If you have installed Windows operating system on a netbook, notebook, tablet or desktop computer with Uninterruptible Power Supply (UPS), you probably are familiar with the small battery icon that appears in the system tray area of the taskbar.
The battery status icon comes very handy for users who don’t keep their notebooks or netbooks connected to the power supply always. Hovering the mouse cursor over the battery icon shows the remaining battery time and percentage.
Right-clicking on the battery icon provides quick access to Power Options, Windows Mobility Center, and Adjust screen brightness. One can quickly switch between power plans by clicking on the battery icon.
While this battery icon always appears in the system tray area of the taskbar, sometimes you might find that the icon is missing from the taskbar. If the battery icon isn’t appearing on the taskbar, you can try out the following solutions to restore the missing battery icon in Windows.
Solution 1 of 4
Check if the battery icon behavior has been changed
Instructions for Windows 10 (scroll down for Windows 8/7 instructions)
Step 1: Open the Settings app either by clicking its icon in the Start menu or using Windows logo + I hotkey.
Step 2: Navigate to Personalization > Taskbar. This will open the taskbar settings page.
Step 3: Click Select Which icons appear on the taskbar link.
Step 4: Turn the switch next to the Power icon to the On position.
NOTE: If the power icon setting is greyed out, refer to our battery icon settings greyed out in Windows 10 article.
That’s it!
Instructions for Windows 8/7
Step 1: Perform a click on the small arrow visible on the taskbar and then click the Customize option available in the resulting box to open Notification Area Icons window.
Step 2: Here, check if the behavior of the Power icon has been set to Hide icon and notifications. If yes, select Show icon and notifications from the drop-down menu to and then click OK button to restore the icon.
Solution 2 of 4
Scan for hardware changes
Step 1: Open the Device Manager. To do so, you can right-click on the Start button (Windows 8.1 only), and then click Device Manager. If you are on Windows 10/8/7, open Run command by simultaneously pressing Windows and R keys, type Devmgmt.msc and then press Enter key to open Device Manager.
Step 2: In the Device Manager, expand Batteries. Right-click on Microsoft AC Adapter entry and click Uninstall button. Click the OK button when you see the warning message to continue uninstalling the driver.
Step 3: Next, click on the Action menu and then click Scan for hardware changes option to restore the missing battery icon.
Solution 3 of 4
Try repairing system files
Step 1: Open elevated Command Prompt. To do so, type CMD in Start screen or Start menu, and then simultaneously press Ctrl + Shift + Enter keys to run Command Prompt as administrator.
Step 2: In the Prompt, type sfc /scannow and then press Enter key to run System File Checker. This will take some time to scan all system files and will automatically repair corrupted operating system files, if any.
You may need to reboot your PC once after running System File Checker.
Solution 4 of 4
Use Refresh PC feature or Reset PC
On Windows 10, you can use the Reset PC feature. Please refer to our how to reset your Windows 10 PC or how to reset Windows 10 to factory settings guide for detailed instructions.
The Refresh PC feature in Windows 8 and 8.1 lets you reinstall your Windows without erasing your files, settings, and apps installed from the Store.
