Why is the power button on my laptop not working?

If your laptop computer wont power up, it might be broken and need repair. Some of the time, though, the problem isnt your computer at all its your power supply. Other times, your battery is dead. And, finally, it could just be that your computer is fine, but it just isnt responding to the Power button.

A Dead Battery

Just because you think your computers battery is charged doesnt mean that it actually is. Its entirely possible that your plug slipped out of the wall or out of your computer while it was supposed to be charging. On the other hand, many computers dont really turn off when you turn them off, and keep drawing power from your battery.

Fixing a dead battery is easy to do. Plug your computer into its power supply, wait a few minutes and power it up. If this works, the battery was the problem.

Dirty Battery Terminals

Sometimes, the terminals for your laptop computers battery get dusty or dirty and it doesnt make contact. If this happens, your computer wont run on battery power and wont turn on if you dont have its plug. To solve the problem, remove the battery.

Remove the battery by flipping your computer over to access it and finding the spring-loaded switch that holds it in. Hold the switch and lift the battery up or slide it out. The terminals will be in a small block somewhere on the battery that correspond with metal fins or pins on your computer. Use compressed air to blow them clean and wipe your computers contacts with a soft cloth.

Reinsert the battery, wait a minute or so, and try to turn your computer on.

A Dead Power Supply

If your laptop wont start up because of a dead battery and the battery wont charge, you could have a dead power supply. To test your power supply, plug it into your computer and see if the battery light is lighting up. If it does, the power supply might not be the problem.

If it doesnt, make sure that your power supplys power cord is tight sometimes the cord that goes from the wall to the power supply gets loose. If the cord is tight, try the power supply with another compatible computer or try another power supply with your computer theyre not that expensive to buy. If you figure out that your power supply is the problem, youll either need to buy a new one or have a replacement sent under your laptop computers warranty.

When Computers Wont Respond

If your laptop computer wont respond to a button press or to anything else, it could be that its locked up. The power on most notebook computers isnt like a wall switch. It can physically cut the power, but it also sends commands, including the command to go to sleep or to wake up. Sometimes, you need to really reset your computer to make the power button work.

Unplug your computers power supply and remove its battery using the above procedure. Hold the power button down with your finger for at least 30 seconds, but you can also hold it for more, if youd like. Two minutes is probably more than enough and five minutes is definitely more than enough. This will clear out any stored charge in your computer.

Release the power button, and plug your computers power supply back in [assuming that you know the power supply works]. You dont need the battery yet. Wait a minute or so, then hold down the power button to turn it on.