How to Troubleshoot AC Adapter Issues on a Dell Laptop

Is your Dell laptop battery still not charging after trying the basic troubleshooting steps? This article walks you through advanced solutions that address deeper system issues affecting battery charging and power delivery.

Before You Begin

Ensure that you have already completed these essential troubleshooting steps from our Laptop Battery Not Charging: Resolve AC Adapter Issues guide.

• Verified your power outlet works
• Inspected your charger and cable for damage
• Performed a hard reset
• Reinstalled battery drivers
• Updated your BIOS and drivers
• Run Dell battery diagnostics

If you have not worked through these steps yet, start there first. They resolve most charging issues and take just a few minutes.

What You will Find in This Article

This guide helps you resolve persistent charging problems by:

• Adjusting BIOS battery settings that might limit charging
• Fixing AC adapter recognition issues
• Resetting Windows power management
• Testing your laptop's charging circuit
• Updating critical power management drivers
• Determining when you need a battery replacement

Adjust BIOS Battery Settings

Your BIOS controls how your laptop manages battery charging. Incorrect settings can prevent proper charging or limit battery capacity.

Access your BIOS:

1. Starting with the computer off. Press the Power button on the computer and immediately start pressing the F2 key once a second to access the BIOS Setup.
2. Go to the Power or Battery section (location varies by model).
3. Review the following settings:

Primary Battery Charge Configuration

Look for an option called Battery Configuration or Battery Charge Settings. You might see these modes:

• Adaptive: The system learns your usage patterns and adjusts charging accordingly
• Standard: Charges the battery to 100%
• ExpressCharge: Enables rapid charging to 80% in approximately one hour
• Primarily AC Use: Limits charge to 50-80% to extend battery lifespan
• Custom: Lets you set custom charge thresholds

What to do: If set to "Primarily AC Use" or a low custom threshold, your battery does not charge beyond that limit. Change it to Standard to allow full charging.

Verify AC adapter recognition

To check whether your BIOS correctly recognizes your AC adapter, perform the following steps:

1. Select the Overview section
2. Look at the listing for the AC Adapter.
3. Check whether your BIOS correctly recognizes your AC adapter.

What to do: If it shows "Unknown" or the wrong wattage, your laptop might not charge properly or may charge slowly.
This usually means:

• You are using an incompatible charger
• The charger is faulty, see the Verify Charging Circuit Functionality section for troubleshooting steps
• The charging port has a connection issue.

Try a different Dell-approved charger that matches your laptop's wattage requirements. See the manual of your computer for specifications of the AC adapter needed for your computer.

Configure advanced battery charge

Some Dell laptops offer Advanced Battery Charge Configuration.

Advanced Battery Charge helps keep your battery healthy while still allowing heavy use during the workday. When turned on, it works according to your daily schedule and selected time periods.

• From Beginning of day and lasting through Work Period, Express Charge is used for faster battery charging
• For all other times, Standard Charge is used for maximum battery health
• Setting Work Period to 0 (zero) disables this feature for that day

To enable and configure the Advanced Battery Charge feature, perform the following steps:

1. Ensure that the slider is set to ON.
2. Set the Beginning of day time and Work Period time.
3. After making changes, select Apply or Save.
4. Select Exit to restart your laptop.

Reset Windows Power Management Settings

Windows manages how your laptop uses power, and corrupted power settings can interfere with charging. Resetting these settings often resolves charging behavior issues.

To reset Windows power management, perform the following steps:

1. Select Start, and then in the search box type, cmd
2. Right-click Command Prompt from the list, and select Run as administrator.
3. In the Command Prompt window, type, powercfg -restoredefaultschemes, and then press Enter (This command resets all power plans to default settings).
4. In the Command Prompt window, type, powercfg -h off, and then press Enter (This command turns off hibernation).
5. In the Command Prompt window, type,powercfg -h on, and then press Enter (This command re-enables hibernation)
6. Close the command prompt window.
7. Restart your laptop

After restarting, Windows recreates power management files with default settings. This can fix issues where corrupted power profiles prevent proper battery charging.

Verify Your Charging Circuit Works

The charging circuit manages power flow from your adapter to the battery. You can test whether this circuit works correctly.

To verify the charging circuit, perform the following steps:

1. With your laptop turned off, plug in the AC adapter.
2. Look at the battery charging LED (usually near the power port). For the specific location of the battery charging light for your computer see the manual of your computer.
   NOTE: For information about obtaining the manual for your computer, see Dell Knowledge Base article Manuals and Documentation for your Dell Product.
   • Solid white or green: The battery is charging normally
   • Amber or orange: The battery is charging, but health may be degraded
   • Blinking amber: Battery error or charging problem
   • No light: Power is not reaching the laptop, or the charging port has failed
3. Turn on your laptop while plugged in.
4. Check whether Windows recognizes the AC adapter:
   • Hover over the battery icon in the system tray
   • Look for "Plugged in" or "AC adapter connected" message

What to do if the LED does not light up

Your issue could be:

• Your AC adapter is not providing power.
• The charging port has failed.
• The power cable is not fully inserted.

Check your connections and try a different outlet.

What to do if Windows does not recognize the adapter

• The charging circuit has a problem.
• The AC adapter is not providing enough wattage.

Try a different Dell-approved charger that matches your laptop's wattage requirements. See the manual of your computer for specifications of the AC adapter needed for your computer.

Update Intel Management Engine Interface

The Intel Management Engine Interface (MEI) helps manage power delivery on Intel-based Dell laptops. An outdated MEI driver can cause charging problems.

To update Intel MEI, perform the following steps:

1. Select Start, and then in the search box type, device manager
2. Select Device Manager from the results.
3. Expand System devices.
4. Look for Intel Management Engine Interface or Intel ME Interface.
5. Right-click the device and select Update driver.
6. Select Search automatically for drivers.
7. Follow the on-screen prompts to install updates.
8. Restart your laptop.

When to Replace Your Battery

Consider replacing your battery when you notice:

• Battery health status showing "Fair" or "Poor."
• Significant reduction in runtime (less than 50% of original capacity).
• Frequent diagnostic error codes during testing.
• Unexpected shutdowns even when the battery shows charge remaining.
• Physical swelling or damage to the battery.
• Battery age exceeding 2-3 years with heavy use.

Verify Your Dell Warranty Online

To check if your Dell battery is still under warranty, perform the following steps:

1. Browse to the Support Services & Warranty site.
   Either:
   • Enter your laptop's Service Tag and select Search, and then select Device Details. (your laptop's warranty is shown.)
     Or:
   • Select detect this PC automatically, and them select the Explore product support. (your laptop's warranty is shown)
2. Select Product specifications located in the upper right corner.
3. Check your product specifications to see which warranty covers your battery (look for battery).
   Look for these indicators:
   • 1-year coverage: No special warranty notation appears in the description.
   • 3-year coverage: Your battery description includes "3 Years Limited Hardware Warranty" or shows LL, or Long Cycle Life.

How to Purchase a Replacement Battery

When you are experiencing issues with your battery and it is no longer in warranty, it is necessary to purchase a new Dell battery.

To purchase a Dell laptop battery, perform the following steps.

1. Browse to the Dell Support site.
2. Identify your Dell laptop by entering your Service Tag, or selecting detect this PC automatically (and then Explore product support).
3. Once on your laptop's product support page, select Parts & Repairs.
4. Select Power & Power Supplies to view available batteries for your system.
5. Identify the wanted battery and select Add to Cart.
6. Follow the on-screen instructions to complete your purchase.

Batteries not available in your region? Contact your local Dell authorized Parter Program or reseller for assistance.

Power Adapters

Should I use a non-Dell battery in my Dell laptop?

We strongly recommend using genuine Dell batteries designed for your specific laptop model.
Here is why:

• Safety: Dell batteries undergo rigorous qualification testing to ensure that they meet safety standards.
• Performance: Dell batteries are engineered to work optimally with your laptop's power management system.
• Warranty: Dell batteries come with a one-year warranty and are supported by Dell Technical Support.
• Compatibility: Third-party batteries may claim compatibility, but Dell cannot verify their safety or performance.

Using non-Dell batteries can result in improper charging, potential device damage, and warranty issues.