Article Number: 000132233
Dell laptop shows the message "plugged in not charging" when you hover over the battery icon (Figure 1). However, the battery will charge outside the operating system (such as system BIOS or the one time boot menu).
Figure 1: Plugged in, not charging message.
Battery-related issues can be caused due to an aging battery, battery reaching its end of life, AC adapter not working correctly, and so on.
Expand the sections below to find more detailed instructions in each troubleshooting step. Before you print this document, ensure to expand all the required sections.
To ensure that the Dell battery is getting charged correctly, the AC adapter must be working correctly. Verify that the laptop can recognize the AC adapter.
To verify that the laptop is recognizing the AC adapter correctly:
There are several settings in the operating system like power management settings, device drivers, that may impact the performance of the battery. Charging the laptop battery outside the operating system (when the laptop is powered off) helps isolate hardware-related issues.
Running a hardware diagnostic test helps identify what the issue may be and provide you with troubleshooting steps to help resolve the issue. Dell offers both integrated and online diagnostics. It is essential to run a hardware test on the laptop or the battery to identify which device is causing the issue.
To run an online hardware test on the battery using Dell SupportAssist, browse to the battery diagnostics page.
To run the Dell Pre-Boot System Assessment test:
Checking the battery health status helps determine if the battery is operating correctly or if it must be replaced. Battery health status can be checked both inside and outside the operating system. See the Dell knowledge base article How to Check Battery Health Status on Dell Laptops.
If the battery health status is normal, go to the next step.
The BIOS is firmware that is embedded onto the system board (motherboard) of the computer. Updating the BIOS to the latest version helps the computer recognize the AC adapter correctly. Updating the BIOS to the latest version requires the laptop to be powered by the AC adapter and battery.
To update the BIOS to the latest version, see the Dell knowledge base article Dell BIOS Updates.
If the AC adapter type is not recognized by the laptop, see the Dell knowledge base article Forcing a BIOS Update without the AC adapter that is attached on a Dell Laptop. Before trying to force the BIOS update, read the disclaimer below.
Dell Quickset is a suite of software applications that provide enhanced functionality to your Dell computer. The Dell Quickset utility provides easy access to configure settings for power management, the battery health meter, and other functions on most Dell laptops. It provides easy access to several functions that would normally require several steps. Some of the features that you can access using Dell Quickset include:
Installing or updating the Dell Quickset application can help resolve issues with battery charging. Download and install the Dell Quickset application from the Dell Drivers & Downloads website. Dell Quickset application can be found under the Application category.
You can run the Windows Hardware and Devices troubleshooter which is built into Microsoft Windows. The Hardware and Devices troubleshooter is available in Microsoft Windows 10, Windows 8 or 8.1, and Windows 7.
To run the Hardware and Devices troubleshooter:
If running Windows Troubleshooter did not resolve the issue, go to the next step.
devmgmt.msc
and press the Enter key.For additional troubleshooting and help on Dell laptop battery or ac adapter-related issues, see the following Dell knowledge base articles.
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Chromebook, G Series, Alienware, Inspiron, Latitude, Vostro, XPS, Retired Models
07 Jul 2021
4
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