Unless we possess a cutting-edge laptop equipped with a contemporary processor that boasts substantial hours of battery life, it’s highly probable that we’re consistently vigilant about our laptop’s battery status. This vigilance becomes imperative if we wish to avert the inconvenience of being stranded without access to a power outlet.
Within the Windows environment, various power plans are at our disposal, enabling us to tailor power consumption according to our laptop usage. This dynamic adaptation helps circumvent unwarranted battery drain—ensuring we don’t squander battery resources by employing the full computational prowess of the laptop while engaging in tasks as basic as internet browsing or composing a Word document. By optimizing processor utilization to the bare minimum necessary, battery consumption is considerably reduced, thereby extending overall battery lifespan.
Although these power settings don’t afford us the flexibility to modify the conventional gray battery icon displaying the current battery level, there exists a workaround via third-party applications. By harnessing such applications, we can seamlessly customize this icon to display our preferred alternative—ranging from various images provided they conform to the requisite format.
A noteworthy application facilitating the utilization of any icon to depict the battery level is Battery Icons. This application is available for free download, falling under the category of freeware software. Interested users can readily access the application via the following link.
How Battery Icons works
Once the application is downloaded, you’ll encounter a prompt to enter a password for extracting the file. As indicated on the website where the download was sourced, the password is “abc123” (without quotes). With the file successfully unzipped, navigate into the directory and launch the Battery Icons.exe file.
Should Windows Smart Screen raise a block against the application, a simple workaround is available. Click on “More information” and subsequently authorize the application to run. This is necessary as the application is devoid of any viruses or malware. The cautionary alert is prompted due to the internal alterations the application makes to Windows icons.
Within the directory housing the application, diverse icons are bundled for depicting various battery levels—full charge, 75%, 50%, and 25%. To customize the icons that represent your laptop’s battery level, access the application by right-clicking on its icon located in the taskbar’s right section, then select “Settings.”
Beneath the application window, you’ll find an array of icons corresponding to different battery levels on your PC. To employ an alternative icon of your choice, provided you have downloaded or created it on your computer, click on “Browse” to select it, and conclude by clicking “Accept.” If the default icons don’t suit your preference, the option to download other icons from the internet remains open, granting you the freedom to choose and use icons that align better with your taste.