Fix Battery Icon Missing On Windows 10

Fix Battery Icon Missing – Compared to a desktop computer, laptop users has the advantage of taking their PC anywhere, anytime. Though just like any battery-powered device out there, the time you can use your laptop without plugging in is pretty limited. The most a laptop can stay up without charging is around 16 hours. And of course, not all laptops are built to stay awake that long. 

When your laptop battery power is getting low, you better find a place to charge very quickly. Most people can tell the state of their battery life from a quick glance at the taskbar. The battery icon should appear in the system tray area of your taskbar, next to the time and date. This battery icon helps you to keep track of your device’s battery level. But what happens when the battery icon goes missing from your system tray? You would not be able to tell when your battery goes too low. 

So, how to fix the battery icon missing issue on Windows 10? In this article, I will help you to bring back your missing battery icon in your system tray. I just recently experienced the same issue and fixed it with some of the methods below.

Fix Battery Icon Missing

Check if the battery icon is hidden in the taskbar

Before you proceed to any methods of fixing the battery icon missing issue, make sure whether your battery icon is missing or just not visible in the system tray. The battery icon might still be available on the taskbar, just not on the system tray. Or in other words, your battery icon is just hidden, not missing. 

To check whether your battery icon is hidden in the system tray follow these steps. First, tap on the upward pointing arrow on the system tray. If you see the battery icon there, drag it back to the system tray on your taskbar. 

If your battery icon is not hidden and is missing, proceed to the next method below. 

Turn On Hidden Battery Icon Using Taskbar Settings

Once you are sure that you didn’t see your battery icon in the system tray, your windows settings probably set it to not show. You can easily fix this issue by using taskbar settings. 

To get started, right-click on any blank area in the taskbar of your Windows. A pop-up menu will appear and select the Taskbar Settings. 

Navigate to the Notification Area in the taskbar settings. Next, click on Select which icons appear on the taskbar. 

Find the Power toggle button and make sure that the button is turned on not off. If it is switched off, turn it back On so that the battery icon can appear on the taskbar. 

If you found that your power toggle button is grayed out and can’t be switched, proceed to the next method. 

Restart or Reinstall Battery Drivers

A grayed-out power toggle button may indicate a system error that affects the taskbar settings. One of the reasons may come from the battery drivers themselves. If your PC battery drivers don’t function as it should, the battery icon would not appear on the taskbar. 

To resolve this issue, you should restart or reinstall the battery drivers on your laptop. Remember, reinstall the battery drivers, not reinstall the literal battery from your laptop. Although it’s a must-try method if none of the methods in this article work for you. 

Now, back to restarting and reinstalling the battery drivers. 

To restart your battery drivers, press Windows Key + X or right-click on the Windows Start Menu icon. Select Device manager on the pop-up menu.

On the device manager window, click on the Batteries drop-down icon to expand it. You should see there are two drivers in the battery section. Those are the Microsoft AC Adapter and the Microsoft ACPI-Compliant Control Method Battery.

For both of the drivers that appear, right-click on each adapter and select disable device. 

Once you disable both of the devices, right-click again on each adapter and now select Enable device. 

Should the method work, you will immediately see the battery icon on your system tray. If it doesn’t automatically show the battery, try to restart your laptop. 

If disabling and re-enabling the battery drivers doesn’t work, try to reinstall the battery drivers. Back to the device manager, right-click on each adapter of the batteries, and select Uninstall device. 

When you finished uninstalling the drivers, restart your PC and it should automatically reinstall the drivers for you. Now you should see the battery icon on your system tray. 

Restart Windows Explorer

Last but not least, to fix the battery icon missing issue on windows 10, you should try to restart Windows Explorer. Although it can be daunting if you did it for the first time, it’s a fairly easy process. 

First, right-click on any blank area of your taskbar, and select Task Manager.

In the Processes tab of the Taskbar, scroll down and find the Windows Explorer process. Right-click on the process and select the Restart option, or click the Restart button on the bottom right corner.

This should restart the Windows Explorer system including the Taskbar where you would normally see your battery. 

I am very positive that one of these methods should work to fix your battery icon missing issue. But, in any case, if none of these methods work, try to Update your Windows 10. 

Also read How to Upgrade Windows 10 to Windows 11