On Windows 10, starting with build 21313 (in the Dev Channel), the Settings app includes an improved Battery settings page that includes a new “Usage information” section, which shows in more details, the “battery level” information over time (per hour) and “battery usage” (per day) to help you better understand how the battery life is being used on your laptop.
Also, as part of the information usage, you can see how long the screen was on or off and how long the device spent in sleep mode.
Although the new settings are available in the latest preview, it is a hidden feature since it is still a work in progress and has not been officially introduced. However, anyone can activate the new Battery settings with a third-party tool called “ViVeTool” created by Rafael Rivera and Lucas in GitHub.
In this guide, you will learn the steps to turn on the new battery settings in the latest insider preview of Windows 10 from the Dev channel.
Enable new battery settings on Windows 10
To enable the new Start menu design on Windows 10 build 21313 or higher, use these steps:
-
-
Download the ViveTool-vx.x.x.zip file to enable the new Start menu.
-
Double-click the zip folder to open it with File Explorer.
-
Click the Extract all button from the “Compressed Folder Tools” ribbon.
Extract ViveTool -
Click the Extract button.
-
Copy the path to the folder.
-
Open Start menu.
-
Search for Command Prompt, right-click the top result, and select the Run as administrator option.
-
Type the following command to navigate to the ViveTool folder and press Enter:
cd FOLDER\PATH\ViveTool-v0.2.1
In the command, remember to update the path to the folder to the location with the ViveTool files.
-
Type the following command to enable the new Battery settings on Windows 10 and press Enter:
vivetool addconfig 27296756 2
Enable battery usage info settings -
Restart your device.
Once you complete the steps, the new settings for the battery will enable on Windows 10.
You can always revert the changes with the same instructions, but on step No. 10, make sure to use this command: vivetool addconfig 27296756 1.
View battery usage details on Windows 10
To view the battery usage details, use these steps:
-
Open Settings on Windows 10.
-
Click on System.
-
Click on Battery (if available).
-
Under the “Usage information” section, click the Battery usage tab to view usage per day.
Battery level details -
Click the Battery level tab to view levels over time.
Battery usage details
After you complete the steps, you will have a better understanding of the battery usage on your laptop.
You can always check all the improvements that Microsoft has been working on for future releases of its desktop operating system in this comprehensive guide.
Mauro Huculak is a Windows expert and the Editor-in-Chief who started Pureinfotech in 2010 as an independent online publication. He's also been a Windows Central contributor for nearly a decade. Mauro has over 12 years of experience writing comprehensive guides and creating professional videos about Windows, software, and related technologies, including Android and Linux. Before becoming a technology writer, he was an IT administrator for seven years. In total, Mauro has over 20 years of combined experience in technology. Throughout his career, he achieved different professional certifications from Microsoft (MSCA), Cisco (CCNP), VMware (VCP), and CompTIA (A+ & Network+), and he has been recognized as a Microsoft MVP for many years. You can follow him on X (Twitter), YouTube, and LinkedIn.