Laptop Plugged In But Not Charging on Windows: Fixes in Order

A laptop that is plugged in but not charging usually has one of four problems: no usable power reaching it, a charger that cannot supply enough wattage, a software or setting that limits charging, or a battery that has worn out. Work through the checks below in order, starting with the outlet and the charger light, then the power settings and drivers, and finish with the BIOS charge mode and battery health.

Who this is for and what you will have at the end

This guide is for anyone with a Windows laptop whose battery icon says "plugged in, not charging" or whose percentage does not rise. By the end you will have ruled out the outlet and charger, reset the power configuration, checked the drivers and charge mode, and decided whether the battery needs replacing.

The steps draw on Dell's laptop battery and AC adapter troubleshooting articles and on Microsoft's Surface battery article. The exact menus differ by manufacturer, so where a step is specific to one brand it says so. Do these checks with the laptop on a hard, flat surface and stop if the battery looks swollen or the case is bulging.

Step 1: Check the outlet, cable and charger

1. Try a different wall outlet. Avoid power strips for the test.
2. Reseat the charger at both ends: wall, brick and laptop.
3. Inspect the cable for kinks, fraying or bent connector pins, and look inside the laptop's charging port for debris or damage.
4. If the charger has a USB port, unplug anything from it. Microsoft's Surface article tells you to make sure nothing is plugged into the power supply's USB port.
5. Check the charger's LED if it has one. Microsoft says the LED should be on when the power connector is plugged into a Surface, and that an unlit LED may indicate a problem with the power supply.

If you have a second charger that is approved for your laptop, test with it. A different working charger that charges the laptop confirms the first one is faulty.

Check the wattage

A charger with too little wattage may power the laptop but fail to charge the battery. Dell says that if the adapter does not supply enough wattage, you should use a Dell-approved charger matching the wattage in your laptop's manual. The right figure for your model is printed on the original charger and listed in the manual or the manufacturer's spec page, so match it rather than guessing. Dell's article does not give specific wattage values.

Step 2: Read the charging light

Dell describes a test for its laptops: with the laptop off, plug in the adapter and look at the battery charging LED, usually near the power port.

Then turn the laptop on while plugged in and hover over the battery icon in the system tray. Dell says to look for a "Plugged in" or "AC adapter connected" message. If Windows does not detect the adapter, the charging circuit may be faulty or the adapter may not supply enough wattage. Other brands use different lights, so check your manual for your model.

Step 3: Restart and wait

Restart the laptop. Microsoft's Surface guidance suggests reseating the connector and waiting about 10 minutes before checking whether it begins charging. A restart clears a stuck state in Windows power management and costs nothing.

Step 4: Reset the Windows power configuration

If charging is still wrong, restore the default power plans. Dell's guidance is to open Command Prompt as administrator and run these commands in order:

powercfg -restoredefaultschemes
powercfg -h off
powercfg -h on

Close the window and restart. The first command restores the default power schemes. The next two turn hibernation off and on again. Note that this resets any custom power plans you created.

Step 5: Reinstall or update the battery and chipset drivers

Generic approach

Open Device Manager, expand Batteries and look at the battery entries. Microsoft documents a battery driver reset for Surface devices: uninstall the Surface battery entry under Batteries, choose the option to scan for hardware changes, and restart. Microsoft warns not to do this on the Surface Pro X, where uninstalling drivers can only be undone by a full system reset. For non-Surface laptops, follow your manufacturer's instructions for the battery entries rather than removing drivers blindly.

Dell laptops with Intel processors

Dell also lists updating the Intel Management Engine Interface driver. In Device Manager, expand System devices, right-click Intel Management Engine Interface (or Intel ME Interface), select Update driver, choose the option to search automatically for drivers, install any updates and restart.

Also run Windows Update and install the BIOS and driver updates your manufacturer publishes for your exact model. Dell lists updating the BIOS and drivers, and running its battery diagnostics, as basic steps before the others in its articles.

Step 6: Check the battery charge mode

Many business laptops include a charge limit meant to extend battery life. Dell says that in BIOS Setup, the battery charge mode can be Adaptive, Standard, ExpressCharge, Primarily AC Use or Custom, and that Primarily AC Use or a low custom threshold can cap the charge. Dell notes ExpressCharge only reaches about 80 percent in one of its articles.

To check on a Dell laptop:

1. Turn the laptop off, press the Power button and tap F2 once per second to open BIOS Setup.
2. Open the Power or Battery section. Its location varies by model.
3. If the charge mode is Primarily AC Use or a low custom threshold, switch it to Standard.
4. Check the Overview section for the AC Adapter entry. If it shows "Unknown" or the wrong wattage, use a Dell-approved charger that matches your laptop's manual.
5. Save and exit.

Dell adds that BIOS menu options vary by model, and if you do not see these options your system might not support them. Other manufacturers put similar limits in their own utilities or BIOS, so check yours before assuming a fault. Related reading: how to read the Windows battery health report.

Step 7: Decide whether the battery needs replacing

Dell lists these signs that replacement is worth considering:

• Battery health reads Fair or Poor.
• Runtime drops below 50 percent of the original capacity.
• Diagnostics repeatedly show error codes.
• The laptop shuts down unexpectedly while the battery shows charge.
• The battery is swollen or physically damaged.
• The battery is more than two to three years old with heavy use.

If the battery is swollen or the case is lifting, stop using the laptop and have it serviced. Do not keep charging it.

For a replacement, Dell recommends genuine batteries over non-Dell ones for safety and compatibility. On Dell Support you can enter your Service Tag, go to Parts & Repairs, then Power & Power Supplies. Availability varies by region, and on-site installation may cost extra. Dell also says to check warranty coverage using your Service Tag. For other brands, use the manufacturer's support site in the same way. If the laptop is still under its warranty or an extended plan, claim before buying parts; see laptop extended warranty: is it worth it.

Troubleshooting summary

Checklist

• Try another outlet and reseat all connections.
• Unplug anything from the charger's USB port.
• Confirm the charger's wattage matches your laptop's manual.
• Check the charging LED with the laptop off.
• Restart and wait 10 minutes while plugged in.
• Run the powercfg commands as administrator and restart.
• Update BIOS, chipset and battery-related drivers.
• Check the BIOS charge mode.
• Replace the battery if it is worn, swollen or damaged.

References

• Dell Support, How to troubleshoot AC adapter issues on a Dell laptop: https://www.dell.com/support/kbdoc/en-us/000125125/how-to-troubleshoot-ac-adapter-issues
• Dell Support, How to troubleshoot Dell laptop battery issues: https://dell.com/support/kbdoc/en-lv/000123069/how-to-troubleshoot-dell-laptop-battery-issues
• Microsoft Support, Surface battery won't charge or Surface won't run on battery: https://support.microsoft.com/help/4023536