How To Use the Various LED Indicators on Dell Chromebook Laptops

Summary: The following article provides information about what the various LED indicators on Dell Chrome Laptops are telling you.

This article applies to This article does not apply to This article is not tied to any specific product. Not all product versions are identified in this article.
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Instructions

What are the LED indicators on the Dell Chromebook laptops telling us?

There are several functions that the LEDs on Chrome laptops carry out.

They do everything from telling you the battery is charging, to there is something wrong with the laptop.

They are used with an application to facilitate communication between teachers and students. The Chrome laptops do not use audible beeps as other laptops might.

Click the appropriate expanding section for your Chromebook model. There is guidance to the function of the LEDs on your Chromebook. There is also help resolving charging issues.

 
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  1. Activity LED
  2. Battery Status LED
  3. Diagnostic Status LEDs

Activity LED

There is no laptop activity LED for this model. (There is only the Battery Status LED)

Battery Status LED

Chromebook 11 Battery status LED

Table.1: Battery Status LED
Status LED Light Description
Off AC Powered, charge level higher than 97%
White AC Powered, charge level less than 97%, charging
Off Battery Powered, charge level higher than 10%
Off Battery Powered, charge level less than 10%, computer in S5 - Soft Off
Amber Battery Powered, charge level less than 10%, computer in S0 - System On or S3 - System Standby (Suspend to RAM)
Blinking Amber Battery Error
 

Diagnostic Status LEDs

There are no Diagnostic LEDs on this model.

  1. Activity LED
  2. Battery Status LED
  3. Diagnostic Status LEDs

Activity LED

The Chromebook 11 3120 laptop comes with a seven-color Dell Activity LED outside of the LCD back cover. (Which can be used for interactivity between students and teachers.)

Chromebook 11 3120 Activity LED

Table.2: Activity LED
LED Light Status Chassis LED Light Description
3120_blue_icon 3120_blue_led Raise Hand
3120_red_icon 3120_red_led Answer Question
3120_yellow_icon 3120_yellow_led Discussion
3120_rainbow_icon   Seven colors available for preset
 

Battery Status LED

Chromebook 11 3120 Battery status LED

Table.3: Battery Status LED
Status LED Light Description
Off AC Powered, charge level higher than 97%
White AC Powered, charge level less than 97%, charging
Off Battery Powered, charge level higher than 10%
Off Battery Powered, charge level less than 10%, computer in S5 - Soft Off
Amber Battery Powered, charge level less than 10%, computer in S0 - System On or S3 - System Standby (Suspend to RAM)
Blinking Amber Battery Error
 

Diagnostic Status LEDs

There are no Diagnostic LEDs on this model.

  1. Activity LED Light
  2. Status LED Light
  3. Diagnostic Status LEDs

Activity LED Light

The Chromebook 11 3180 laptop comes with a Dell Activity light LED outside of the LCD back cover with seven colors. It can be used for interactivity between students and teachers.

Chromebook 11 3180 Activity LED

Table.4: Activity LED
LED Light Status Chassis LED Light Description
3180_blue_icon 3180_blue_led Raise Hand
3180_red_icon 3180_red_led Answer Question
3180_yellow_icon 3180_yellow_led Discussion
3180_rainbow_icon   Seven colors available for preset
 

Status LED Light

Chromebook 11 3180 Battery Status LED

Table.5: Status LED Light
Status LED Light Description
Off AC Powered, charge level higher than 96%
White AC Powered, charge level less than 96%, charging
Off Battery Powered, charge level >Low to Fully charged
Off Battery Powered, charge level Low to critically Low, computer in S5 - Soft Off
Amber Battery Powered, charge level Low to critically Low, computer in S0 - System On or S3 - System Standby (Suspend to RAM)
Blinking Amber Battery Error
 

Diagnostic LED Light

There are no Diagnostic LEDs on this model.

  1. Activity LED
  2. Battery Status LED
  3. Diagnostic Status LEDs

Activity LED

The Chromebook Activity light is on the back of the display cover, as shown below:

Chromebook 11 3189 Activity LED

The activity LED supports seven colors for the Dell Active Classroom application. To control this, use the DellActivityLight from the Chrome Web Store.

Battery Status LED

Chromebook 11 3189 Battery status LED

Table.6: Battery Status LED
Status LED Light Description
Off AC Powered, charge level higher than 96%
White AC Powered, charge level less than 96%, charging
Off Battery Powered, charge level >Low to Fully charged
Off Battery Powered, charge level Low to critically Low, computer in S5 - Soft Off
Amber Battery Powered, charge level Low to critically Low, computer in S0 - System On or S3 - System Standby (Suspend to RAM)
Blinking Amber Battery Error
 

Diagnostic Status LEDs

There are no Diagnostic LEDs on this model.

  1. Activity LED
  2. Battery Status LED
  3. Diagnostic Status LEDs

Activity LED

There is no computer activity LED for this model.

Battery Status LED

Chromebook 13 3380 Battery status LED

Table.7: Battery Status LED
Status LED Light Description
Off AC Powered, charge level higher than 96%
White AC Powered, charge level less than 96%, charging
Off Battery Powered, charge level higher than 14%
Off Battery Powered, charge level less than 14%, computer in S5 - Soft Off
Amber Battery Powered, charge level less than 14%, computer in S0 - System On or S3 - System Standby (Suspend to RAM)
Blinking Amber Battery Error
 

Diagnostic Status LEDs

There are no Diagnostic LEDs on this model.

  1. Activity LED
  2. Battery Status LED
  3. Diagnostic Status LEDs

Activity LED

There is no computer activity LED for this model. (There is only the Battery Status LED)

Battery Status LED

Chromebook 13 7310 Battery status LED

Table.7: Battery Status LED
Status LED Light Description
Off AC Powered, charge level higher than 96%
White AC Powered, charge level less than 96%, charging
Off Battery Powered, charge level higher than 14%
Off Battery Powered, charge level less than 14%, computer in S5 - Soft Off
Amber Battery Powered, charge level less than 14%, computer in S0 - System On or S3 - System Standby (Suspend to RAM)
Blinking Amber Battery Error
 

Diagnostic Status LEDs

There are no Diagnostic LEDs on this model.

  1. Activity LED
  2. Battery Status LED
  3. Diagnostic Status LEDs

Activity LED

There is no computer activity LED for this model. (There is only the Battery Status LED)

Battery Status LED

Chromebook 3400 Battery status LED

Table.8: Battery Status LED
Power Source LED Behavior System Power State
AC Adapter Solid White Charging (Full) (S0 - S5)
AC Adapter Solid Amber Charging (S0 - S5)
Battery Solid White Discharging (S0)
Battery Breathing White Discharging (S3)
Battery Off Discharging (S5)
Battery Blinking Amber Battery Error (S0 - S5)
 
  • S0 (ON)—System is turned on.
  • S3 (Sleep)—System is in a sleep state.
  • S5 (OFF)—The computer is in a shutdown state.
 

Diagnostic Status LEDs

There are no Diagnostic LEDs on this model.

  1. Activity LED
  2. Battery Status LED
  3. Diagnostic Status LEDs

Activity LED

The Chromebook 11 3181 laptop comes with a seven-color Dell Activity LED outside of the LCD back cover. (Which can be used for interactivity between students and teachers.)

Chromebook 11 3181 and 3181 2-in-1 Activity LED

Table.9: Activity LED
LED Light Status Chassis LED Light Description
3120_blue_icon 3120_blue_led Raise Hand
3120_red_icon 3120_red_led Answer Question
3120_yellow_icon 3120_yellow_led Discussion
3120_rainbow_icon   Seven colors available for preset

Battery Status LED

Chromebook 11 3181 and 3181 2-in-1 Battery status LED

Table.10: Battery Status LED
Status LED Light Description
Off AC Powered, charge level higher than 96%
White AC Powered, charge level less than 96%, charging
Off Battery Powered, charge level >Low to Fully charged
Off Battery Powered, charge level Low to critically Low, computer in S5 - Soft Off
Amber Battery Powered, charge level Low to critically Low, computer in S0 - System On or S3 - System Standby (Suspend to RAM)
Blinking Amber Battery Error
 

Diagnostic Status LEDs

There are no Diagnostic LEDs on this model.

  1. Activity LED
  2. Battery Status LED
  3. Diagnostic Status LEDs

Activity LED

There is no computer activity LED for this model. (There is only the Battery Status LED)

Battery Status LED

Chromebook 7486 Battery status LED

Table.11: Battery Status LED
Power Source LED Behavior System Power State
AC Adapter Solid White Charging (Full) (S0 - S5)
AC Adapter Solid Amber Charging (S0 - S5)
Battery Solid White Discharging (S0)
Battery Breathing White Discharging (S3)
Battery Off Discharging (S5)
Battery Blinking Amber Battery Error (S0 - S5)
 
  • S0 (ON)—System is turned on.
  • S3 (Sleep)—System is in a sleep state.
  • S5 (OFF)—The computer is in a shutdown state.
 

Diagnostic Status LEDs

There are no Diagnostic LEDs on this model.

  1. Activity LED
  2. Battery Status LED
  3. Diagnostic Status LEDs

Activity LED

There is no computer activity LED for this model. (There is only the Battery Status LED)

Battery Status LED

Chromebook 3100 Battery status LED

Table.12: Battery Status LED
Power Source LED Behavior System Power State
AC Adapter Solid White Charging (Full) (S0 - S5)
AC Adapter Solid Amber Charging (S0 - S5)
Battery Solid White Discharging (S0)
Battery Breathing White Discharging (S3)
Battery Off Discharging (S5)
Battery Blinking Amber Battery Error (S0 - S5)
 
  • S0 (ON)—System is turned on.
  • S3 (Sleep)—System is in a sleep state.
  • S5 (OFF)—The computer is in a shutdown state.
 

Diagnostic Status LEDs

There are no Diagnostic LEDs on this model.

  1. Activity LED
  2. Battery Status LED
  3. Diagnostic Status LEDs

Activity LED

There is no computer activity LED for this model. (There is only the Battery Status LED)

Battery Status LED

Chromebook 3100 2-in-1 Battery status LED

Table.13: Battery Status LED
Power Source LED Behavior System Power State
AC Adapter Solid White Charging (Full) (S0 - S5)
AC Adapter Solid Amber Charging (S0 - S5)
Battery Solid White Discharging (S0)
Battery Breathing White Discharging (S3)
Battery Off Discharging (S5)
Battery Blinking Amber Battery Error (S0 - S5)
 
  • S0 (ON)—System is turned on.
  • S3 (Sleep)—System is in a sleep state.
  • S5 (OFF)—The computer is in a shutdown state.
 

Diagnostic Status LEDs

There are no Diagnostic LEDs on this model.

  1. Activity LED
  2. Battery Status LED
  3. Diagnostic Status LEDs

Activity LED

There is no computer activity LED for this model. (There are only the Power, Diagnostics, and Battery Status LEDs)

Battery Status LED

Chromebook 5300 2-in-1 Battery status LED

Table.14: Battery Status LED
LED Behavior System Power State
Off AC Powered, charge level higher than 96%
Solid White AC Powered, charge level less than 96%, charging
Off Battery Powered, charge level >Low to Fully charged
Off Battery Powered, charge level Low to critically Low, computer in S5 - Soft Off
Solid Amber Battery Powered, charge level Low to critically Low, computer in S0 - System On or S3 - System Standby (Suspend to RAM)
Blinking Amber Battery Error
 
  • S0 (ON)—System is turned on.
  • S3 (Sleep)—System is in a sleep state.
  • S5 (OFF)—The computer is in a shutdown state.
 

Diagnostic Status LEDs

Chromebook 5300 2-in-1 Power and Diagnostic status LED

Note: A two-digit number represents the diagnostic pattern:
 
  • The first group of LED blinks (1 through 9) in amber,
  • Followed by a 1.5 second pause with the LED off,
  • Then a second group of LED blinks (1 through 9) in white.
  • The LEDs go off for three seconds and then repeat.
  • Each LED blink takes 0.5 seconds.
 
Table.15: Power and Status LED
Blinking Pattern Possible Issue Suggested Resolution
Amber White
2
1
Central Processor Unit (CPU) failure
Contact Dell.
2
2
System Board failure (included BIOS corruption or Read-Only Memory (ROM) error)
Flash latest BIOS version.
If the problem persists, contact Dell.
2
3
No Memory or Random-Access Memory (RAM) detected
Confirm that the memory module is installed properly.
If the problem persists, test the memory module.
2
4
Memory or RAM failure
Test the memory module.
2
5
Invalid memory installed
Test the memory module.
2
6
System board, Chipset Error, Clock failure, Gate A20 failure, Super I/O failure, Keyboard controller failure
Contact Dell.
2
7
Liquid Crystal Display (LCD) failure
Contact Dell.
2
8
LCD Power rail failure
Contact Dell.
3
1
Real-Time Clock (RTC) power failure
Swap out the CMOS battery.
3
2
Peripheral Component Interconnect (PCI) or Video card or chip failure
Contact Dell.
3
3
BIOS Recovery image not found
Flash latest BIOS version.
If the problem persists, contact Dell.
3
4
BIOS Recovery image found but invalid
Flash latest BIOS version.
If the problem persists, contact Dell.
3
5
Embedded Controller (EC) ran into power sequencing failure
Flash latest BIOS version.
If the problem persists, contact Dell.
3
6
Flash corruption detected by System Basic Input-Output System (SBIOS)
Flash latest BIOS version.
If the problem persists, contact Dell.
3
7
Time-out waiting on Management Engine (ME) to reply to Host Embedded Controller Interface (HECI) message
Flash latest BIOS version.
If the problem persists, contact Dell.

  1. Activity LED
  2. Battery Status LED
  3. Diagnostic Status LEDs

Activity LED

There is no computer activity LED for this model. (There are only Power and Bi-color Battery Status LEDs.)

Battery Status LED

Chromebook 5400 Battery status LED

Note: The computer does not shut down when displaying Diagnostic Error Codes. Which always supersedes any other use of the Power or Battery LED. Battery codes for Low Battery or Battery Failure situations are not be displayed when Diagnostic Error Codes are being displayed on a laptop.
 
  • S0 (ON)—System is turned on.
  • S3 (Sleep)—System is in a sleep state.
  • S5 (OFF)—The computer is in a shutdown state.
 

Diagnostic Status LEDs

Chromebook 5400 Power/Diagnostic Status LED

Note: A two-digit number represents the diagnostic pattern:
 
  • The first group of LED blinks (1 through 9) in amber,
  • Followed by a 1.5 second pause with the LED off,
  • Then a second group of LED blinks (1 through 9) in white.
  • The LEDs go off for three seconds and then repeat.
  • Each LED blink takes 0.5 seconds.
 
Table.16: Diagnostic Status LEDs
Blinking Pattern Possible Issue Suggested Resolution
Amber White
2
1
CPU failure
Contact Dell.
2
2
System Board failure (included BIOS corruption or ROM error)
Flash latest BIOS version.
If the problem persists, contact Dell.
2
3
No Memory/ RAM detected
Confirm that the memory module is installed properly.
If the problem persists, test the memory module.
2
4
Memory/RAM failure
Test the memory module.
2
5
Invalid memory installed
Test the memory module.
2
6
System board, Chipset Error, Clock failure, Gate A20 failure, Super I/O failure, or Keyboard controller failure
Contact Dell.
2
7
LCD failure
Contact Dell.
2
8
LCD Power rail failure
Contact Dell.
3
1
RTC power failure
Swap out the CMOS battery.
3
2
PCI or Video card or chip failure
Contact Dell.
3
3
BIOS Recovery image not found
Flash latest BIOS version.
If the problem persists, contact Dell.
3
4
BIOS Recovery image found but invalid
Flash latest BIOS version.
If the problem persists, contact Dell.

Affected Products

Chromebook, Chromebook 11, Chromebook 3100 2-in-1., ChromeBook 3100, Chromebook 3120 (End of Life), Chromebook 11 3180, Chromebook 11 3189, Chromebook 5190 2-in-1, Chromebook 5190, Chromebook 13 3380, Chromebook 7310, ChromeBook 3400 , Inspiron Chromebook 11 3181, Inspiron Chromebook 11 3181 2-in-1, Inspiron Chromebook 7486, Latitude 5300 2-in-1 Chromebook, Latitude 5400 Chromebook ...
Article Properties
Article Number: 000139067
Article Type: How To
Last Modified: 15 Jul 2024
Version:  6
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