Many people are experiencing this problem almost every day. One day your laptop is working properly, and suddenly it isn’t charging. So you plug in the charging cable as usual and the laptop detects the cable, but the battery is not charging. The result is that your battery is always empty, and you are forced to use your laptop while it’s plugged in the wall socket all the time.
Why does my laptop says plugged in but not charging?
The most common cause is usually the adapter. When you are using a third-party adapter that has lower amperage than what your laptop needs to be able to charge, your laptop’s battery doesn’t get enough energy. Try to turn off your laptop overnight, if the battery is full the next morning, then it is most likely a problem with the adapter. It is very common for aftermarket adapters to be too weak for most laptops.
Another thing you can do is to remove the battery. If your laptop is plugged in, but the battery is not charging, there may be some problems with the battery. If the battery is removable, you can try to remove it and press and hold down the power button for about 15 seconds. Then plug in the charging cable again and use your laptop with the battery until you have a replacement ready.
By using this method, you can find out where the problem lies: the battery or the adapter. If the laptop is working just fine while plugged in and the battery is out, that means the battery is the problem.
For more information, here are some common problems that may happen to you:
- The battery is the problem and needs to be replaced.
- The adapter or charger is not working properly or is too weak and needs to be replaced.
- Dust may also prevent your battery from charging or disturbing your laptop connectors. For this kind of problem, take out the battery and clean your laptop thoroughly.
- The power supply of your laptop is faulty. You may have to bring your laptop to a service center to get it fixed.
- The battery is too old and needs to be replaced.
- Broken Windows update.
- Loose connection.
How to fix plugged in but not charging
Software-wise, there is one thing you can do to get rid of this problem. Follow this step to fix your computer:
- Right-click on each item and click Uninstall device.
- Shut down your laptop.
- Unplug the power cable.
- If the battery is removable, remove it.
- Put the battery back in after you removed it.
- Plugin your charging cable.
- Turn on your laptop.
- Motherboard or charging circuitry is faulty.
Otherwise, you can try using a power reset. This method may be able to fix some unknown issues that can prevent your laptop from charging. To do this, first shut down your laptop, unplug the charger and remove the battery. Press and hold down the power button for about 15 seconds. After that, put the battery back in and plug in the charging cable. Turn on your laptop and see if it’s charging.
Updating your laptop’s driver can work wonder according to many websites. Sometimes all your laptop needs are the latest drivers for it to work properly again. To update your laptop’s driver, right-click the Start menu and open Quick Access. Select Device Manager, find Batteries, open the drop-down menu, and right-click Microsoft ACPI Compliant Control Method BatteryStep or something similar. In the new selection window, choose Update Driver and wait until the process is finished.
There is also one thing you can do: make sure you’re using the correct port. Believe it or not, some people made the mistake of plugging the charging cable into the wrong port. It may be confusing when your laptop is new, so you better check it out first before you do anything else.
Another thing you shouldn’t ignore is checking your charger cable and adapter. Power cords are flimsy sometimes and people often don’t pay attention to their cables. It is possible that cables got damaged without you realizing it. So examine your power cords, see for any dents or bends that may break the cable.
Conclusion
There are various problems that may prevent your laptop from charging. It can be difficult to determine the root of the problem, but as long as you go through the list above one by one, I am sure you can find the problem.
