How to replace the battery in the Dell XPS 17 (2023)

Has the battery in your Dell XPS 17 started dying too quickly? Here’s how to swap it out for a fresh one.

Dell XPS 17 on white counter

The 2023 Dell XPS 17 is a fairly powerful laptop for creators, just like its predecessors. It comes with 13th-generation Intel Core processors and up to an Nvidia GeForce RTX 4080 Laptop GPU, so you have plenty of power for demanding workloads. Of course, that kind of power requires a big battery, and the XPS 17 comes with a huge 97Wh unit, which is nearly the maximum allowed on a plane, so you should be in good hands.

However, if you’ve been using your laptop for many months and draining the battery regularly, you may find yourself needing a replacement. After all, the performance will be good for a few years to come, and you shouldn’t have to buy a new laptop just because the battery has gone bad. So if you want to replace the battery inside the Dell XPS 17, we’re here to guide you through that process.

What you’ll need

If you’re planning to replace the battery in the Dell XPS 17, you’re going to need a few tools, of course, starting with the battery itself. Since the design hasn’t really changed this year, it’s thankfully easy to get official replacement parts straight from Dell.

You may also need to buy a Torx (T5) screwdriver to remove the screws to open the laptop, as well as a Philips screwdriver. A plastic prying tool may also help in removing the base cover. You can get all these tools in a convenient package with something like the iFixit Essential Electronics Toolkit, which will probably be handy in the future if you deal with things like this frequently.

Finally, you might want to buy an anti-static wrist strap. Electrostatic discharges (ESD) from your skin can sometimes cause damage to the electronics inside the computer, so if you want to be completely safe, these wrist straps allow you to continuously discharge electricity into another piece of metal and keep your laptop safe. You can buy all of these things below.

  • Dell 97Wh replacement battery

    Source: Dell

    Dell 97Wh Replacement Battery
  • Ifixiti_2__1_-removebg-preview
    iFixit Essential Electronics Toolkit
  • Untitled-removebg-preview
    iFixit Anti-Static Wrist Strap

Replacing the battery in the Dell XPS 17 (2023)

Once you have all the tools you need, you can get started replacing the battery in the Dell XPS 17. Follow these steps:

  1. Turn off your laptop entirely.
  2. Disconnect the power adapter and any accessories you may have plugged in.
  3. Flip the laptop upside down with the hinge facing away from you.
  4. Using the Torx T5 screwdriver to remove the eight screws holding down the base.
    An overhead view of the base of the Dell XPS 17 laptop, with red circles highlighting the screws to be removed.

    Source: Dell

  5. Use your fingernail or prying tool to remove the base from the laptop, starting from the bottom corners until it’s completely loose.
    Overhead view of the Dell XPS 17 with instructions on how to remove the base cover on the Dell XPS 17

    Source: Dell

  6. Lift the base and remove it. The battery is located in the bottom half of the laptop.
  7. Disconnect the battery cable (in the top left corner) from the motherboard.
    Illustration showing how to disconnect the battery cable from the motherboard in the Dell XPS 17

    Source: Dell

  8. Press the power button on the laptop for 5 seconds to drain any leftover power.
  9. Use the Philips screwdriver to remove the seven (M2) screws holding down the battery.
    Illustration highlighting the seven Philips screws securing the Dell XPS 17 battery in place

    Source: Dell

  10. Lift the battery from the laptop.
  11. Insert the new battery in the same position, and secure it with the seven screws.
  12. Connect the battery cable to the motherboard.
  13. Re-attach the base cover, making sure it’s properly locked in place.
  14. Secure it with the screws you initially removed.
  15. Plug in the laptop to charge up the new battery.

You should now be able to use your new laptop with no problem and enjoy battery life as if your laptop was brand-new. We recommend letting the laptop charge to 100% before unplugging it to let the battery get a full charge.

If you haven’t yet, you can buy the Dell XPS 17 below, though you’re unlikely to need a new battery anytime soon. If you don’t think this kind of laptop is for you, you might want to check out the best Dell laptops to see options of different sizes and for different types of users. You can also check out the best laptops overall to see some options from other brands.

Angled front view of the Dell XPS 17 facing right
Dell XPS 17 (2023)

The Dell XPS 17 (2023) doesn’t bring any design differences, but it’s the under-the-hood tweaks that matter, like the switch to 13th-generation Intel CPUs and RTX 40-series graphics. It also has a large battery to keep your workflow going for a long time.