Chromebook Won’t Charge – How To Fix

Every now and then, a Chromebook might refuse to charge. Hardware issues are usually to blame in such situations, but the software might cause charging problems too. Let’s see how to deal with a Chromebook that won’t charge.

Hardware Issues

A Chromebook, like any other electronic device, might encounter battery charging issues and stop charging regularly. When you see that your Chromebook takes an unusually long time to charge or completely refuses to charge, you should examine the hardware before resorting to software fixes.

Unplug the Charger and Plug It Back in

If your Chromebook refuses to cooperate and charge the battery, you should disconnect and reconnect the charger. It is surprising how many times this simple thing does the trick.

1. Unplug the charger from both the wall and your device.
   
2. First, plug it back into the Chromebook, then plug it into the wall.
3. Give your Chromebook 30 minutes.

Check the Power Cord and Charging Port

Next, you should check whether the charger and the cord are okay. Oftentimes, a Chromebook won’t charge because the cable is damaged or the charger is malfunctioning. Look for any signs of physical damage.

If everything is fine, you should inspect the charging port. Also, check whether there’s dust, dirt, or any other type of debris within the port. If there is, clean it and reconnect the power cord. Also, you might want to use a spare power cord, if you have one, to further test the charging port.

Check the Battery

You might also want to inspect the battery in these cases, but this isn’t an option for everyone.

If the battery is difficult to remove or if removing it would void the warranty, it is best not to touch it. However, if it is replaceable and accessible, you should inspect it. Look for the signs of physical damage. Also, check whether it’s swollen or hot.

If you have a spare battery, you might want to try replacing the original one to see whether the problem goes away. Have in mind that laptop and tablet batteries have a limited number of charge cycles they can withstand before they start deteriorating. It’s possible that the battery in your Chromebook is simply nearing the end of its life.

Software Issues

If there’s nothing wrong with the hardware, you should proceed with software troubleshooting methods. Here are some of the potential solutions.

Reboot

Sometimes, overflowing cache memory or minor software bugs and glitches might influence your Chromebook’s ability to properly charge. To rule this possibility out, you should reboot your device. Here’s how it is done.

1. Turn off your Chromebook.
   
2. Press and hold together the Power and Refresh buttons on the Chromebook’s keyboard.
3. Keep the Refresh button pressed until the device boots up.

In case you have a Chromebook tablet, here’s how to reboot it.

1. Press together the Power and Volume Up buttons and hold them for 10 seconds. If necessary, keep them pressed longer.
2. When the tablet boots up, release the keys.

However, some laptop models might have special reboot sequences and procedures. Refer to this page for a complete list of laptops that need to be rebooted in a special way (the “Other ways” section). Follow the instructions under your Chromebook’s brand and model name.

After the reboot, check whether the charging light comes on. If the reboot didn’t solve the issue, try it once more. After the second reboot, unplug the charger from both your device and the power outlet. This time, plug it back into the power outlet first and then into the Chromebook. If this method proves successful, you should charge your Chromebook for an hour. If it’s not, move on to the next method.

Reset to Factory Settings

In case you have enough battery juice left, you might want to consider a factory reset at this point. Before you reset your device, you should back up important data to an external hard drive or to Google Drive, and then sync your account settings with your Google account.

Sync and Backup

To synchronize your account settings, follow these steps.

1. Exit to Home screen and click on the time.
2. Click on Settings in the pop-up menu.
3. Go to the People section.
4. Next, go to the Sync tab.
5. Pick what you’d like to synchronize.
6. For additional security, you can go to the Encryption Options section and set a password that will protect and encrypt all your synced data.

Save Files to Google Drive

If you don’t have an external hard drive at hand, you might want to save important files to Google Drive. Here’s how to do it.

1. Browse for the file you’d like to save.
2. When you find it, right-click on it and select Save. Alternatively, click on it and press Ctrl and S on your keyboard.
3. Give your file a name and, optionally, change its file type in the drop-down menus.
4. Finally, select a folder on Google Drive where you’d like to save your file and click the Save button.

Repeat this process for every important file you’d like to upload.

Factory Reset

Now, let’s get to the factory reset. Follow these steps.

1. Sign out of your device.
2. Go to the Home screen and click on the time.
3. When the menu pops up, click on the Settings. It’s at the bottom of the menu.
4. Click on the Advanced button on the left-side menu in the Settings window.
5. Select the Reset Settings tab.
6. Next, select the Powerwash option.
7. Select Restart.
   
8. Pick the Powerwash option once more in the next dialog box.
9. Chromebook will perform the factory reset. When it boots up, sign in to your Google account.
10. Follow the setup wizard.

Try charging your Chromebook again.

You Can Always Ask Google

In case none of the above methods helped, you might want to contact your Chromebook manufacturer or Google support.

Have you ever had charging issues in the past? How did you solve them? Have we missed the solution that helped you? If so, share it in the comments section below.