Laptop Battery ” Plugged in , not charging” Issue – Actionable 5 Ways To Fix It In Mac/Windows 10/8/7 OS Device !!
We all love to spend time with our laptop. Sometimes whenever the battery level of a laptop goes below 20% mark , we usually get a popup to start charging on laptop (provided the power saving mode is on). Once we put the AC adapter cord inside a laptop , the LED will blink up and the screen brightens up a bit. Sometimes instead of charging our laptop, we rather get the message as “plugged in, not charging” . This is indeed a frustrating moment.
In this post we’ll look into all the possible steps to overcome this annoying issue of charging in your laptop quickly. Here we’ll explore the troubleshooting steps to enable the AC adapter to charge your laptop again. The steps are really easy and simple. Further we’ll specifically see the steps required for all the popular models of laptop and any OS .
Moreover in this detailed post, we’ll explore the steps for all the popular OS based laptops i.e. Windows 10/7/8 and then MAC . Also we’ll go though the specific steps required to solve this charging issue in some popular laptop brands like the HP and DELL in particular in the later sections . So just relax and read on .
The root cause of this issue mainly lies in some software tweaks or any possible Hardware issues (if any) . So without wasting any further time let’s dive into the details.
How To Solve The ” 0% available plugged in, not charging” Issue In Laptop ?
For some weird reasons some of us like to keep the charger cord remain plugged into our laptop all the time . If you are a heavy user who plays lot of games or do a lot of stuff in your laptop , then to avoid the constant chore of plugging in the laptop every 15 minutes , this seems to be a good idea indeed .
However it makes the battery health to reduce upto some extent . This can be one of the underlying reasons too . It may cause the laptop charging issue an displaying the error as “ x% available (plugged in, not charging)“ .
Instead of spending your hard earned penny for any possible repair of your laptop battery, it is much recommended that you should try to fix it from your end first.
In order to to solve this ” plugged in , not charging ” issue , you can easily troubleshoot the exact root cause and do the necessary rectifications for the same.
Note : Firstly we will see all the possible hardware flaws and then move ahead with the software issues further , so just sit back and proceed further
Possible Hardware Flaws That May Cause This Battery Not Charging Issue In Your Laptop !!
Now we’ll look into the most common hardware issues that you probably need to troubleshoot at first :
1. Remove the AC adapter charger plug from the power source plug point (on the wall), then put some other device (mobile charger possibly) into that power socket . Then switch on the plug point and check whether the power source (socket) is working fine .
If not , then try plugging your AC adapter charger to some other power source point and then try charging your laptop battery.(do check for the wattage rating of the AC adapter too)
Simply try changing the socket in which you have plugged the three-pin-plug end, the problem may be with the wall socket . If this solves the issue then fine else move on .
2. Secondly you need to check whether charger cord is properly plugged into your laptop . Precisely just ensure that the DC port (in laptop) is not full of dust or any insulating substance .
It may sound silly but many times, if there is any lose connection of the charger cord is not properly plugged into a laptop then you see the message as the plugged in, not charging .
Hence just ensure that the laptop and the charger chord are firmly connected to each other .
3. If you are using any extension board or power strip , then remove the power cord and connect/plugin directly into the wall. If that doesn’t work then put the power cord into an altogether different power outlet at your home.
4. Clean the jack where you are inserting the power cord into your laptop . Sometimes due to some insulated material like dust covering up the surface , it disables the power connection between your laptop and power chord and it doesn’t get charged .
5. The last scenario in the hardware section is the battery overheating issues . Sometimes your battery gets heated up to a large extent and thus it stops charging itself further .In that case you have to allow your laptop battery to cool down considerably at room temperature.
Then again try charging it . Also look for any damaged or broken links in the charger cord , which may cause power leak and can cause further dire repercussions . As far as possible try to use the official power connector recommended by your laptop manufacturer .
Just do remember that if there is any burning smell or completely damaged break point present in your charger cord , then you may possibly need to buy a new laptop charger cord . (yes no other option here !!)
Hopefully we have covered all the possible hardware related issues that may give rise to the laptop plugged in , not charging issue . Just go though each of these as checkpoints . If there is no hardware defects , then go ahead and find out the actual laptop related issues now .
How to fix laptop plugged in , not charging issue in windows 10 ? (possible software issues)
So here are some proven ways to fix the plugged in , not charging issue in your laptop running windows 10 OS . Now we’ll look into the software issues and the respective troubleshooting steps to fix the laptop plugged in not charging issue quickly . Just follow the below given checkpoints :
1. Check for the basic battery troubleshooter to check for any underlying power issues !!
Firstly , troubleshoot the batteries of your laptop. For this in Windows 10 just access the settings screen. Here you need to click on the option i.e. update and security.
Now on the the next screen click on on the option troubleshoot present on the left side. Here you can see can see lot of laptop connectivity features as well as other functionalities that you may want to troubleshoot for any performance or for some other issues possibly .
From this screen you can easily troubleshoot any of these features. In our case we want to fix the laptop battery issue. So just scroll down and search for the option power. Click on the option and then select the option to run the troubleshooter.
Once clicked now it will try to search the possible errors for the issues present with the power source of your laptop. So if there is any issue with the battery, it will be listed here automatically . If you see any error then just try to fix it, else if there is no error then move on.
2. Check for the battery health and power settings !!
Now it’s time to check the battery settings in your Windows 10 device. Basically check the power and sleep settings first i.e. the time duration after which you want your screen to turn off on battery power and also the time after which you want your screen to go to sleep mode when the battery power is ON.
Follow the below path in your Windows 10 device :
Settings –> System —> Power and Sleep —> Additional Power Settings Options
Here simply check for the incorrect settings of your sleep and power mode. If you have defined to shutdown your screen when the battery level drops to specific level or too low etc .
The power and sleep mode basically will cause your system to shut down even if there is no hardware or software issues. So it might cause the plugged in , not charging issue i.e. the issue may lies in this section probably.
3. Uninstall The Battery Drivers And Then Re-Install It !!
The next step is to remove/update the battery drivers present in your Windows OS. To uninstall the existing battery drivers you have to follow The below steps:
Shut down the Windows OS device and completely power off your laptop for few minutes (also unplug the AC power cord if its already plugged in) .
Then finally remove the laptop batteries out of your laptop and then again turn ON your laptop without battery by plugging the AC charger in .
Now remove the battery drivers from the device manager of your Windows 10 system. For this just go to the control panel , then in the control panel search for device manager.
Now in the device manager window , search for the batteries option. Now click on the batteries option to display/expand the list.You can then view the existing drivers present in the batteries option that is Microsoft AC adapter and Microsoft ACPI Compliant control method battery. We need to uninstall each at a time.
Once you remove these battery drivers from your laptop, the battery icon will not be displaying at the bottom right corner. This method is also useful for the laptops having non removable battery .
Once you have uninstalled the battery drivers from your Windows 10 OS device , just go ahead and turn off your computer again (shut down). Put your battery back into your laptop and plug in the charger, then finally start the laptop.
(Don’t worry, the uninstalled divers will again get installed , once you start your Windows laptop again)
Now hopefully the battery issue will be fixed and the charging status is present correctly at the bottom right corner . In most cases this step is enough to resolve the plugged in, not charging issue in any laptop based on the Windows 10 OS platform .
But still if you are facing then proceed further to the next step.
Note : if the above process didn’t work and you are still facing the same issue with your battery, then just charge your battery to full i.e. till 100 % mark . Then allow your battery to discharge to 0 % again (fully).
Then again charge it fully till 100 % and allow it to discharge fully . Repeat the process for one more time i.e. in total three times . If the process didn’t work for you then skip this and go to next step.
4. Now we will reset/update the BIOS settings in Your Windows 10 laptop.
For updating or resetting the BIOS , we need the serial number of your laptop. The serial number will be present on the back side of your laptop .
If it’s completely wiped out , then you can use CMD commands to get the serial number.In the command prompt screen , type the below command as :
wmic bios get serialnumber
After entering the above command hit enter and copy the serial number . Now go to your laptop company’s official site.
From the official site we can easily download the updated BIOS settings for your laptop based upon the serial number we entered earlier .
And now in the official site just access the software and drivers page , then for the laptop option put the serial number and click on submit. It will then automatically show you all the available updated drivers and bios settings, firmware, software etc essential for the specific device that we are using.
Now download the latest BIOS updated settings. Now run the installation process , it will automatically update your BIOS settings and reset it to the latest version.
How to fix the ” plugged in , not charging ” issue in Windows 7/8 OS Device ?
Now if you are using Windows 7/8 OS device version , then the steps will be more or less same. Once you plug in the charger cord into the laptop and then if you see the error message as plugged in not charging , then you may use the following steps to resolve this issue.
1. Similar to the previous section, here he will first remove and uninstall the existing battery drivers present in our laptop. For this you have to just follow the below given steps
1.1 First of all shut down your laptop
1.2 Unplug the laptop charger, if already plugged in
1.3 Remove the laptop battery
1.4 Now put in the laptop charger again and power on your laptop with the AC adapter being plugged in.
1.5 Then once your Windows 7/8 system starts, then just go and access the control panel.
1.6 In the control panel, just click on the device manager
1.7 Once you open the Device Manager option, just expand the battery section.
Here you can see the existing drivers for your laptop battery. Now go ahead and uninstall both the drivers.
Once you have uninstalled both the drivers, again shut down your laptop and remove laptop charger. Now again put your laptop battery back into your laptop and finally switch ON your laptop. Don’t worry the deleted drivers will be again installed once your laptop is restarted.
Once you power on your laptop don’t forget to plug in the laptop charger again and look for the charging status. Hopefully it should be resolved now and it precisely should display the exact charging status.
If the problem still not resolved, then unplug the laptop charger. Then use your laptop on the battery charge remaining . Left your laptop on till the battery completely dies off . Then allow laptop to automatically hibernates due to low battery that is below 5% (as set by you).
Then again switch ON your laptop , charge your laptop fully that is still 100% . Then again left your laptop ON to hibernate on its own due to low battery and repeat this process one more time. After three times fortunately the battery issue i.e. plugged in not charging problem will get resolved.
How to fix plugged in not charging issue in Mac OS ?
Till now we have seen the laptop battery plugged in not charging issue in the Windows OS platform. Now we’ll troubleshoot the issue in the Mac OS environment . The Mac OS interface is completely different than the Windows OS interface.
In any Mac laptop you have to basically reset the System Management Controller that is SMC. If you are using a MacBook with removable batteries , you just need to shut down your Mac device. Then remove the battery and unplug the charger cord.
Then again switch on your Mac device and put back the battery, then connect the power cord and start charging your Macbook laptop .
If you have any newer version of MacBook , then you’ll most probably have your batteries already sealed inside your laptop i.e. a non removable battery. In this case you have to shutdown your laptop by keeping the power adapter connected.
Now press the power button again along with pressing the shift option keys present on the keyboard. Then release the power button and shift keys simultaneously , then finally try to switch on the Mac laptop.
You may even check for the energy saving options in your Mac device settings. For this you need to view the system preferences section.
You can easily set the display of option by moving the slider towards the left or right as per your wish. If you keep the time duration i.e. until which your device goes to sleep to very less then you might face battery issues.
If you face any further issues by changing the settings of your power saving options, you can anyways revert back to the default settings from the system preferences.
With the new Mac OS Catalina 10.15.5 update , there is a dedicated battery health button in built in the ‘Energy Saver’ window at the bottom .
If you further open that option by clicking the button down below , you can actually view your Macbook battery health status precisely .
How to fix plugged in not charging issue in HP laptop ?
Now it’s time to troubleshoot the issues for a specific laptop model. Firstly we will see the solution for any HP laptop series. If you are using any HP laptop, and if it is Windows OS based then probably we might have already covered the troubleshooting steps in the previous sections.
Now here we will just cover the steps in brief. So to solve the battery issue in any HP laptop i.e. if you start charging and you get the message as plugged in not charging in HP laptop then just follow the below steps :
1. Firstly you need to check for the battery health and power settings . Also do check for the battery troubleshooter present in any Windows laptop as seen above in the first section (to troubleshoot the Windows 10 device) .
2. Then uninstall the battery drivers present in your Windows laptop . Follow the steps as given above .
3. Now if the settings still not working, then you have to update the BIOS settings of your HP laptop. For this note down your the HP laptop serial number. Then go to to the official HP site and find the the latest bios settings version to install .
Finally Run the BIOS settings and update your bios to latest version. If this creates any further issue then you may like to go to the default BIOS settings of your HP laptop.
For this just shutdown your laptop and access the BIOS settings by pressing the F10 button of your HP laptop while the initial startup.
Then once the BIOS settings load , just press F9 to load the default values . Finally press F10 to save the default values .
How to fix plugged in not charging issue in DELL laptop ?
Now it’s time to troubleshoot the battery charging issues for a DELL laptop . If you are using any DELL laptop, and if it is Windows OS based then probably we might have already covered the troubleshooting steps in the previous sections.
Now here we will just cover the same steps in brief. So to solve the battery issue in any DELL laptop i.e. if you start charging and you get the message as “plugged in not charging” in DELL laptop then just follow the below steps :
1. Firstly you need to check for the battery health and power settings . Also do check for the battery troubleshooter present in any Windows laptop as seen above in the first section above (to troubleshoot power option of Windows 10 device) .
Here additionally you may also check for the battery health using the in built DELL power manager lite panel . Once it loads , you can see the status of your DELL battery and the various battery related options .
2. Then uninstall the battery drivers present in your Windows laptop . Follow the steps as given above .
3. Now if the settings still not working, then you have to update the BIOS settings of your DELL laptop. For this note down your the DELL laptop serial number. Then go to to the official DELL site and find the the latest bios settings.
Finally Run the BIOS settings and update your bios to latest version. If this creates any further issue then you may like to go to the default BIOS settings of your DELL laptop. For this shutdown your laptop and access the BIOS settings by pressing the F2 button of your DELL laptop while the initial startup .
Then once the BIOS settings load , just press F9 to load the default values (or key combination Alt + F) . Finally press Esc key and select ‘Save and continue‘ option. Then finally allow the system to restart by hitting ‘Enter‘ .
Laptop Not Charging Issue – Final Takeaway !!
If nothing works for you , simply approach for some external support . It is always recommended to go to the official laptop brand’s support center for any possible consultation or repair services (if needed) .
There will be either an issue with the charger cord or with the laptop battery itself . Also there can be possibly any internal software issues , that may be out of scope for us to test .So just schedule one consultation with the technician and solve this charging issue asap.
Hopefully you get the solution from the above detailed steps to solve the laptop charging issue . Stay tuned fo more interesting stuff going forward .