If you are a dell laptop user, there is a probability that you have faced this common issue at some point in the time with your laptop: Dell laptop plugged in not charging.
While there may be many things that can be wrong when a Dell laptop is plugged in but not charging, they can be fixed easily if you know what to do. There also might be a case where the laptop battery is outright dead. Hence, can’t charge the device or the connector can also be broken. However logical this seems, the issue can happen with the newest of devices, that have just come out of the box. Besides, Dell laptops plugged in not charging can also be a software issue. Surprised? Don’t be.
Software is as much important in keeping your laptop running as the hardware of your laptop is. With most of the Dell laptops running Windows Operating system, the regular update cycle and drivers being updated can cause the driver to be corrupt and misbehave, so we recommend checking the software as well as hardware sides as a possible cause of your issue. It is very common in Dell laptops and you are not the only one that has experienced it.
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8 Ways to fix Dell Laptop Plugged in Not Charging
Let us walk through the possible causes of the problem one by one. At the same time, find solutions to resolve the issue.
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Method #1 Check the BIOS Settings
Dell laptops plugged in not charging primarily looks like a hardware issue. Although many people continue to experience it after replacing it with working hardware.
One thing you can try and check is to Go to BIOS and check if the charge limit is not set to anything below 100%.
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- Shut down your Dell laptop.
2. Press the power button and immediately keep pressing F2 [Or any updated key for entering into the Dell BIOS] until the laptop enters the BIOS screen.
3. Go to power management in the BIOS menu and navigate to Primary battery charge configuration.
4. Make sure that the selected option is Standard charge and no custom limit like 95% is chosen which will limit the battery charging after 95% or whatever percentage is chosen. Fix Laptop Battery Plugged in Not Charging Error if you are facing it.
5. Reboot the laptop after saving the settings and now check if the laptop charges when connected to AC Power.
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Method #2 Reinstall the Power Management Driver or the Battery Driver
Many users easily overlook the battery driver when the battery doesn’t behave properly thinking that battery is bad, but the battery driver can also be the reason for Dell laptop plugged in not charging.
To reinstall the driver,
1. In Windows-operated Dell laptop, Open Device Manager. You can easily do this by searching for the Device Manager in the start menu search bar or right-clicking on This PC and clicking on Manage…
2. Once the device manager is opened, go to Battery or any equivalent option in System Drivers and right-click on it, click on properties.
3. Now uninstall the drivers by going into the appropriate tab and then uninstall the device.
4. Make sure the laptop is connected to the internet before following the next steps for ease of reinstallation of the latest drivers.
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4. Now scan for hardware changes in the device manager by clicking the Magnifier like an icon or choosing the option from the menu.
5. The device manager will identify the battery as newly found hardware that has not been initiated. Follow the instructions to install the battery drivers.
6. Now you should have the latest battery or power management drivers installed on your system.
This method should fix your Dell laptop plugged in not charging issue if it was a battery driver issue. If this doesn’t work, you can try something else.
Method #3 Connect Your Laptop to Any Wall Power Outlet
Your laptop could be in connection to a power outlet via a stabilizer or UPS or an inverter. This leads to the possibility of the power supply being the problem for Dell laptop plugged in not charging.
This can happen if the stabilizer is under load and can’t provide enough power to your charger to charge the laptop but only enough power to keep it running. Same can be the case with UPS or inverter. If the power requirement exceeds the power output capacity of the UPS or inverter, the laptop will not charge just like lights being dim or fans spinning slow.
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A simple fix would be to directly connect the power cable of the Dell laptop charger to any wall outlet directly. If the UPS or Inverter or Stabilizer was at fault for your Dell laptop plugged in not charging, now it should be fixed. Unless your house is getting low voltage power.
Method #4 Check the Power Cord
As much as the battery can be at fault for your Dell laptop plugged in not charging, it can also be the power cord that you are using.
The power cord is the cable you connect to the power socket, and that goes into the rectangular brick-like adapter of the laptop charger.
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The power cords are highly compatible across devices. You can easily get a spare power cord that you can try in place of the existing power cord of your Dell laptop charger.
If that fixes the issue, you can buy a new power cord from any local electronics store. Alternatively, buy from the official Dell spare parts shop or website to enjoy a hassle-free laptop experience.
Method #5 Try A Different Charger
The charger brick could be the culprit behind Dell laptop plugged in not charging. It could be misbehaving and hence not able to properly charge your Dell laptop.
As Dell laptops are very common and used by a vast majority of people, you can easily find one Dell laptop charger from your colleagues, classmates, friends, or family members. Just try charging your laptop with someone else’s charger that you know works with their laptop, and see if that fixes the issue.
Method #6 Reconnect the Battery
If your Dell laptop battery is removable, there is a possibility that the battery is just experiencing a bad contact point situation and not anything else. Try connecting the battery properly.
2. Turn it over and disengage the locks that keep your battery in its place at the back of your laptop.
3. Remove the battery and clean the place it goes into as well as the contact points on your battery. Do not use any liquids for cleaning as it may cause short circuits and damage other components of the laptop.
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4. Replace the battery and push the locks into the locked state and start the machine. See if this solved your problem Dell laptop plugged in not charging.
Method #7 Replace the Battery
Dell laptops are very popular and use the same battery and battery slot design across a wide range of laptops. So you can easily swap out your battery with a battery from someone else’s laptop.
Just make sure that you are swapping the battery with a battery that you know works.
Remove batteries from both laptops and try charging both the laptops with battery interchanged.
If your laptop charges correctly and the other laptop starts experiencing an issue, the battery is at fault and hence you should replace it.
If the issue is not still fixed in your laptop and the other one charges without any problems, means that the issue is somewhere else.
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Method 8# Go To The Service Center and Check the Motherboard
As much as I hate to say it, if you have come this far without your issue of a laptop connected to the charger without any charge actually happening being solved, it is highly probable now that the motherboard on your laptop or at least the charging station has gone bad and needs some repair or replacement.
Warranty-covered laptops are the best in such cases. Simply reach out to the Dell Service center and get an appointment for laptop servicing.
Gravit Sinha is the founder of ValidEdge. Ever since he was a kid, he has been a problem fixer and that passion is what inspired him to start and grow this website! 🙂