On a Windows laptop, you must have seen battery level warnings. These notifications ask Windows users to save their work and shut down the computer, or connect the laptop to a power source, or change the battery. There are two types of warnings – Reserve Battery and Critical Battery. In this post, we will understand what they mean and the difference between them.
Reserve Battery Level vs. Critical Battery Level
There are 3 Battery levels – Low battery, Reserve battery, and Critical battery.
- When the charge gets low, the battery icon in the notification area indicates a low-battery level. The default value is 10%. When your Battery charge is low, Windows triggers the Battery Saver Mode.
- When your battery charge reaches the reserve level, Windows notifies you that you’re running on reserve power. The default value is 7% (Or 9% depending on your make). At that point, you need to save your work, and then find an alternate power source or stop using the computer.
- When your battery is almost out of power, the battery icon indicates a critical-battery level, and then your laptop goes into Hibernation. The default value is 5% (Or 3% depending on your make)
What is Reserve Battery Level in Windows Laptops?
The Windows OS reserves a certain percentage of battery capacity. When it reaches that level, it prompts the end-user to save their work. It also kickstarts essential services to preserve the state of the computer. Low battery warning or Reserve Battery prompts the user to begin saving their work and switch to an additional power source.
What is Critical Battery Level?
Critical Battery Level is where Windows 10 initiates a normal action, like Sleep, Hibernate, or Shutdown, depending on the settings. When the battery hits a certain percentage, it will not wait for the user, but instantly initiate one of the actions to safeguard any abrupt shutdown and data loss.
Difference between Reserve Battery Level & Critical Battery Level
I will draw an analogy here. Imagine your computer as a car, and the battery as your petrol tank. The reserve battery level is akin to the reserve in your gas tank. You can use the gas in reserve to drive the car for some time, but not for long. The critical battery level is when your gas tank is almost empty, and the vehicle shuts down the engine to safeguard it from damage.
How to change the Reserve Battery Level in Windows 11/10
Windows 11/10 allows you to change the battery level percentage and what the laptop does then for both. The default percentage for Reserve Battery Level is 9%. If you have a laptop with higher battery storage capacity, then 9% means that you can use it longer compared to other laptops that have a lesser battery capacity. E.g., 9% of 5000 mAh is greater than 9% of 3000 mAh capacity.
How to increase or decrease reserve battery via Power options in Windows?
- Go to Settings > System > Power and Sleep > Additional Power Settings
- Then select one of the modes, and click on Change Plan Settings > and click again on the Change advanced power settings hyperlink
- Scroll down and expand the Battery section.
- Locate the Reserve battery level and change the percentage to what you want.
- Similarly, you can change the percentage for the Critical Battery Level
If you set the percentage to 0 or 1, you might not have enough time before the battery hits Critical Level which will shut down the computer or take appropriate action—Hibernate, Shut down, Sleep. Hibernation is the best option, as it will be much faster, save your work, and conserve battery for a longer duration.
What is the difference between Low battery level and Critical battery level?
The low battery level dictates actions when a laptop’s charge is low, with options like Sleep or Hibernate. In contrast, the critical battery level sets a specific charge percentage to trigger more urgent responses, such as shutting down to prevent data loss.
What does Reserve battery level do?
Reserve battery level indicates how long a fully charged battery can supply power before its voltage drops below a specified level. It is crucial for ensuring reliable power over extended periods, especially in situations that require consistent energy output rather than short bursts.
What does “Critical battery” mean on a laptop?
“Critical battery” on a laptop means the battery charge is extremely low, signaling that the device is running on limited reserve power. If not connected to a power source soon, the laptop will automatically go into hibernation mode to conserve any remaining energy and protect unsaved work.
What is Reserve power mode in Windows?
Reserve power mode in Windows triggers when a device’s battery reaches a low level. A warning prompt notifies the user that power is insufficient, preparing the system to enter hibernation. CriticalPowerLevel indicates an urgent need to conserve energy, ensuring data is saved and minimizing battery drain before shutting down.
Now that you have a clear understanding of both levels adjust it accordingly, make sure to save work, and shut down the computer timely. It’s not a good idea to drain the battery below 10% every time nor you should keep plugged in all the time.
