Windows 11 gets colored battery icons that make it easier to see battery information

Microsoft has released a new Windows 11 Insider Preview Build, and it brings interesting and welcome changes to the battery icon. These changes should provide users with more information about their PC's battery with a simple glance.

One of the new features of the new build — Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 26120.3000 (KB5050103) — is a colored icons feature. Currently, the battery icon on Windows 11 devices including gaming handhelds like the Lenovo Legion Go (curr. available on Amazon for $549.99) is either black or white depending on whether the device is set to light or dark mode. With the new build, the battery icon will now display black, yellow, or green depending on the state.

When the icon is green, Microsoft says it indicates that the PC is charging and is in a good state, while a yellow icon shows the battery is in energy saving mode. A red battery icon shows the battery is critically low and should be connected to a power source immediately.

Microsoft says the new colored battery icons will be visible on the taskbar in the system tray, in the Quick Settings flyout, and in Settings. It also plans to show them on the lock screen, but in a future build.

In addition to colored battery icons, the build also brings support for battery percentage which will be visible on the taskbar. Owners will be able to turn on this feature in Settings. Once the toggle is activated, the battery percentage will appear in front of the battery icon. This feature is a welcome one considering users have to hover over the battery icon to view the battery percentage or click on it to view it in the Quick Settings flyout.

Another small change is the position of the lightning logo that appears on the battery icon when a PC is plugged in. In the images shared by Microsoft, the lightning logo is in the middle and not on the left side of the battery anymore.

Microsoft says these new features are rolling out gradually to Windows Insiders in the Dev Channel, so not everyone will see it. This way, it can get user feedback before making it available to everyone.