How to Check the Charge of a Dell Laptop's Battery

Do you have a Dell laptop but don't know how much charge it has? Can't turn the laptop on? Just about to go outside and wait for the taxi? This is help you with that task!

Steps

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    1
    Take the laptop out of its case.
  2. Image titled Check the Charge of a Dell Laptop's Battery Step 2
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    Make sure it is off and not in sleep mode.
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    Flip it over onto it's top so you are looking at the bottom.
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    To identify the battery: Newer models have it underneath. Look for a gray or black rectangle. Older models may have it at the front, where you put CD drives and such.
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    For the newer ones that have the battery on the bottom, look on the battery for a little white rectangle with 5 lights on it. There will be a button next to them. Push it. The lights will come on. The number of lights will give you an estimation on how much it has left.5-Full. 4-80%. 3-60%. 2-40%. 1-20%. None-0%. If it is a half, the lights will stay on and the last one will blink. 4+1=90%. 3+1=70%. 2+1=50%. 1+1 =30%.
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    For the older ones, take out the battery and look in the inside, where the connector is. There should be the same as above, a little pad with 5 lights on it. Do that same as above.

Community Q&A

  • Question
    Why would a Dell laptop not work without a charger?
    Community Answer
    Community Answer
    Most probably the battery is dead. Try getting a replacement battery.
  • Question
    How can I tell if my laptop's battery is faulty?
    Community Answer
    Community Answer
    If the battery can not go without a charge for long, if the battery percentage drop is more than 2% per minute on idle condition on average then you may need to change it. Also check for physical signs (is it swollen?).
  • Question
    How can I tell if a Dell laptop is charging when it is off?
    Community Answer
    Community Answer
    An indicator light should turn on when the Dell laptop is plugged in and charging even if it is off.
  • Question
    Where is the plug-in port to charge the battery for a Dell laptop?
    Community Answer
    Community Answer
    It should be on the side/front of the laptop. It generally looks circular. Most of the time it is placed on the left side of the laptop.
  • Question
    My Dell Inspiron laptop charge indicator light blinks white, then 4 quick orange blinks. What does this mean?
    Glitchmasta47
    Glitchmasta47
    Community Answer
    Assuming this happens when you press the power button, this means there is no power connected to the laptop.
  • Question
    The indicator at the bottom of screen is not there. What can I do?
    Community Answer
    Community Answer
    Turn off the laptop. Then before you go to log-in, check the bottom of the screen.
  • Question
    How will I know if the shut down laptop is charged?
    Community Answer
    Community Answer
    Many Dell batteries have a charge indicator comprising a row of LEDs activated by a touch button adjacent them. The more lights that come on, the higher the state of charge. This works with the battery in situ or removed.
  • Question
    Where do I find the battery icon on my Dell?
    Community Answer
    Community Answer
    Once your system starts, find it on the bottom right hand corner, just next to the speaker button on the left side.
  • Question
    What do I do if the charge of my laptop keeps becoming less and less after it's fully charged?
    Community Answer
    Community Answer
    Simply just start a routine. For an example: Charge the laptop up to 95% and run it down to 15%.
  • Question
    Just received my new Inspiron 15 5000 laptop. Do I just plug it in and charge for 24 hours, or should it also be turned on?
    Rudy Toth
    Rudy Toth
    Community Answer
    It be best if you just plug it in and let it charge for the 24 hour period. Check upon it once a while. At the hour 23:45, turn on the computer to see how far the charge has reach too on the menu bar where your battery indicator might be located? It might say... 100% fully charged.
Show more answers

Things You'll Need

  • Dell Laptop

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About This Article

wikiHow is a “wiki,” similar to Wikipedia, which means that many of our articles are co-written by multiple authors. To create this article, volunteer authors worked to edit and improve it over time. This article has been viewed 107,467 times.
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Co-authors: 8
Updated: June 29, 2021
Views: 107,467
Categories: Laptop Batteries