When you plug your wall charger into your laptop, hopefully your device gives you a notification saying that it is being charged and then you just go about doing whatever it was you were planning to do.

 

But you might see something like this instead:

This means that your laptop is plugged in but your device is not charging. There are a few things that can cause this, which means that there are a few things you should check when you are trying to resolve this issue.

 

We can divide these solutions in to two categories: external power cord related issues, and laptop issues.

 

1. Power-Cord Related Problems and Solutions

 

While this might not be the issue, if this is what is causing the problem you are in luck because it has the quickest fix on this list. If the charger is plugged in to the laptop and not properly plugged into a wall or power strip, it won’t charge. Try unplugging the power cord from the laptop and the power source, and firmly plug both ends back in to their respective places.

 

In a similar problem solving vein, if you are using a particularly old charger cord, check along the length of the cord for any openings in the outer cord or other signs of wear. A bent up and worn down charging cord may be the cause of your problems.

If neither of the two above solutions work, try plugging your laptop charger into a different outlet or power strip. It might not be your laptop charger that is broken, you might be dealing with a blown fuse.

 

2. Laptop Hardware and Software Problems and Solutions

 

If none of the power-cord related solutions work, it’s time to test your software and hardware.

 

If it’s not your power cord causing you troubles, take a look at your power settings. If you are on a Windows device, open your control panel and go to Power Options, and change your plan settings. You may find that your plan is set to turn off the display at a relatively high battery percent.

 

Changing any inconvenient settings here may resolve your problem, but it might not. If you don’t like your own custom settings you can always revert to the default settings in the power plan dialogue window.

Your laptop’s battery itself may be causing your charging problem. Older batteries may not be able to reach their full charging capacity after a hundred or so charge cycles, meaning that you may not be able to get your laptop to display a full 100% charge. More importantly, an older battery will always die faster on a full charge than a new battery if they are the same model, so if you are having this issue it just might be time for a new battery.

 

If even after trying all of these tips, consider just getting a computer repair.

 

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