That annoying message telling you your laptop is not charging.
For a laptop the battery meter is very important. It tells you how much power your battery has.
But what if the laptop battery displays the message its plugged in but its not charging. Thats a troubling message.
You don not neccesarily need to worry much cause this can be easily solved.
Sometimes a simple system reboot will fix it.
If you turn it off and on and the problem is solved then follow the steps below
To fix a laptop that is plugged in but not charging
- Shutdown the laptop
- Remove the battery ( note some batteries cannot easily be removed you may need to consult your laptop manual on how to remove them)
- Clean the battery and terminals with a dry clean cloth
- Put the battery back
- Turn on the laptop
- If it still say plugged in but not charging dont panic continue to follow more steps below
Uninstall Microsoft ACPI-Compliant Control Method Battery
These drivers are responsible for power management hence directly affect the functionality of the battery and its usage. If the drivers are corrupt or malfunction your battery charging meter becomes affected. It may even give false readings.
To uninstall Microsoft ACPI-Compliant Control Method Battery drivers
- Go to Device manager
- Then batteries
- Under batteries right click on Microsoft ACPI-Compliant Control Method Battery
- Select uninstall
The battery meter will disappear from the system tray after uninstalling. There is no reason to be worried.
Just restart your laptop.
Windows will automatically install the Microsoft ACPI-Compliant Control Method Battery drivers when your laptop reboots.
Also third party software you install to manage your battery charging or power usage may interfere with Microsoft ACPI-Compliant Control Method Battery and conflict causing the readings to be inaccurate.
Remove any third party software and see if your charging does not go back to normal.
Check Laptop adapter and the cord
Switch to a different wall outlet, some sockets have low power than others.
Remove the battery and leave the laptop adapter still attached if the laptop fails to boot then the power adapter is the one causing the problem. The laptop should be able to boot without the laptop battery if connected.
If the adapter needs replacing then replace it.
Also physically examine the laptop adapter and the chord. Does it show any signs of being worn or does it have a funny smell to it. If you have another laptop adapter of the same model try charging with it and see if its charging.
Power Management settings
Sometimes messing with the power settings can cause your laptop display the message plugged in but not charging. Normally your computer should be able to switch from the different power modes, saving mode, high perfomance mode and balanced without affecting the battery.
On ocassion the settings of the individual devices may affect the functioning of the how the battery measurement.
Just reset the power management settings to the operating system defaults
Updating Bios to fix laptop not charging
Another option you can try if laptop is still not fixed is to update your Bios drivers. These can easily be found on your manufacturer’s website.
If its a dell go to dell website on, drivers and support section.
You will need to identify the model of your computer. Note if you install the wrong Bios drivers it may cause serious damage to you computer.
You might also want about installing Dell drivers properly
You can find you laptop using either its service tag or identifying it on the list of devices.
First enter the service tag and you will be taken to the page with a list of drivers compatible with your computer.
- Select your operating system
- and under Bios tab
- Download the drivers
- Some models might not have new Bios settings,you can check and compare the version you have and the one on the website.
Overheating preventing charging
Physically touch the battery. Does the temperature feel normal or is it way too hot.
If the heat seems a bit higher than it should let it cool down. High temperatures affect the sensors and cause them to read incorrectly. Disconnect the battery and if you didn’t clean it as mentioned above now would be a good time. Dust may collect and become an insulator and cause your laptop to heat up. This will affect the transfer of the current on the battery
Connectors on the motherboard
If you are comfortable opening your laptop, check to see if the screws that connect the terminals to the main board are intact.
Some laptops are easier to open than others and also this will definitely void your warranty. Check for the manual to know how to open the laptop. If any screws are loose tighten them. If soldering is used to attach the terminals to the board you will need to do the soldering
Finally if you are at this end of the article your battery might be at fault and you may need to replace it. You can buy them relatively cheap from the Amazon website and dell websites if you are using a dell laptop.
Let us know in the comments below how you were able to fix your laptop’s plugged in but not charging issue.