Why Is My Laptop Battery Not Charging?

Not often, but it is an annoying problem with laptops: the battery stops charging and Windows says something like “Charging not running” (Windows 10) or “Connected, not charging” (Windows 7).

What is more, this happens to old laptops (and batteries) as well as new ones. There are many different problems associated with laptop charging, so we’ll try to cover as many issues as possible to help you solve the problem.

Power Regulator Burnt Out

There is a charge controller on both the battery and the motherboard. It is possible to find out whether the controller is burned out or not using special expensive equipment by completely dismantling the notebook and pulling out the motherboard. The controller can only be repaired by a specialist service centre.

The Battery is Dead

This is common if the laptop is more than 4-10 years old. The battery may have swollen rapidly or reached the end of its life due to excessive charging cycles, usually between 300 and 600. To get an idea of the condition of the lithium battery, try using the laptop by unplugging it.

If the battery is still the problem, then you need to look for a decent replacement. You can find a model on Zeto or Amazon to see which battery is suitable for your laptop.

Battery Overheating

Overheating is a rare phenomenon as computer manufacturers try to prevent the computer from overheating. However, sometimes overheating occurs and problems arise. 

Possible causes: 

• There was a lot of dust inside the laptop;
• The case was closed tightly and the “inside” was not ventilated;
• the processor was too hot, in which case only +35 degrees is sufficient.

Try cooling the battery and recharging. If that doesn’t help, the battery needs to be replaced.

Battery Management Software Failure

In some cases, a laptop may experience a software failure that causes it to either not see the battery at all or to stop charging.

This can happen for various reasons, most often when changing the battery from one to another, or when the battery is discharged to zero and the laptop is turned off (reason: in modern laptops, the auto-off function is activated when the battery reaches 5% charge).

So I recommend to do the following (it is important to follow the order)

1. Turn off the notebook completely;
2. Unplug the power cord from the laptop;
3. Remove the battery from the laptop;
4. Plug in the power adapter and turn on the laptop;
5. then go to Device Manager, open the Battery section and remove the “ACPI Compatible Battery (Microsoft)”. If there’s more than one (it’s usually the only one), delete them all;
6. Turn off the laptop and unplug the power cord;
7. Insert the battery, plug in the power supply;
8. turn on the laptop and check that the battery has not started to charge.

In most cases, such a RESET will solve the charging problem. Often the laptop will say something like “battery connected and charging” after this simple operation.

How Do I Check the Percentage of Battery Life Remaining?

Use Windows tools:

• Open a command prompt: click on “Start” and search for “cmd”.
• “Windows will find the “command line” file – right click and select “Run as administrator”.
• At the command prompt, type powercfg energy and press Enter. After a few minutes a number of errors and warnings will appear.
• To see the battery wear and tear, open the file C:\Windows\system32\energy-report.html (or C:\Users\[your profile]\energy-report.html) with your browser. A large list will appear. At the bottom of the list is a report on the wear and tear of the items.

Using AIDA 64 software:

You need to download the program from the official site. In the program open “Computer” menu and select “Power” – the program will immediately show the information about battery wear and tear.

Why Doesn’t the Computer See the Charged Battery?

There are a few possible causes: 

• broken contacts or charge controller;
• Battery malfunction;
• hardware problems.

You can try resetting the battery controller by installing the Battery EEPROM Works utility or by performing a calibration – a full charge-discharge of the laptop. 

Repair or New Battery?

Definitely a new battery. Even after repair, the battery will not last long. Sometimes technicians replace the internal elements, leaving the original casing, but in most cases this is not worthwhile – it is easier to buy a new module. 

What should I do if the battery has not been used for a long time? If it has been sitting for 2 or 3 years, try recharging it directly from a service charger with a higher charge current. However, it may be easier to buy a new battery. 

Why Doesn’t the Computer See That the Battery Is Charged?

There are a number of possible causes: 

• Broken contacts or charge regulator;
• Battery malfunction;
• Hardware problems.

You can try resetting the battery controller by installing the Battery EEPROM Works utility or by performing a calibration – a full charge and discharge of the laptop.

Why Does My Laptop Shut Down During Charging?

Static electricity builds up on the board – this “punctures” the board and the protection system shuts down the power. 

Conclusion

If your desktop computer runs out of power, stops working, charges slowly or does not charge at all, remember: batteries, especially new ones, rarely fail; power supplies and connectors are more likely to wear out; you may just need to update the drivers. if your Li-ion and Li-pol battery has been used for more than 3-7 years, buy a new one.