Articles

Controller battery on PC: every way to check it, compared

Windows settings, the Xbox app, Steam, DS4Windows or a taskbar utility: what each method shows, for which controllers, and when it is enough.

How to see your DualSense battery on PC

Windows shows no battery level for a PS5 DualSense, over USB or Bluetooth. Here is why, and the three methods that actually work on a PC.

How to see your PS4 controller battery on PC

Windows shows no battery level for a DualShock 4, over USB or Bluetooth. The methods that work, and what the light bar really tells you.

DualSense mute button on PC: how to make it actually mute you

On Windows, the DualSense mic button does nothing. Why the PC ignores it, what the usual workarounds miss, and how to turn it into a real mute key.

How to show your Xbox controller battery on Windows

Windows does show an Xbox controller's battery, but where you find it, and how precise it is, depends entirely on how you connected it.

Switch Pro Controller battery on PC: what you can actually see

The Switch Pro Controller works on Windows, but the PC treats it as a generic device, battery included. What you can read, and how.

8BitDo controller battery on PC: why X-input mode shows nothing

Many 8BitDo controllers can report their battery on Windows, but not in every mode. Which mode hides the level, which one shows it, and what you give up by switching.

Bluetooth battery level on Windows 11: why some devices show it and others don't

Windows 11 displays a percentage for certain Bluetooth devices and nothing at all for others. The rule behind it is simple once you know it.

Low battery notification on Windows: what exists and what doesn't

Windows warns you about your laptop battery. For your controller, mouse or headset, it warns you about nothing at all. Here is why, and what to do.

How to check a wireless mouse battery on Windows

Where the level appears depends on one thing: whether your mouse is Bluetooth or on a USB dongle. Two devices, two completely different answers.

How to check a wireless keyboard battery on Windows

Windows only shows a keyboard's battery over Bluetooth, and many keyboards have no indicator. Where to find the level, brand by brand, and how to keep it in sight.

Wireless headset battery on Windows: finding the level

Headsets are the hardest case on PC. Between proprietary dongles, doubled audio devices and vendor software, here is where the level actually lives.

Mouse and headset battery without G HUB, Synapse or iCUE

Vendor software runs all day just to show you a percentage. Where the level really comes from, what you lose by closing the suite, and how to keep the battery in view.

Controller battery not showing on PC: how to fix it

Your controller works but no battery level appears on Windows. Go through these checks in order. The cause is almost always one of five things.

Controller battery not showing with DS4Windows: exclusive mode and HidHide

DS4Windows hides your PlayStation controller from games, and from every other program along with them. The two ways it does it, and how to let a battery app through.

Bluetooth device not detected on Windows: the checks that work

Your device doesn't appear in the pairing list. Six causes, ordered from the most frequent to the rarest. The first three take a minute each.

DualSense showing the wrong battery percentage: why, and what to do

100% then 40% five minutes later, or a level stuck for hours. Most of these readings are not wrong: they are coarse. How to tell the difference.

Why your mouse, headset or controller battery percentage jumps

From 100 to 90, stuck at 60, then down to 20: most wireless devices do not measure their battery to the percent. What they really report, and how to read it.

Battery fully charged notification keeps repeating: why your device bounces between 90 and 100%

A mouse or headset left on its cable can announce a full charge again and again. The level really is moving: here is why, and what a sensible notification should do about it.