Microsoft has been trying to improve how battery icons look on the taskbar, but it looks like feature is still not ready for Windows 11. On April 23, Microsoft released Windows 11 Build 27842 to testers in the Canary channel, and the company clarified that the new battery icons will soon “re-roll out to testers.” But what about the general public? No ETA for now.
In a post on Reddit, Jennifer Gentleman (Jen), a Principal Program Manager at Microsoft, noted that she does not have an ETA to share, but promised that Microsoft is working to bring these colourful icons to everyone on Windows 11.
“Don’t have an exact ETA to share, but I’m looking forward to more folks getting it – I really like the change,” Jen noted in a post on Reddit, and it aligns with what Microsoft announced in early March during the Windows Insider Program webcast.
At the moment, we do not see the colourful icons for battery in Windows 11 24H2 or 23H2, but they’re coming.
What are the new battery icons for Windows 11?
As you can see in the above screenshot, the battery icon is now longer and has more space to properly show the “state” of the battery.
You’ll notice that Windows 11 has moved icon overlays like charging bolts or energy saver from the top left to the centre of the battery, so it doesn’t take up too much space (width) on the taskbar.
Here’s a screenshot comparing the light and dark-themed battery icons on Windows 11:
Yellow colour is for Energy Saver, and Green colour is for Charging. Smart Charging is between 0% and 80% with a bolt icon, and then you have the choice to charge the device completely.
“Smart Charging is mostly configured by your device manufacturer (OEM). Controlled usually via OEM apps like Surface app, HP app, Dell app, etc. The idea is to protect battery longevity by limiting constant full 100% charges,” Microsoft noted in the webcast.
If the battery is at 80%, it shows a plug.
In case the battery is low (1–5%), you will see a very skinny red bar, instead of confusing big X.
What’s particularly interesting is that the company started working on the project almost a year ago, and it’s still being worked on.
“We saw a lot of feedback saying users couldn’t understand their battery level or charging state clearly. Also, feedback wanted battery percentage visible at all times,” Microsoft’s Program Manager stated.
“Across the industry (phones, tablets), battery experiences are improving. We wanted to modernize Windows’ battery experience too.”
This was an issue since Windows 10 days, and Microsoft has been working on making these battery icons easily understandable for over a year.
Microsoft also added that it’s always listening to feedback, but they just don’t “react.”
“Just because we don’t immediately react doesn’t mean we aren’t listening,” the company added.
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