Why Won’t My Laptop Charge

Faulty Power Adapter Or Charging Cable

Considering how expensive the average laptop is, the quality of its power adapter is usually relatively low. If your laptop is plugged in and not charging, the power cord and adapter should be your first port of call. Before you rush out to buy a new charger, try a few fixes first.

Confirm that both ends appear securely positioned. If your AC adapter has a status light, ensure it is on while plugged into the power outlet. If your charging cable has a transformer box, ensure that it is properly plugged into each end.

Look for movement where the charger meets the laptop. Connectors often wear out over time. Over time, you may experience a socket that fits loosely and wiggles around. Occasionally, if you exert any variation of force on the power cable where it meets the laptop, it can bend, leading to damaged pins or breaks in the wires. This scenario not only applies to coaxial plugs but also to USB and Lightning. Sometimes wiggling the cable will help to initiate charging.

If everything is secure, it may be time to replace the charger. You can typically find a well-priced charging cable on Amazon. But, its best to get one directly from the manufacturer to ensure the battery isnt damaged later.

Fix : Update Your Battery Driver

A missing or outdated battery driver in your Lenovo can also cause the plugged in not charging issue. So you should make sure that your battery driver is up to date, and update it if its not.

You can go to the manufacturers website, and download and install the latest version of your battery driver. If you dont have time or patience, you can do it automatically with Driver Easy.

Driver Easy will automatically recognize your system and find the correct drivers for it. You dont need to know exactly what system your computer is running, you dont need to risk downloading and installing the wrong driver, and you dont need to worry about making a mistake when installing.

You can update your drivers automatically with either the FREE or the Pro version of Driver Easy. But with the Pro version it takes just 2 clicks :

The Pro version of Driver EasyDriver Easys support team.

Now plug in your Lenovo charger again to see if it works.

Still no luck? Okay, theres one more thing to try

Check If Your Adapter Is Working Properly

Sometimes charging issues can occur due to your adapter. For example, if your adapter is faulty, the battery wont be able to charge at all, and youll encounter this issue.

To fix the problem, you need to inspect your adapter. First, turn your laptop off and disconnect the adapter from the power outlet.

Inspect the cable for any tears or dents. In addition, be sure to check the connector as well. In case the connector is unsafe, it might be damaged.

If there are any noticeable physical issues with your adapter, youll need to replace the adapter immediately. Assuming theres no physical damage to the adapter, remove the laptop battery and connect the adapter to your laptop.

Now connect the adapter to the power outlet and check if everything works. If your laptop works, the issue is most likely your battery.

On the other hand, if your laptop still wont charge, the problem is your adapter, and you should replace it as soon as possible.

Does your adapter have issues? Dont panic! Here are the best USB-C laptop chargers that will make your life easier.

Recommended Reading: What To Look For In A Music Production Laptop

What Do I Do If My Battery Is Swollen

Electronics use Lithium batteries that are quite volatile when punctured. A swollen battery not only causes charging issues, but it can be dangerous. When a battery is punctured, it will emit a gas that isnt safe to inhale and very possibly start a small fire. Do not squeeze the battery or use metal or sharp tools to pry it out of the laptop.

If you notice your laptop case splitting or the battery bulging, its best to put the entire unit somewhere away from flammable material and contact the manufacturer for device-specific instructions. If you feel comfortable removing a swollen battery, you need to dispose of it at a facility designed to handle Lithium batteries.

Check The Charger Connection

Charging Port

To get to the bottom of the cause, you need to look at every aspect that goes into charging. First of all, check whether the charging cable is firmly plugged into your laptop. Even if it looks like it is, go ahead and push it in and see if that helps. If that doesnt work, you want to inspect your laptops charging port a bit more closely. Its possible that it has accumulated dust internally, so give it a gentle wipe with a cotton swab or a microfiber cloth.

You should also look for the light on your laptop that turns on when you plug in the charger, if you see that it is working then you know that the charging port is functional. There is also a strong possibility that internal parts inside the port have malfunctioned or loosened up, if this is the case, a repair is in order. It might not be as much work as you think, though. We have a guide with several ways to fix your power jack without soldering.

If the charger is not working and you dont have a spare charger, we have guides to charging your windows laptop without a charger, and also your chromebook.

Power Outlet

Also Read: How Many Watts Does it Take to Charge a Laptop

Damaged Charger

Faulty Power Button

Maybe the Power button itself is not working. To test this, try turning the laptop on without the power button.

If you do not find any abnormalities and all is well with the charging port, charger, power button and the wall socket, then proceed to the next step.

Read Also: What’s The Smallest Laptop

Why Isnt My Laptop Charging 3 Most Common Problems

While there can be several reasons why a laptop battery is not charging when it is plugged into a mains outlet, the three most common reasons tend to be:

Of these three, the first two are the most common. For example, if your laptop battery is old, it may have lost its ability to charge. Unfortunately, this can happen over time, and there is nothing you can do about it other than replace the battery.

Even a new laptop can have a bad battery. Although new battery failures are pretty rare, they do happen. Any battery problem can prevent it from charging, so if you suspect that this is the problem, then have the battery tested. A battery-testing expert will soon tell you if your battery is at fault or not.

The next most likely problem is a faulty power adapter. If there is an issue with your power adapter, you may not be getting sufficient current to charge your laptop battery. Unfortunately, this is not always easy to detect as your laptop may work perfectly when you plug the adapter into the mains outlet.

Again, if you suspect the power adapter is at fault, then you can have this checked. Some simple tests with a multimeter will determine if everything is OK or not. Usually, power adapters have their output characteristics printed on them so it will be easy for someone who knows what they are doing to check this.

Fix : Troubleshoot Hardware Issues

When you find your battery is not charging, you need to troubleshoot hardware issues first. Follow the steps below to troubleshoot hardware issues:

1) Check if your power cable is damaged.

2) Drain your battery. Then try charging it.

• If your battery is charging, this issue may be caused by the battery charge threshold. You can try Fix 2 to resolve this issue.
• If your battery is not charging, maybe this issue is caused by a bad battery or perhaps yourAC adapter malfunctions.

3) If possible, use a new AC adapter to charge your battery. See if this issue persists. If this issue persists, maybe this issue is caused by a bad battery. If the battery is charging, it suggests that there is something wrong in your AC adapter.

4) If possible, use your current AC adapter to charge a new battery. If the battery is charging, it indicates your battery is bad. If the new battery is not charging, perhaps it is the AC adapter that triggers this issue.

You May Like: Can A Laptop With Water Damage Be Repaired

What Can I Do If My Cord Isnt Working

Laptop users have several options to get back up and running if they have a cord issue. If your laptop cord is chewed or frayed, you can try splicing the inner wires together and sealing it with electrical tape. Be careful as this could be a fire hazard if not done correctly, and dont mess with the cord while its plugged in.

If the power line seems damaged beyond repair, you can order one from the manufacturer or . In the case of Mac users, Apple will supply another OEM charger for your MacBook for a cost.

Why Is The Laptop Battery Not Charging Above 80

If the battery on your computer, or even mobile, is only charging to 80%, this is likely because Battery Life Extender is turned on.

Battery Life Extender sets the maximum battery charge level to 80% to extend your battery life. So, turn it off if you want to charge the battery up to 100%.

Also, speaking of laptops and batteries, here is a list of great laptops with the best battery life. With such products on your side, nothing seems to be impossible.

Which of the above solutions worked for you? Do not hesitate to let us know in the comments area below.

Still having issues? Fix them with this tool:

SPONSORED

If the advices above haven’t solved your issue, your PC may experience deeper Windows problems. We recommend to easily address them. After installation, simply click the Start Scan button and then press on Repair All.

You May Like: How Do You Video Call On Instagram On A Laptop

Check Your Settings In Windows Or Macos

In Windows 10, open the Start menu and search for “Power & Sleep Settings,” then click the Additional power settings link. Click Change Plan Settings and visually check that all are properly set.

Be on the lookout for incorrect settings for the battery, display, and sleep options. For example, your battery settings may cause trouble if you set the computer to shut down when the battery level drops too low or set the low battery level at too high a percentage.

You can also assign actions like sleep and shut down when your lid is closed or the power button is pressed. If these settings have been changed, it’s easy to suspect a power malfunction even though there’s no physical problem with the battery or charging cable. The easiest way to make sure that your settings aren’t causing problems is to restore the power profile to default settings.

Mac users can open System Preferences > Energy Saver, then review your preferences. Mac settings are adjusted with a slider, letting you select the amount of time the computer can sit idle until it goes to sleep. If the interval is too short, you might suspect battery issues when settings are the true culprit.

Don’t forget to check these settings for both battery power and wall power. You may want to revert back to the default settings to see if a change in settings is causing the problem.

Why My Laptop Wont Charge Past 50%

Although I have a MacBook Pro M1 , I prefer my Windows laptop for daily office work.

Windows 10 is my favorite OS because it supports full customization, high-performance gaming, and supports wide-range of third-party software.

But Windows 10 is not free from bugs. Im saying this because last week, I had to leave for another city for office work, and I noticed my laptop was not charging beyond 50%.

It was a panic situation because 50% battery could not last the whole day, and some important work was still pending.

Thankfully all my important documents were stored on Google Cloud, and I took the help of my MacBook.

After returning from office work, I researched online to understand why my laptop wont charge past 50%.

I noticed thousands of Windows users from different laptop brands face similar issues. I diagnosed my machine and found that third-party software was the main culprit.

However, there could be several more reasons why your laptop battery wont charge fully.

Also Read

Ill discuss all the reasons in this tutorial and guide you step-by-step process to fix the issue.

Also Read

Don’t Miss: How To Screen Record In Laptop

Fix : Perform A Power Reset On Your Laptop

Try performing a power reset on your laptopto see if the battery not charging issue persists. Here is how to do it:

See if the battery is charging. If so, youve fixed this issue. If the issue reappears, dont worry. Try the next fix.

How To Troubleshoot Battery Not Charging Issues In Windows 10

Before you rush out to buy a new battery or laptop, try these troubleshooting steps first to see if you can get your battery up to 100% without spending any money.

Your laptop computer is sort of useless without a working battery since its main intended purpose is mobility, even if that means just moving from room to room in your home. We have covered previous tips for managing your battery in Windows 10: adjusting the battery warning level, using a battery saver, generating a battery report, or using some of the new features such as Power Throttling introduced in recent versions of Windows 10.

But one of the common issues we havent touched on yet is what to do when your battery is not fully charging or wont charge at all. There can be a variety of reasons why this happens. So lets explore them and try some solutions to get you mobile again.

You May Like: Which Laptop Has The Best Display

Way 3 Remove All External Devices

If you keep external devices such as smartphones, USB external drives, mice, printers, and any other devices connected to the system while charging, the battery will take longer to reach 100%. Make sure to disconnect all these devices so that your system does not compete with all other electronic devices.

Remove The Battery And Connect To Power

Next, you should determine if your laptop’s battery is working or not. If your laptop has a removable battery, completely remove it from your machine. Usually, you can do this by pulling on a few tabs on the underside of your machine. If you’re not sure of the process, check the manual or Google instructions for your specific model.

You should always shut down your computer before removing the battery, if it’s not already dead. Unplug the charger and any connected accessories, too.

Once you remove the battery, hold the power button for several moments to clear any remaining charge in the system. After that’s done, connect the charger and try to turn your laptop on.

If it works properly without the battery, then your laptop charging problem lies with your battery. Make sure that the battery compartment is clean wipe out any foreign material inside with a lint-free cloth if needed. Then re-seat the battery in its compartment and make sure all the contacts are lined up. If this doesn’t fix the problem, you most likely have a dead battery that you’ll need to replace.

You May Like: What Is A Good Used Laptop To Buy

Fix : Switch To A Chromebook

Windows is a very old technology. Sure, Windows 10 is relatively new, but its still just the latest iteration of a decades-old operating system, designed for a bygone era .

Now that we have the internet, fast connection speeds, free cloud storage, and endless web apps , the entire Windows way of doing things with locally installed programs and local file storage is totally outdated.

Why is that a problem? Because when youre constantly installing uncontrolled third-party programs, youre constantly opening the door to viruses and other malware.

Plus the way Windows manages installed software and hardware has always been a problem. If your computer shuts down unexpectedly, or a program installs, uninstalls or updates incorrectly, you can get registry corruptions. Thats why Windows PCs always slow down and become unstable over time.

Also because everythings installed and saved locally, it doesnt take long before you run out of disk space, and your disk gets fragmented, which makes everything even slower and more unstable.

For most people, the simplest way to solve Windows problems is to ditch Windows altogether, and switch to a faster, more reliable, more secure, easier to use and cheaper operating system

That means you dont have virus and malware problems, and your computer doesnt slow down over time, or become unstable.

And thats just the start of the benefits