How to Fix: Laptop Plugged in, Not Charging (New Laptop)

Infopackets Reader Susan M. writes:

" Dear Dennis,

I recently bought a new laptop that came with Windows 10 pre-installed. Last week, I received a Windows 10 update and now my battery keeps draining - even with the power plugged in! This doesn't make any sense to me; also my laptop is brand new! The balloon over the battery icon is reading '93% available (plugged in, not charging)'.

I looked on the Internet to see if I could figure out what was causing this, and there are a lot of people having the same issue. Do you know why my laptop won't charge and how I can fix the 'plugged in, not charging' message? "

My response:

I have not had this problem before, but suggested that the battery may be faulty and/or the power adapter. However, if there are a lot of people complaining of the same problem, then most likely this is a software issue with the operating system itself.

Susan wrote back the next day:

" Hello Dennis,

I found the fix for the 'plugged in, not charging' problem - and it was so easy! Here is what I did:

1. Unplug the laptop if it is plugged into the power outlet.
    
2. Go to Device Manager. To do so: Click Start, then type in 'device manager' and click it. Once Device Manager is loaded, left click 'Batteries' to expand the list. Right click over top of 'Microsoft ACPI - Compliant Control Method Battery' and select uninstall. Then, right click over top of 'Microsoft AC Adapter' and select uninstall.
    
3. Shut down the laptop (click Start -> Shutdown); once it is powered off, plug the laptop power supply back into the system.
    
4. Turn on the laptop and boot into Windows. The battery should now be charging.

That's it! "

Thanks Susan for this - I hope this helps anyone else facing the same issue. Based on the bit of research I did into this issue, it seems to be a widespread problem that affects all versions of Windows and not just Windows 10.

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About the author: Dennis Faas is the owner and operator of Infopackets.com. With over 30 years of computing experience, Dennis' areas of expertise are a broad range and include PC hardware, Microsoft Windows, Linux, network administration, and virtualization. Dennis holds a Bachelors degree in Computer Science (1999) and has authored 6 books on the topics of MS Windows and PC Security. If you like the advice you received on this page, please up-vote / Like this page and share it with friends. For technical support inquiries, Dennis can be reached via Live chat online this site using the Zopim Chat service (currently located at the bottom left of the screen); optionally, you can contact Dennis through the website contact form.