotech in 2010 as an independent online publication. He has also been a Windows Central contributor for nearly a decade. Mauro has over 15 years of experience writing comprehensive guides and creating professional videos about Windows and software, including Android and Linux. Before becoming a technology writer, he was an IT administrator for seven years. In total, Mauro has over 21 years of combined experience in technology. Throughout his career, he achieved different professional certifications from Microsoft (MSCA), Cisco (CCNP), VMware (VCP), and CompTIA (A+ and Network+), and he has been recognized as a Microsoft MVP for many years. You can follow him on X (Twitter), YouTube, LinkedIn and About.me. Email him at [email protected].