How to fix a Chromebook that doesn’t Charge

Typically, whenever our laptops and Chromebooks go off by themselves, there is a high probability chance that the battery power is out. That is if it wasn’t connected to a power source. At times we get the popup notifications that the battery percentage remaining is 10% before they shut down completely. At this moment, everyone will be forced to find a source of power and plug in the charger to prevent the laptop from shutting down.

But what if you connect the charger to your Chromebook, and it still doesn’t charge? You will be forced to look for a solution to that. This article will focus on solutions to this problem in Chromebooks. You will be guided on how to troubleshoot your Chromebook that isn’t charging. This problem can happen in two different situations;

• Troubleshooting a Chromebook that doesn’t charge but still has some power left
• Troubleshooting a Chromebook that is already drained out of power completely.

Chromebook won’t charge; the battery is drained

In this section, we will look at the various ways of troubleshooting a Chromebook that is out of power (drained battery) and still won’t charge. Typically, such situations occur when your Chromebook was on a low battery and left overnight. When you wake up in the morning and try turning on the device, it won’t turn on and won’t charge on the other hand. Below are some of the steps you can carry out in such incidences:

Step 1. Ensure the charger is plugged into a functioning outlet:

The first thing to check is always the charger. The AC adapter is made up of two parts. The flower cable and the adapter. The flower cable is connected to the wall outlet and plugged into the adapter. The has one end connected to the Chromebook. Ensure that every part is mounted and connected correctly. Many are times; we think that the AC adapter is plugged in the socket, yet it’s not.

In other cases, the AC adapter might have been plugged in a socket that is not functioning. It’s good to confirm that. It’s advisable to check that you are using a working outlet, such as a socket where your television is plugged in. If all the above is okay and the Chromebook is still not charging, there is one last test you can carry out to ensure that the charger is OK. Try using a friend’s charger that is similar to the model of your Chromebook.

Step 2. Confirm the LED indicator light functionality

When the charger is connected correctly, the battery indicator LED should be visible. Generally, if it’s charging, the light should be amber. In situations where you’ve connected your charger and the visible light is green, give it time to turn to amber before trying to power it on. If the indicator light doesn’t turn, wait for a while because the battery might have been completely drained. It would be best if you also watched out to ensure the laptop’s bottom part isn’t heating up, for it might do more harm to the machine.

Step 3. The embedded controller (EC) reset.

Your Chromebook might as well not respond to the charger simply because it’s frozen. In this case, an Embedded Controller reset should be performed to unfreeze it. Ensure that when doing that, your charger is still connected to the laptop. An embedded controller reset is carried out by simultaneously pressing and holding the Refresh and power buttons for around 3 seconds. If, while doing this, your laptop boots up, then it means your problem is solved. If your laptop is still cold after doing this, then it’s time to take it to the tech experts or professionals.

Chromebook not charging but still has power

Here, make sure to attempt the instructions above for ‘checking if the charger cables are connected’ before you try these other ways.

1. Completely power down your Chromebook and close the lid.
2. Unplug the charger from the wall and your laptop.
3. Go on and reconnect your charger to the Chromebook and plug the AC adapter into a functioning wall outlet.
4. Make sure the lid remains closed.
5. Look at the LED light indicator. If it turns to amber, then it’s charging. Allow it to charge with the lid closed for an hour.
6. Try to switch on the laptop.

If, after all these, the issue is still unresolved, then we can try troubleshooting with the steps below:

1. Perform the EC reset.

Press and hold the Refresh and power buttons for 3 seconds. Your laptop will boot; try to charge it afterward. If it still doesn’t charge, then move to the next step.

2. AC adapter charge verification.

The charging process of Chromebooks is always straightforward. It can tell you if the AC adapter is pushing current to your Chromebook’s battery. Follow the steps below:
a. Plug the adapter to the wall outlet with the flower cable and connect the other one to your laptop.
b. If the laptop is still off the turn it on.
c. Press Ctrl + Alt + T combination to open crosh.
d. Execute the command below:

battery_test 1

Battery test

e. Check results to see if the battery is charging or not.

It should say “battery is charging’ if indeed it is charging. If it’s not charging, unplug the adapter from the wall outbreak and inspect it for physical breaks. If it looks OK, try a different charger if available or go to the nearest tech shop.

3. Check the discharge rate of the battery.

Here, we are looking if the battery is still good or bad. The health of a battery. Some of the points you need to take note of include:

• If the battery health is more than 50%, then it’s within the expected wear limits.
• If the battery health percentage is equal to or less than 50% and the battery is less than a year old, it is outside the expected wear limits and might need replacement.
• If the test show battery is unknown, then it needs replacement.

How to check the health of your battery in your Chromebook.

1. Disconnect the AC adapter from your Chromebook.
2. Power on the Chromebook and sign in to your account.
3. Close any open apps and tabs and reduce screen brightness to the lowest level.
4. Open Chrome browser and type chrome://extensions in the URL.
5. Disable every single one of the extensions by toggling every blue switch located at the lower right of each extension to gray.
   

   Extensions

6. Open crosh on your machine by simultaneously pressing Ctrl + Alt + T keys.
7. Execute the command below

   battery_test 1

   

   Battery test

8. Depending on the results, you can decide whether you have to need to replace your battery or not.

Conclusion

I hope this article has given you a straightforward guide on troubleshooting a Chromebook that is not charging. If it doesn’t charge even after carrying out all the procedures outlined above, you might consider taking it to a professional for further checks and repair. Feel free to share with our readers which method worked for you in the comments below.