What To Do If Your Laptop Is Plugged In But Not Charging

What To Do If Your Laptop Is Plugged In But Not Charging

- Brian Westover

When you plug in your laptop, you usually find yourself greeted with a cheerful chirp from your PC, a new glowing LED indicator light, and a display that perks up and beams a bit more brightly.

At least, that’s what’s supposed to happen. Sometimes, though, you connect the AC adapter—usually because the battery is nearly drained—and you get nothing. No chirp, no lights, and no brightened display. And no battery charging. What went wrong, and what can you do about it?

Between the wall outlet and your battery are several steps and parts that can all fail. Some are easy to fix yourself with a software tweak or a new battery, but other problems may require a visit to a repair shop or even a full-blown system replacement. Knowing which is which can save you hours of frustration and hundreds of dollars in repairs. By taking an inside-out approach, you can quickly narrow down where the problem originates and find the most economical solution.

1. Are You Plugged In?

It sounds silly, but you need to make sure the laptop is actually plugged in. No software tweak or hardware repair can make a disconnected laptop magically power on. So before you do anything else, ensure that the AC outlet and laptop plugs are firmly seated.

Check the AC adapter brick and verify that any removable cords are fully inserted. Next, make sure that the battery is properly seated in its compartment, and that there is nothing wrong with either the battery or laptop contact points. Finally, find out whether the problem doesn’t lie with the laptop at all: Try plugging the power cord into a different outlet to see if you’ve got a short or a blown fuse.