When you plug a laptop to charge, the LED light near the charging port starts to flash, and if the laptop is being used as it’s charging, the battery icon on the right-hand corner of the taskbar will typically indicate that it’s charging. 

But what does it mean when you connect your laptop charger and none of the above happens? Does it mean your charger isn’t working? Do you need a new battery? Is there an issue with the laptop itself?

Before you rush out to buy a new charger or battery or even take your laptop to a technician to get it inspected, you should read this post; it may have the answer to the question of “Why isn’t my laptop charging?”

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There are quite a few potential reasons why your laptop isn’t charging. Some reasons have to do with software, whereas others have to do with hardware. Here are the most common ones:

Before jumping to any conclusions, you should check first if you’re actually plugged in. Make sure your charger is plugged into an electrical outlet and into the laptop. Also, make sure the brick in between is connected from both ends as well. 

Sometimes, the problem could be with the power outlet itself. So, try switching to another wall outlet. If you’re using a power strip or a surge protector, plug the laptop directly into the outlet to see if the problem is with the power strip. 

Having ruled out the possibility of a failed connection, you need to examine your charger. Check along the entire length of the cable for breaks, kinks, or bumps. You should also check for splits or cracks in the plastic shielding. If you find any, this may indicate a break inside the wiring.

Next, check the AC adapter brick for warping and give it a sniff. If it smells like burnt plastic, this may be where the trouble is. 

Check the power jack on the laptop. If it’s wobbly or loose, this most likely means that the power jack has broken inside the chassis. The best thing to do in this case is to take it to a repair shop. 

If you can, borrow a compatible charger from a friend of yours. If you see your laptop is charging fine, it’s an indicator you need to buy a new charger. 

The simplest way to test the battery's integrity is to remove it completely and plug in your laptop without it. If your laptop powers on properly, this means that the issue could be with your battery. 

While the battery is still removed, check it just like you did with the adapter. Check for discolored spots and give it a sniff. If all is good, clean the battery compartment well and reseat the battery. 

If the problem isn’t resolved, then you’re probably looking at a dead battery that needs to be replaced. Try swapping the battery with someone who owns a similar laptop model to make sure. 

Check if the other battery works well on your laptop. If yes, this should confirm that your battery is dead. If it didn’t work, this could indicate a problem with the charging board. 

Of course, you can’t do any of these steps if your laptop has a built-in battery. In this case, take your laptop to a specialist to check the battery. Don’t open up your laptop unless you’re sure of a safe way to do so. 

Overheating can cause serious harm to your battery’s life. When the temperature rises above normal, the battery sensor misfires, signaling to the system that the battery is fully charged or missing.

This of course confuses the system, which causes charging problems. You might even find that the laptop will automatically shut down when the temperature gets too high, powering up again when the temperature drops to normal levels. 

If you suspect that this could be the source of the problem, turn off your laptop completely and let it cool off. Then, plug your laptop into a power source and see if it charges. 

If everything is fine on the hardware side, then it’s time to think of the software side. If you can get your laptop to turn on, check the Power Settings. 

In Windows, the Power Settings are found in the Control Panel. While in Mac, they’re found in System Preferences. 

Restore all Power settings to default and see if it works. 

Yes, your laptop’s battery has software drivers as well. Try updating the battery drivers and then reboot to see if it fixes the problem. 

Usually, laptops have only one charging port. However, the newer laptops use USB-C ports for charging. The thing is, not all the USB-C ports on your laptops are for charging; they can be for data transfer only. So, try all the USB-C ports until you find out which one is for charging. 

When you have many programs running all at once, your laptop works extra hard, causing it to use more battery power at a faster rate than your charger is able to work. 

This could be the cause of the problem. Open the Task Manager from the Start menu. On the Processes tab, you can see how many apps and resources are running in the background.

Close some programs and see if it helps. You can also toggle off apps that suck up too much of your laptop’s power. 

You might want to follow up on these steps by shutting down your laptop to let it cool down and rest for a bit.  
 

Why Isn't My Laptop Charging?

If you still have a charging problem with your laptop after taking the above-mentioned causes into consideration, then you should take it to a specialist; they’ll know how to fix it.

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