How to fix a laptop that is not charging when plugged in or only charges intermittently

Summary

This guide helps you troubleshoot and resolve: How to fix a laptop that is not charging when plugged in or only charges intermittently. Follow the steps below to fix the issue.

Common Causes

If your laptop is not charging when plugged in, or only charges intermittently, the issue is usually traced back to one of three things: the power adapter or cable, the battery itself, or the charging port. This guide walks you through diagnosing and resolving the problem on a Windows laptop before you need to book a repair.

Quick Fix Steps

If you are short on time, work through these checks first:

1. Confirm the wall outlet is working by plugging in a different device or a lamp.
2. Reseat the charger firmly at both ends (wall socket and laptop port).
3. Inspect the cable and adapter for fraying, bent pins, scorch marks, or a loose strain relief boot.
4. Restart the laptop with the charger connected.
5. Try a different compatible charger if one is available.

If the laptop still will not charge, continue with the detailed troubleshooting below.

Detailed Troubleshooting

1. Rule out the wall outlet and power board

• Plug the charger directly into a known-good wall outlet rather than a power board, extension lead, or surge protector.
• If you must use a power board, confirm its switch is on and that other devices on the same board are receiving power.
• Avoid daisy-chaining multiple boards or using adapters in older buildings with worn outlets.

2. Inspect the charger, cable, and connector

• Look closely at the full length of the cable for kinks, exposed wire, or pinch points (common behind desks or under chair wheels).
• Check the connector tip for bent pins, blackened contacts, or debris. A cotton bud lightly dampened with isopropyl alcohol can clean contacts safely.
• Feel the adapter brick while plugged in. It should be mildly warm, not hot or making a buzzing or clicking noise.
• Confirm you are using the charger supplied with the laptop, or a genuine replacement with matching wattage. Under-rated third-party chargers often charge slowly or not at all under load.

3. Check the laptop's charging port (DC jack)

• With the laptop powered off, look into the port using a torch. Dust, lint, and broken plastic fragments commonly collect here, especially on machines carried in bags daily.
• If the port looks dirty, power off the laptop, disconnect the charger, and gently clear debris with a wooden toothpick or compressed air. Avoid metal objects that can short the pins.
• Plug the connector in and observe whether it sits flush. A port that wobbles, only charges at a certain angle, or requires the cable to be propped up indicates a worn or loose DC jack that needs professional repair.

4. Restart the laptop and check the battery report

1. Shut down the laptop completely (do not just close the lid).
2. Disconnect the charger, wait 30 seconds, then reconnect and power the laptop on.
3. Once Windows has loaded, hover over the battery icon in the system tray to confirm whether Windows detects the charger.
4. Generate a battery health report to see the design capacity versus current full charge capacity:
   • Press Win + X and select Terminal (Admin) or Windows PowerShell (Admin).
   • Type powercfg /batteryreport /output C:\battery-report.html and press Enter.
   • Open C:\battery-report.html in your browser and review Design Capacity versus Full Charge Capacity under Battery usage.

If the full charge capacity is below 50% of the design capacity, the battery has degraded and should be replaced.

5. Reinstall or update the battery driver

Windows can lose track of the battery after a major update, causing it to refuse to charge even when the adapter is fine.

1. Right-click Start and choose Device Manager.
2. Expand Batteries. You will typically see two entries: Microsoft AC Adapter and Microsoft ACPI-Compliant Control Method Battery.
3. Right-click each entry and choose Uninstall device. Tick Attempt to remove the driver for this device if the option appears.
4. Restart the laptop. Windows will automatically reinstall the drivers on boot.

6. Reset the BIOS defaults

Some manufacturers include a battery or charging setting in the BIOS/UEFI that can become misconfigured.

1. Power off the laptop and press the manufacturer's key to enter BIOS (commonly F2, F10, or Del on startup).
2. Locate the option to Restore Defaults or Load Setup Defaults, usually under an Exit tab.
3. Save and exit. The laptop will reboot.

7. Test without the battery (removable battery models only)

If your laptop has a removable battery:

1. Power down and unplug the charger.
2. Remove the battery.
3. Press and hold the power button for 15 seconds to discharge residual power.
4. Reconnect the charger and power on with the battery still removed.

If the laptop runs normally on the charger alone, the battery is likely faulty and needs replacement. If the laptop will not power on at all, the charger or DC jack is the more probable cause.

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