Wireless peripherals such as keyboards and mice aren’t connected to the computer via USB and must, therefore, be powered by batteries or recharged in a docking station, depending on the model of the product. People who have created a functioning routine as to when they should recharge their peripherals or replace the batteries are just wired entirely differently. I, on the other hand, couldn’t remember to recharge my equipment if my life depended on it.
This has left me without a keyboard in pretty dire situations – both gaming and work-related. So, there’s definitely some value in keeping track of your keyboard’s battery levels, but how do you go about doing that?
You can see how much battery your rechargeable wireless keyboard has in Windows 10 by going to Settings. Once there, click on Bluetooth & other devices. Then click on Mouse, keyboard & pen. In this section, Windows displays a list of devices. There should be a battery percentage meter next to the Bluetooth device in the list. Frequent disconnects and an unresponsive keyboard are also possible signs of a dying keyboard battery.
This only works for Bluetooth devices with rechargeable built-in batteries – not Bluetooth devices that run on actual batteries. Keyboards that run on replaceable AA or AAA batteries can’t be monitored the same way. But I’m quite sure that won’t be an issue since a pair of batteries can last for a very long time with a good keyboard. Now, as long as you keep a spare pair at home, you will be fine.
I should mention that there’s a possibility that the indicator in Windows 10 options doesn’t appear next to your device for some reason. I have used a plethora of wireless devices and some display the indicator while others don’t. As it turns out, some brands provide their own third-party application which can be used to check on the device’s battery levels.
Let’s take a look at the brand-specific methods of telling how much battery a keyboard has.
How Do I Check The Battery on My Logitech Keyboard?
Keeping track of your Logitech devices has been simplified with the help of Logitech’s software “Logitech Options”. The software will recognize the keyboard and display them on the Options window. Logitech Options will help you monitor battery levels by sending notifications when your battery level has reached 50%, 20%, and 5%. This function can be turned on and off in the Logitech Options menu but keeping it on is a surefire way to never be caught off guard.
To see the keyboard’s battery percentage in Logitech Options
- Select your device on the main page of Logitech Options
- The battery status will be displayed on the lower part of the Window
You can also check the battery on your Logitech keyboards for iPad by looking at the battery level lights. If the light turns red when the keyboard turns on, it’s indicating that the keyboard needs to be charged. According to Logitech, a fully charged battery will last for about three months when the keyboard is used for two hours a day.
How Can I Otherwise Tell If My Keyboard Battery Is Low?
Aside from the methods mentioned above, there are a couple of other tell-tale signs that can indicate whether or not the battery is running out or not. When the keyboard is starting to run out of battery, the user may experience frequent disconnects, for instance. Disconnects could absolutely be a sign that the battery needs to be recharged – but could also be an indication that the keyboard is malfunctioning or running into interference.
The keyboard may also stop registering keystrokes once it reaches critically low battery levels. The keyboard’s behavior will be different depending on the model, manufacturer, software, connection type, and more. Therefore, it’s hard to tell you what to expect.
What I’ve done is this: If my keyboard starts acting strange I just replace the batteries or charge it to see if that’s the problem. If it isn’t, I continue troubleshooting the device until I’ve come up with the real reason.
How To Check Battery Level on a Razer Keyboard
You can tell how much battery your Razer keyboard has left by looking at what color the battery indicator is showing. The battery light is green when the keyboard is charged, yellow when the keyboard is low, and blinking red when the keyboard is critically low.
I have used the Razer BlackWidow V3 for quite some time and I think it’s been working great. By keeping the lights turned down a little bit I got a lot more out of the battery. I have, however, had some problems with the lights not changing from one color to the other even though the battery has been fully charged. It doesn’t happen all the time but I’ve run into it a couple of times.
It’s not a big deal and it seems to be purely visual as the keyboard continues to power on even though the light indicates that it is at critical battery levels.
How To Check Battery Levels on a Corsair Keyboard Using Icue
Monitoring the battery levels on a corsair keyboard can be done with the help of Corsair’s software Icue. The application acts as a hub for your connected corsair devices, creating an environment where your setup can be modified to suit your needs.
Your connected corsair devices will show up in Icue under Settings -> Device in Cue when they’re not being charged. This means that you won’t be able to see the battery status while you’re charging, but as soon as you unplug the charging cable, the device should appear with a battery percentage indicator next to it in Icue. You can also find the battery levels in the Dashboard if you select Battery.
How To Check Battery Level on a Zagg Keyboard
Zagg keyboards are used for tablets and smartphones primarily.
Unlike Logitech, Zagg has opted to provide a simple but less precise method of indicating how much battery there’s left in their keyboards. I’m not saying that Logitech’s method is hard, and I’m not saying that Zagg’s method doesn’t provide good enough data – I’m just saying they’ve gone a different route. Zagg has chosen to use LED lights to indicate the battery’s power levels.
You can check the battery level on a Zagg keyboard by pressing the Battery key in the lower-left corner of the keyboard. The battery key triggers the LED light on the right to start flashing. Three green flashes mean the keyboard has 50% or more battery remaining, three yellow flashes mean the keyboard has 25% to 50% battery remaining, and three red flashes mean the keyboard has less than 25% battery remaining. The red light will flash once every five minutes when the battery is at critical levels.
How Long Does a Wireless Keyboard Battery Last?
The number of hours you get out of an internal keyboard battery before it needs to be recharged can differ a bit depending on the keyboard and its features. Most Bluetooth keyboards come with internal lithium-ion batteries that are rechargeable, the batteries on these keyboards aren’t meant to run for weeks-on-end without being charged, they’re supposed to be charged quite often.
While you’re bound to stay stationed close to the computer while you’re charging, the keyboard can (most likely) still be used during the time. I think it’s a pretty convenient solution even though it requires you to keep track of battery levels. You will learn how your keyboard works and how much time you usually get out of it when you’ve used it for a while.
But I have compiled a list of different keyboard batteries in order to get an idea of how long a wireless keyboard battery lasts on average.
| Product | Built-in Battery | AAA/AA Batteries | Battery Time |
| Logitech MK540 | Yes | 36 Months | |
| MX Keys | Yes | 10 Days w Backlighting / 5 Months w/o Backlighting | |
| Logitech K780 Multi-Device Keyboard | Yes | 24 Months | |
| K63 Wireless Mechanical Gaming | Yes | 25 hours @ low lighting / 75 Hours w lighting off. | |
| Logitech K350 | Yes | 36 Months | |
| Microsoft Surface | Yes | Up to 12 Months | |
| Omoton Ultra-Slim Wireless | Yes | 6 Months |
Battery times vary a lot depending on the keyboard and its features, that’s what we can draw from the information on the table above. Regular office keyboards without backlighting last much longer than gaming keyboards with backlighting. Turning the lights off seems to improve battery life substantially.
Rechargeable keyboards will probably need to be recharged once a week or more depending on the usage.