A laptop is focused on power efficiency than a desktop which saves more energy by keeping a little low profile in terms of performance. On the other side, the laptop has the most unbeatable advantage and that is “portability” which completely lacks on desktop. Whether you are a student or a business employee, you can carry a laptop wherever you go, but charging the battery is necessary with its charger. A standard laptop has a standby time of more than 4-5 hours which is quite decent to use, further you have to charge the battery or you can just plug the power cables and use the laptop.

There are some unfortunate users who are experiencing a troublesome issue, their laptop does not charge while plugged in, but not charging. This could freak you out, especially when you have just purchased a brand-new expensive laptop. Some users reported that this issue happened when they have updated their Windows 10 OS. But don’t you worry this is not an uncommon issue and occasionally arrives after a valid problem that cab is fixable.

By the end of this article, you will learn how to fix a laptop that is plugged in, but not charging issue. If you are experiencing the same problem, then you probably landed on the right post.

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Without further ado, let’s quickly begin.

Fix Laptop is Plugged in, but not Charging issue

Following are the valid fix method that we advise you to try on your laptop. If one method does not work, just move on to the next method.

Check all the Physical Cable Connections

The laptop needs physical cables in order to get charged. Some users just do minute silly mistakes, they just insert the cable just halfway in the charging port. That’s why your laptop does not recognize any connection of a charging cable through the charging port. Also, check the power socket button, turn it on.

Make sure you insert the cable pin correctly in the laptop’s charging port. Once done, your laptop will notify you when it’s on charging mode. Re-check the connection of the AC adapter brick, plug it properly and see if this works.

Remove the battery and connect to the power

Before performing this method it is advised to turn off the laptop completely, and then perform this fix. If your laptop is unable to charge even if it’s plugged in, then the battery might be the culprit behind the issue. What we are trying to do here is to remove the battery and connect your laptop directly to the power charger to see if this works.

Most of the laptop comes with a removable battery, just take out the battery gently, if you can also take help of manual and guides to remove the battery. Once done, connect the change and try to turn on your laptop. If your laptop is turned on, hen assumes that there’s something wrong with the battery, clean the battery area compartment and reinsert the battery again.

If your laptop has a non-removable battery then you have no other choice but to open the laptop by yourself. But this can highly void the laptop’s warranty and laptop parts can get damaged. Hand over your laptop to the expert or you can claim the laptop warranty.

If this works for laptops that have a removable battery then you replace the battery with the new one.

Use another Laptop Charger

It could possible that the laptop and laptop’s battery is ok, but the laptop charger might be faulty. If that’s the case, see if you have another laptop charger or borrow it from someone else.

Use another charger to charge your laptop and check if your laptop is charging. If this works, then the issue has been solved your laptop’s charger needs to be replaced. You can get a laptop charger on Amazon or in the offline market at decent prices. Make sure you don’t end up purchasing any third-party chargers for laptops as they are not good enough in terms of quality and efficiency.

While purchasing the charger, make sure you get the right ones that can deliver the required power to the laptop. Check the specifications of the laptop charger, or manufacturer’s documentation to confirm whether it’s a good charger.

Run Power Troubleshooter

When your laptop is not working, in such situations running the Windows troubleshooter is the best option. Here’s how to do that:

Step 1: Got to start menu and open Settings.

Step 2: Go to Update & Security, and go to Troubleshoot.

Step 3: Under the Power, select Run the troubleshooter.

Windows troubleshooter will diagnose and tries to fix the problem.

Update Drivers

Outdated drivers often create issues, so it is important to update your drivers from time to time. Here’s how to do that:

Step 1: Visit the start menu, and open Control Panel.

Step 2: In Control Panel select Hardware and Sound.

Step 3: Under Devices and Printers, select Device Manager.

Step 4: Select Batteries to expand the list.

Step 5: Do a right-click on Microsoft AC Adapter, and select Update Driver.

Step 6: Also, right-click on Microsoft ACPI-Compliant Control Method Battery, and select Update Driver.

Once done, just restart your laptop and plug in your charger to see if this works. If not, then visit the manufacturer’s website and update the driver manually and install the latest drivers available.

Have a Look at Power & Sleep Settings

Here, we need to check whether power & sleep settings are not interfering with the laptop charging events.

Step 1: Visit the start menu and open Settings.

Step 2: Go to System, and select Power & Sleep.

Step 3: Under Related settings, select Additional power settings.

Step 4: Now click on Change plan settings.

Step 5: See if settings are correct, change the settings accordingly and click on Save changes.

For Mac users: Visit System Preferences and open Energy Saver. Set the proper settings and save the settings.

Reset SMC (Only for Mac users)

SMC (System Manager Control) is not available for Windows, but it does for Mac users. SMC can influence battery and power manager, by resetting the SMC, it can fix the charging issue on Mac.

Step 1: Turn off your Mac and connect the power adapter.

Step 2: At the same time, press and hold Shift+Control+Option keys including the Power button until you see light on the adapter change the color.

Step 3: Restart your Mac.

Try to charge your Mac, you need to configure SMC settings again.

Reduce Resource Usage

Some people use their laptop harshly, which means their device gets hooter when some high-power consuming apps run on your laptop. These programs will not only drain your laptop’s battery but also it can also affect battery life. here’s how to kill those programs:

Step 1: Press Ctrl + Shift + Esc to open Task Manager, or search it in the start menu.

Step 2: Select the Processes tab from the upper tab menu to see resources that are in use.

Step 3: Just select the programs that is consuming more CPU usage and end the task.

Turn off your laptop, let the device settle at room temperature, and then try charging your laptop.

What if Nothing Works?

All the methods mentioned above are valid fixes to resolve the laptop plugged in but not charging issue. At this point, your laptop should be able to get charged. If the issue still continues, then the last thing you can do is drain the battery completely and then charge the laptop. If this fails, then you have no other option but to hand over your laptop to the expert.

That’s it for now, hope this helps! We are glad to know your thoughts in the comment section below. Till then, stay tuned for more info.

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