Common problems

Laptop will not charge

You are watching the battery drop and the charger does not seem to be doing anything, and if it hits zero before a hand-in or a working day you are stuck. Take a breath, because a laptop that will not charge is one of the most common faults there is and it is usually one of three inexpensive things, not the whole machine. The trick is telling the charger, the port and the battery apart before you spend money on the wrong one. Tell us what it is doing and we will find the real cause for free, say plainly whether it is worth putting right, and give you one fixed quote before anything is opened. If we cannot fix it, you pay nothing.

Call 0113 460 2103 Book a free diagnosis

No fix, no fee
We come to you
The diagnosis is always free
A real person who does the work, not a call centre

What it usually means

The likely causes, most common first

The charger or cable has failed, or the wall socket is off, the cheapest thing to rule out first and easily mistaken for a bigger fault
The charging port is worn or cracked, so the cable no longer seats and only pulls power at a certain angle, if at all
The battery has aged out and will no longer hold or accept a charge, even though the charger is fine
The wrong or an underpowered charger is plugged in, which on USB-C can run the laptop yet never actually charge it
A stuck charging state, where the machine reads plugged in and not charging until the power is properly drained and reset
Less often, the charging circuit on the mainboard, which we prove before we ever name it

Not sure which is yours? That is what the free diagnosis is for. Call and describe it.

What we do

How we find the real fault

You tell us on the phone what you see, whether the charger light stays on, whether it says plugged in and not charging, whether it only charges held at an angle, or whether there is nothing at all, so we arrive ready for the right fault
We come to you across Leeds, at home or at work, or you can drop the laptop to us if that is easier
We rule out the charger and the cable first with a known-good unit, because there is no sense replacing a port or a battery that was never the problem
We check the port for wear and movement, and whether a barrel plug or a USB-C connector is loose in its housing or has cracked away from the board
We test the battery's real health and whether it is still accepting a charge, rather than guessing at its age
We work out whether your port is a bolt-in module that lifts out or is soldered to the mainboard, because that is what decides how big the job is
We prove the charging circuit before the mainboard is ever named as the cause
You get a fixed quote before any work begins, and if it cannot be fixed, or it is not worth the money, we say so and you pay nothing

Is it worth fixing?

An honest answer, before you spend anything

Nearly always worth a free look before you buy a replacement. The three usual causes, a charger, a worn port or a tired battery, all cost little next to a new laptop, and most machines that will not charge turn out to be one of them. A charger is the cheapest fix there is and a modular port lifts straight out, so those are easy yeses. The honest turning point is a port soldered to the mainboard on an older laptop, where the work is slower and more delicate and the machine may not have long left in it anyway. If that is where yours has landed we will tell you plainly, at no charge, so you are not spending repair money on a laptop that a replacement would serve better.

This is a laptop repair job. The diagnosis is free, then you get one fixed quote before any work starts. If we cannot fix it, there is nothing to pay.

Call 0113 460 2103 for a free diagnosis

Where we work

We come to you across Leeds

Home or work, Monday to Saturday, 9am to 7pm. There is no walk-in shop, so we come to the machine, or you can arrange to drop it to us. Start at computer repair in Leeds, or pick your area.

Questions

The things people ask

My laptop says plugged in and not charging. What does that mean?

It means power is reaching the laptop but the battery is not taking it in, which points at the battery or the charging control rather than the charger. On an older machine it is most often a battery that has aged out and will no longer accept a charge. Sometimes it is a stuck state that clears once the power is properly drained and reset, and occasionally it is an underpowered charger that can run the laptop but not fill it. Those are different fixes at very different costs, so the free diagnosis is there to tell them apart before you spend anything.

How do I know if it is the charger, the port or the battery?

From the outside you often cannot, which is exactly why people replace the wrong one. There are hints: if the charger light is off or the cable is frayed, start there, as it is the cheapest by far. If it only charges when you press or hold the cable at an angle, that points at a worn port. If the charger is clearly working and it still says plugged in and not charging, the battery is the likelier culprit. We work through them in that order, cheapest first, so you never pay to swap a part that was never broken.

The battery drains even while it is plugged in. Is that the same fault?

It is related but usually worse, and it tells us something useful. If the laptop runs down with the charger connected, the charger is not delivering enough power to keep up with the machine, which normally means a failing charger, a port that is barely making contact, or the wrong adapter for your model. On USB-C especially, a charger that is underpowered will hold the screen on while the battery quietly empties. Tell us that detail when you call, because it points us straight at the supply side rather than the battery.

Should I just buy a new charger and try that?

If your charger is a common type and you can borrow or buy a genuine one cheaply, trying a known-good charger is a fair first step and it is the same thing we would check first. Two cautions, though: use the correct adapter for your model, since an underpowered or wrong-voltage one can run the laptop without charging it or, worse, damage it, and if a new charger does not fix it the fault is the port or the battery, not something more chargers will solve. If you would rather not guess, the diagnosis is free and we will settle it in one go.

Can you fix it today?

Sometimes, and we will be straight with you rather than promise a slot we cannot keep. A stuck charging state, or a fault that a spare charger sorts, can often be dealt with on the visit. A charging port or a battery for your exact model is a specific part, and how soon it reaches us can take a few days, so anything hardware-led depends on that. Tell us what it is doing when you call and we will give you a realistic answer, not an optimistic one.

Is it worth fixing, or is the laptop too old?

It depends on the cause and the age of the machine. A charger, a modular port or a battery is almost always cheaper and quicker than a new laptop, so those are usually worth it. The point where we start being cautious is a port soldered to the mainboard on an older laptop, where the job is more involved and the rest of the machine may not have long left. If that is where yours is, we will tell you honestly rather than sell you a repair that is not worth the money, and you decide with the real fault and a fixed quote in front of you.

Sound more like one of these?

Tell us what is wrong.

Call and describe the fault. We will diagnose it for free, give you a fixed quote before any work, and if we cannot fix it there is nothing to pay. A real person who does the work, not a call centre.

Call 0113 460 2103 Book a repair