Windows 11 battery indicator
The battery indicator in the Taskbar of Windows 11 is – as it has been for many years in previous versions of Windows – entirely functional. But there has always been potential for it to be more.
Now Microsoft is taking action to help the humble battery indicator to reach its potential and ascend beyond merely being good enough. New features means that it will tell you more than just how much charge you have left.
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Before you rush to check settings, it is worth pointing out that the new color-changing battery indicator is only available in the Dev build of Windows 11. More than this, it is a hidden option that can only be enabled using a utility such as ViVeTool.
The new feature sees the previously monochrome battery indicator icons changing into a dynamic color-changing icon.IT is now green when charging, and orange when battery saver mode is enabled.
The latest secret hidden by Microsoft in Windows 11 was discovered by the ever-curious Phantom of Earth:
Windows 11's battery icon (in the system tray, quick settings and Settings app) is getting some visual changes: notably, it will turn orange when energy saver is enabled, and green when charging. (1/3) pic.twitter.com/BMYGYBgW5g
— phantomofearth ☃️ (@phantomofearth) December 6, 2024
The instructions for enabling this new mode have been shared by XDA Developers:
Updated battery icon: vivetool /enable /id:48822452.Section labels for the battery usage graph: vivetool /enable /id:53092139. If these commands don't work, enable 48433719 and reboot.
When the feature will expand beyond the Dev build and be integrated into Settings remains to be seen.