Fix why is my laptop plugged in but not charging

For once i was in your shoes asking this question of why is my laptop plugged in but not charging and after one or two things done, i was able to get my computer charging again.

So i decided to post what i did in order to make my computer which is actually Hp elitebook 840 g3 i5 to start charging, after it suddenly stopped.

Not only it stopped, it shows plugged in but not charging.

Just like you, i was confused on why all of a sudden this is happening. The laptop that was charging few hours ago, is now showing this error message.

I went about asking people why is my laptop plugged in but not charging. So i’ve got to find out that is usually caused by an outdated drivers.

If the drivers gets updated, the laptop will start to charge again.

Fix why is my laptop plugged in but not charging

You need not to worry if your computer battery has damaged, the answer is absolutely NO. This is majorly caused by an outdated laptop drivers which needed to updated.

So this is the solution to fix plugged in but not charging.

why is my laptop plugged in but not charging

1. Update your laptop battery drivers

As you see the error message on your computer, what you will have to do is to go to device manager in your computer.

For those that doesn’t know how to locate device manager in their computer, please kindly use the search button which is below the screen of your laptop.

When click on the search button and type device manager, it will bring it out. Simply tap on it and it will show you list of drivers stalled in your computer.

What you’ll be looking for in the installed drivers is the battery.

Simply tap on battery and you’ll see a drop down which contains two drivers for your laptop battery. One is called Microsoft AC Adapter and the other is Microsoft ACPI Compliant Control Method Battery.

You will have to tap on each one of them, by right clicking on your laptop.

When you do that, list of options will be provided you. They are as follows;

  • Update driver
  • Disable device
  • Uninstall device
  • Scan for hardware changes
  • Properties

Please i won’t advise you to click on update driver though this issue my laptop plugged in but not charging is majorly caused by an outdated driver.

I tried clicking on the update driver on my hp elitebook 840 g3, but found out that it didn’t work for me. So what i did is to use the third option given to me and which is uninstall device.

This is what i recommend you to do, tap on the uninstall device when you right click on both drivers which are Microsoft AC Adapter and Microsoft ACPI Compliant Control Method Battery.

Note that the Microsoft AC Adapter and Microsoft ACPI Compliant Control Method Battery drivers will install by itself automatically when you power on your computer.

Having uninstalled both drivers, you need to switch off your laptop and wait for a few seconds and power it on again.

Plug in your charger to your and you’ll see that the laptop plugged in but not charging will no longer be showing, you will see charging.

This works hundred percent if you’re a HP laptop, but it isn’t the case with other brands of computer.

In some laptops like lenovo and Asus, you need to remove your battery before this method will work for you.

That is after you must have uninstall Microsoft AC Adapter and Microsoft ACPI Compliant Control Method Battery, you’ll also need to remove your laptop battery before it works.

Wether your laptop is removable or non removable, you need to remove the battery, reinsert it again and power on your laptop.

For non removable battery, if you’re a newbie to i will advise you to visit an engineer for a help or assist. This especially if you don’t have the drivers to remove the screws on your laptop.

So this is the very first method i will advise you to use if you experience laptop plugged in but not charging.

In the case that this method didn’t actually work for you, you need to look at other things which might be causing the problem.

2. Check your laptop charging port

plugged in but not charging 

At times, your laptoppower connector or charging port might be causing the problem of laptop plugged in but not charging.

I know a user that actually resolved his problem of charging his laptop by changing the power connector or charging port.

He didn’t know that the charging connector or port of his laptop is faulty and at one point, no longer charges the laptop.

When he followed the first method and it didn’t work for him, he went straight to an engineer to seek for solution to the problem. It was then he got to know that the problem is from the power connector.

So you as well can check if the problem is from power connector. Please if you’re not good in technical, i will advise you to look for a good engineer or repairer to help you with that.

However, before you can give it to a repairer, first try and clean the power connector and see if it will resolve the problem of laptop plugged in but not charging.

If it didn’t, then you can go ahead and look for a good engineer or repairer to assist with that, and that is if the problem is from the power connector.

3. Fix plugged in but not charging by power reset your computer

The third method to your question on why is my laptop plugged in but not charging, is by power reseting your computer.

This method is indeed working and have worked for some users especially those using dell computer and also on a removable battery. Generally you can try it on any brand of computer as well.

To get started, first you need to turn it off your computer and remove the battery, and also disconnect the power cable from your laptop.

Press hold the power button for fifteen seconds and release your finger from it.

Immediately after that, insert the battery back to your computer and connect the power cable to it.

Finally turn on your laptop, then check the status of your laptop battery. Plug in the charger into the power jack and see if the error of laptop plugged in but not charging  is still showing. Or probably plugged in and charging.

4. Update your laptop Bois

This is the least answer i’ve for your question on why is my laptop plugged in but not charging. I’ve seen some number of persons that resolved the issue by updating their Bois.

Updating your laptop Bois helps to resolve many issues like function keys not working and also laptop not charging.

So you need to check if your Bois is outdated, if it is then simply update it and check if your laptop will start to charge.

5. Turn off offline mode

I noticed that at times if i activate offline mode on my laptop (hp elitebook 840 g3), it shows plugged in but not charging. However, if i turn it off and turn on my wifi network, it begins to charge.

I can’t tell if this is applicable to all brands of laptop or all models of hp laptops, but you can do this especially if you activated offline mode on your computer or try to use WiFi network.

These are the solutions or fixes that i have for you and i hope they are good answer to your question on why is my laptop plugged in but not charging. If you know anyone that is in similar situation, don’t hesitate to share this post to him or her.

About Kennedy

I'm Amaechi Uchenna by name, a mobile tech enthusiast who love writing articles about tips and tutorials especially relating to gadgets.

1 thought on “Fix why is my laptop plugged in but not charging”

  1. I have an HP 840 G5 with an internal battery, before I went to find a screwdriver, I unplugged it, pressed the power butter for 1 minute, and presto. The display shows charging. Life is good.

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