Dell Laptop Battery - Frequently Asked Questions

Like most laptops, Dell laptops use lithium-ion batteries. One type of lithium-ion battery is the lithium-ion polymer battery. Lithium-ion polymer batteries have increased in popularity in recent years and have become standard in the electronics industry due to customer preferences for a slim form factor (especially with newer ultrathin laptops) and long battery life. Inherent to lithium-ion polymer battery technology is the potential for swelling of the battery cells.

A swollen battery may impact the performance of the laptop. To prevent possible further damage to the device enclosure or internal components leading to malfunction, discontinue the use of the laptop and discharge it by disconnecting the AC adapter and letting the battery drain.

Swollen batteries should not be used, and should be replaced and disposed of properly. We recommend contacting Dell product support for options to replace a swollen battery under the terms of the applicable warranty or service contract, including options for replacement by a Dell authorized service technician.

For more information, see our Swollen Battery Information and Guidance.

• Exercise caution when handling Lithium-ion batteries.
• Discharge the battery before removing it from the system.
  To discharge the battery, unplug the AC adapter from the system and operate the system only on battery power. When the system will no longer power on when the power button is pressed, the battery is discharged.
• Do not crush, drop, mutilate, or penetrate the battery with foreign objects.
• Do not expose the battery to high temperatures, or disassemble battery packs and cells.
• Do not apply pressure to the surface of the battery.
• Do not bend the battery.
• Do not use tools of any kind to pry on or against the battery.
• If a battery gets stuck in a device as a result of swelling, do not try to free it as puncturing, bending, or crushing a battery can be dangerous. Contact Dell product support for assistance and further instructions.
• Using a non-Dell or incompatible battery may increase the risk of fire or explosion. Replace the battery only with a compatible battery purchased from Dell that is designed to work with your Dell computer. Do not use a battery from other computers with your computer. Always purchase genuine batteries from https://www.dell.com/upgrades.
• NOTE: The availability of Dell-branded parts and upgrades might vary in your current location. If the parts are not available on our website in your location, contact your local Dell partner or reseller (English only - select your location).

When storing for more than 4 days, these guidelines can better preserve the life of your battery:

• Do not store batteries for long periods plugged into or attached to any power source. This includes AC adapters, and laptop security carts plugged into an outlet.
• Laptop batteries, including those stored in laptop systems, should maintain an Operational Storage Temperature of 0° to 35°C (32° to 95°F).
• Batteries may be stored in the laptop or outside of the laptop.
• Charge batteries before storing. The recommended charging time should not exceed 1 hour. Typically, this should charge the battery to between 80% and 100%. (Some discharge will take place over time. Stored batteries are expected to discharge 10-15% over a four-month period, for your information).

On Dell laptops, battery health status can be checked, both outside and inside the operating system environment. The battery health status indicates the current state of the battery performance and allows you to decide if the battery requires a replacement. Battery health can be checked using:

• BIOS or UEFI (also called system setup)
• Hardware diagnostics
  NOTE:

  • Dell offers an online battery diagnostics test, to run the battery test, go to the Online Battery Diagnostics page.
  • The test starts automatically.
  • Follow the on-screen instructions to update or install the SupportAssist application.
• Dell Power Manager - supported on Dell Inspiron, Vostro, and XPS laptops running Windows 11 and Windows 10.

To learn more about checking the battery health status, see the Dell Knowledge Base article How to Check Battery Health Status on Dell Laptops.

All rechargeable batteries wear out with time and usage. As time and cumulative use increase, the performance degrades.

For the typical user, a noticeable reduction in run time generally will be observed after 18 to 24 months. For a power user, a reduction in run time may generally be experienced within 18 months. We recommend buying a new Dell laptop battery when the run time does not meet your needs.

To learn more about extending the life of a battery, see the Dell Knowledge Base article How to Improve the Performance of a Dell Laptop Battery.

While it is good practice to charge the battery before using a new Dell laptop, it is not necessary.

When you get your new Dell Laptop, the battery should be charged between 40% and 60%.

You should start charging your new Dell laptop when you start using it with the AC adapter that comes with the laptop, it should take about 3-4 hours to fully charge.

Modern laptops with Lithium-Ion Polymer batteries are designed to stop charging when full, so overcharging is not a concern.

For more information about the specifications of the battery in you Dell laptop, see the Owner' Manual. Browse to the Dell Manuals Page to obtain the manual for your laptop.

The battery charges in the laptop when the laptop is connected to a power source using the AC adapter. The charge time varies depending on the laptop. If the laptop supports ExpressCharge™, the battery typically will have greater than 80% charge after about an hour of charging, and fully charge in about 2 hours with the laptop powered off.

No, Dell laptops are designed to stop charging the battery when it reaches full charge. Once the battery is fully charged, the Dell laptop continues to use power from the AC adapter.

On most Dell laptops, the battery can be installed and/or removed. However, many of the newer laptops are designed using nonremovable batteries. Such nonremovable batteries can be installed and/or removed by Dell authorized technicians and laptop users.

To learn more about how to replace a battery on your Dell laptop, see the documentation of your Dell laptop.

For Dell laptops with a nonremovable battery, Dell offers a battery replacement service for a fee. For more information about our battery replacement service, contact Dell Technical Support.

Dell has a rigorous qualification process by which all Dell batteries are validated to ensure proper functionality, performance, and safety. Dell strongly recommends using a compatible Dell battery that is purchased from Dell that is designed to work with your Dell laptop.

Some third-party or non-Dell batteries are available in the market with claims of compatibility with Dell laptops. Dell cannot verify these claims, nor the safety of using them on a Dell laptop.

Dell laptop batteries come with a 1-year warranty, they are engineered for optimal safety and performance with a compatible Dell laptop, and are supported by Dell Technical Support for the length of the warranty period.

A battery with higher Watt hours (Wh) on the same system under the same operating conditions will generally have a longer run time. For example, if you compare the same system, running the same applications, the 53Wh battery would provide approximately 65% more run time than the 32Wh battery.

Batteries are considered consumable items, but all batteries degrade with time and use. The warranty is similar to common auto warranties which exclude consumable items such as tires. Dell provides separate warranties on its batteries, for more information see the Dell knowledge base article Dell Laptop Battery Warranty Support.

Dell provides a standard one-year warranty on Dell batteries. Batteries are a consumable item and battery performance reduces over time and use. The warranty is similar to common auto warranties, which exclude consumable items such as tires. For more information, see the Dell warranty page.

A Dell laptop advertised as having the ExpressCharge™ feature, the battery typically will have greater than 80% charge after about an hour of charging and fully charged in about 2 hours with the laptop powered off.

To purchase a Dell laptop battery from the Dell.com/support website, follow these steps:

1. Browse to the Dell.com/support website.
2. Identify your Dell laptop
   • Click Download & Install SupportAssist to auto-detect your Dell laptop. Follow the on-screen instructions to install Dell SupportAssist. For more information, see the Dell knowledge base article Dell SupportAssist (formerly Dell System Detect): Overview and Common Questions.
   • Or, enter the Service Tag, Express Service Code, or the Serial number of the Dell laptop and click Search.
   • Or, click Browse all products to manually select your Dell laptop from the catalog
3. Click the Parts & Accessories tab.
4. Click Laptop/Notebook Power to view the Parts & Upgrades for your Dell laptop.
5. In the Parts & Upgrades page, identify the battery, and click Add to Cart.
6. Follow the on-screen instructions to complete the purchase.

For Dell laptops with a nonremovable battery, Dell offers a battery replacement service for a fee. For more information about our battery replacement service, browse to the Dell Premier website or contact Dell Technical Support.

See these Dell Knowledge Base articles for related information:

• How to Troubleshoot Dell Laptop Battery Issues
• Diagnostic and Battery Indicators for Dell Latitude Laptops and Tablets
• Guide to Dell Power Manager
• Dell Laptop Best Practices for Care, Use, and Handling
• How to Generate a Battery Report Using the POWERCFG Command
• How Do I Recycle or Dispose of My Dell Battery
• Battery Help and Support
• How to Troubleshoot AC Adapter Issues on a Dell Laptop