Is your Chromebook not charging? Are you frustrated?
You don’t want to send it in for repairs.
Who wants to pay for service and deal with shipping costs and the inconvenience of not having a laptop for a bit?
Who even knows if it’s still covered under warranty?
You’ve plugged in your Chromebook. The LED light stayed solid orange. It’s supposed to be charging, right?
You leave it alone for a few hours.
You pop open the lid ready to get something done.
You notice that the battery indicator is red with about 1% of battery left. You may even get the low battery notification warning.
What’s going on?
There’s an easy fix for that. Keep reading for your solution. Save yourself the trouble.
Last updated: 1/9/22. Updated for accuracy.
Why does this happen?
It’s likely because your Chromebook “forgot” about the connection between the chipboard and battery.
Why it exactly happens? I have no idea. I just know that some brands and models get this issue more so than others.
Regardless, the fix is the same. There’s one universal blanket fix that should take care of the problem and get your Chromebook charging again.
It should work for the majority of Chromebooks.
Sometimes the motherboard can’t detect the connection to the battery and unplugging it and then re-plugging it “fresh resets” the connection. Other times, the battery connector gets loose and the mobo doesn’t see an active battery.
If your Chromebook won’t charge…
Here’s what you need to do.
Warning: This involves plugging and unplugging cables.
Be sure to take proper precautions when working with electricity.
In other words…exercise common sense.
Things you’ll need:
- Small Phillips screwdriver
- Clean work area
- Optional: Anti-static gloves and grounded mat
Step 1: Turn off your Chromebook.
Unplug it from the power outlet if you have it plugged in.
Make sure you take the actual power cord out of the laptop body itself.
So now all you should have is the Chromebook without any wires, USB drives, SD cards, headphones, power cables, or anything else attached to it.
And it should be shut off.
Step 2: Place the laptop on your workstation. Flip it upside down.
You should also put on your anti-static gloves and ground you anti-static mat at this point. Electrical components are extremely sensitive to static discharge, which can ruin the internals.
Step 3: Get your screwdriver.
Remove all the small screws and keep them somewhere safe so they don’t get lost. Put them into a container so they don’t roll off.
Step 4: The Chromebook’s bottom panel should now be unlocked.
Use your fingers (no tools) and pop the panel out of the laptop. It’s secured by small clips all around the body, but a little force (from your fingers) will pop it open.
Step 5: Remove the bottom panel very slowly and gently with your fingers.
There’s wiring that connects the motherboard and power supply that can be easily damaged if you remove the panel too quickly.
Be extremely careful when you’re taking it apart. Place it somewhere safe.
Step 6: You’ll now see a few parts that look completely foreign if you’re not used to computer’s internals.
A lot of people will get scared at this step. Don’t worry. I’ll keep this simple.
Look for a bunch of wires that are multicolored. It almost looks like a rainbow of wires grouped together.
On this image, they’re the multicolored wires to the very right (circled in red):
You can refer to this picture to help you locate it. Look at number 7 on the image. It’s directly to the left of it. Keep in mind that your layout may look different, but should be somewhat similar. It’s the only bunch of wires connected to the battery.
Step 7: After you’ve found these wires, you’ll have to unplug them.
It’s very easy to damage it, so be very gentle.
Slowly pull the white connector out of the chipboard (motherboard). The connector is where all the wires combine into that white brick that houses them. This is what you need to unplug.
This will disconnect all of the wires at the same time (and the only way you should be doing it). Don’t pull each individual wire out of the connector. Pull the entire connector out of the motherboard. Never pull on any wire. Only pull on the connector. Nothing else.
See the image below for the connector (circled in red):
Step 8: This is where you may get confused since it goes against popular belief.
Don’t be afraid. I mean, you already made it this far, didn’t you? You can do it. Take a break and get back to it.
Plug the power cable (the one that connects to the Chromebook and the wall outlet) back into the laptop. Then plug the other end into the wall.
Yes, you’ll be charging your Chromebook with the bottom panel off and the wires unplugged. Be careful when working with any electricity.
Don’t touch any wires, chips, your Chromebook, or anything else while it’s charging.
Let it charge for about 1 minute.
Look at the LED light. It should change color to solid red or orange (amber). Different brands and models show different colors, so there’s no universal color guide.
But most Chromebooks should have the same color signal.
The color signifies that the Chromebook can’t detect any battery. What we’re doing here is “refreshing” the internal memory to re-detect the battery again.
Step 9: After you’ve seen the LED color change, unplug the power from the wall outlet and remove the cable from the laptop.
Step 10: Now, you’re going to connect the wiring you unplugged before.
Gently grab the white connector and plug it back into the motherboard.
It should sit into place snuggly. Make sure it’s plugged all the way in by giving it a firm, but gentle, push.
Step 11: Take your bottom panel cover and place it back on.
It should clip back into place as you use some force with your fingers to get it to snap around all the edges.
Step 12: Use your screwdriver and drive the screws back into place.
Step 13: Take your power cable and plug it back into your Chromebook.
Plug the other end into the wall outlet.
Step 14: Turn it on.
It should now be charging and showing the correct LED light status.
Let it charge completely before you unplug it. You can use it when it’s charging. It should now be ready to go.
Replacing the battery
Sometimes even after reconnecting the cable to the battery doesn’t fix the charging. You may have a depleted battery that needs to be replaced.
All laptop batteries are made to last for a few years, and over time electrical resistance will make it hold less charge or take longer to charge.
The laptop may also drop battery percentage quickly. It can also charge abnormally.
This is when you’ll notice that your Chromebook takes forever to charge or the battery barely lasts.
If your laptop is new, I’d suggest getting in touch with the retailer where you bought it from and exchanging it. You can also use the manufacturer’s warranty, which typically runs for a few years after you bought it.
The battery could be a dud, or it could’ve been poorly assembled with a loose cable.
Practicing good usage habits like powercycling your battery can help maximize performance.
A note on the LED power indicators and what they mean
Your Chromebook is equipped with those solid or blinking lights to tell you what’s going on with the power status.
- A solid yellow orange or amber light means means that your Chromebook is charging.
- A solid blue light means that it’s done and the battery is full.
- Both the amber and blue lights mean that it’s on and charging at the same time.
This varies depending on the model.
You can use these light indicators to help identify the current power state of the laptop. If you plug it into an outlet and no lights come on, there could be a problem with the battery, battery cable, or device itself.
You can try these alternatives to diagnose and resolve the problem:
- Try a different wall outlet
- Borrow an identical charger and use it
- Make sure that the Chromebook is fully powered off (hold down the Power button for 6 seconds to force shut down)
- Turn up the brightness using the hotkey command (it could be on the lowest setting)
- Close the lid, plug it into the charger, and then open it
- Ensure that the battery cable is properly connected between the power supply and battery (it can get lose)
The 20-80 rule
You’ve heard the saying of keeping it between 20% to 80% charge for preserving the battery health. If you’ve done any research, this is the common belief.
Batteries don’t like to be fully charged or fully depleted. A middle range is ideal. This keeps the battery happy.
You basically charge it when it nears the 20% mark. Then you pull out the charger at 80%. Some devices do this automatically nowadays, including Macs or Lenovo computers.
It takes you a few seconds each time. But it compounds. One day of charging it to full or fully draining your battery won’t do much harm (actually it depends on how long you keep it in that state- read up on “deep discharge.”). But constantly doing it will wear it down. It’s the compounding effect of optimizing the battery over time that pays off.
But then again, some people don’t have time for it. When the battery wears down, it may be more time efficient to just replace it or get a new Chromebook! Weigh the time you spend optimizing the battery life compared to just replacing it when it’s out.
Get up and get going
Congrats!
Your Chromebook should now charge. You did it.
If you’ve found this helpful, please consider leaving a comment or telling a friend. If you have any questions, leave a comment and I’ll get back to you ASAP.
My 2 yr old Chromebook (XE350XBA) won’t charge after it died 2 days ago. Should I get a new battery or a new charger?
Hi. My chromebook died 2 days ago and I plugged it to charge and won’t charge at all. No LED lights whatsoever. Should I get a new battery or a new charger?
I followed all the steps. When plugged in with the back panel open, it never came up with red/ orange LED. It just kept blinking green. When power cord unplugged, it blinked green for a second or two and then no light. What does that mean? Is the battery bad or is it the motherboard? I just want to know if its worth spending anything on the battery. I already spent $15 on a new power adapter since that was my first thought. Appreciate if you can help in any way.
Hey DG,
From the info you provided, this sounds like it’s an issue with the battery being unable to charge properly, discharge properly, or hold a charge. Depending on how old it is and the battery usage, it could be a battery that’s struggling to hold a decent charge because of resistance buildup over time.
Perhaps you can try running the battery test to see the readout:
Press “CTRL + ALT + T”
Type “battery_test” (without the quotes) and hit Enter.
Do you get an error? Does the Chromebook see a detectable battery? How’s the battery condition?
If you double-checked that the cable from the battery to the motherboard is plugged in, chances are that it’s an issue with the battery.
And you’re still under the original warranty, it may be worth it to send it in for a replacement (from the manufacturer or retailer). Otherwise, a replacement battery may be the cheapest way to fix it.
You may also find these articles helpful:
Replacing a Chromebook battery
Maximizing battery performance
Let me know if you find out the problem!
Thanks.
This is very interesting I got mine wet in the battery shows charged but when I unplug the charger it goes out so it’s like it thinks it’s not charged also the keyboard doesn’t work I can use the voice input and the on-screen keyboard but anyway this makes a lot of sense thanks
Followed the steps when o got to the plug it in to the lap top then in to the wall let set should turn red it didnt what does this mean
Hey Matt,
Is the light blinking or solid? Does it only light up when you plug in the charger?
Thanks.
I posted something asking for help on google’s actual support site and got insulted, so you seem like a much better option. I’d do exactly what you said in the article, but the problem for me is that there’s a heat shield covering the battery and most of the internal components. I tried to unscrew it to take it off and one of the screws wouldn’t turn and I stripped the screw trying to take it out. Do you have any advice? I’d really appreciate it.
Hey Seth Barricklow,
Heat shields are definitely in the minority of Chromebooks and the few times that I’ve come across them, they came out OK (though, one did have a missing screw).
First, you’d want to make sure you’re taking all the necessary safety precautions before doing this and that your battery is fully discharged. Please be careful and consider the hazards (both for you and your Chromebook) before you decide to move forward. Proceed at your own risk.
If the screw is stripped, you could try using a screw extractor to pull it out. Since the screws are tiny, you may have a tough time trying to pry it out. Let alone working with sensitive electronics and a power source could give you a bad time.
You also want to be extra careful to not damage the Chromebook or the battery. A screw extractor can remove stripped screws, but it usually needs some space to work with in order to do so. Most hardware stores sell manual screw removers that look like a stainless steel screwdriver.
This does require some experience or else the screw could get even more “stuck” when used incorrectly. You’ll need to be dexterous and precise. Drilling into the battery or wrong component is an electrical hazard. Do you know how stripped the screw is? Is there anything left to clasp?
If you’re inexperienced, I’d throw it over to a local computer repair shop. If you just need the stripped screw removed, they sometimes do it for free (or a very low cost).
Just be sure to be careful!
Please let me know if you have any other questions.
Thanks.
Is this the same problem if my Asus is not charging at all when I use the OEM charger, but it does charge at low speed when I se my phone charger? (it is not the OEM charger not working, since it does work on my other laptop)
Hey csmb,
Does the connector work OK? Did it just “stop” working all of sudden? Or was it over time where the system wouldn’t charge?
Thanks.
Hi Andy, thanks for the detailed guide.
Unfortunately, it didn’t do the trick for me.
To give more context of my case:
ASUS Chromebook Flip C302C
Purchased refurbished. Upon check got the “battery not found” error in CROSH terminal.
Naturally, it shuts down instantly when the power cord is off but works normally when plugged in.
The battery is flat and looks brand new and authentic, as well as other internal components.
Opened it up, unplugged the battery from MB, plugged the charging cable, got LED lights blinking:
orange-orange-orange… waited 10-15 minutes
Unplugged charging cable, plugged the battery back to the MB, plugged charging cable back, LED lights are now blinking:
orange-orange-GREEN…
The battery is still reported missing by CROSH.
Thanks!
Hey levasha,
Any idea how old the Chromebook is? You can often find the manufacture date on the bottom panel.
Typically, the batteries only last for about 2-3 years before they start showing wear from my experience. Depending on how the unit was handled by the previous owner(s), the battery may be in very poor condition.
Lithium batteries will suffer permanent damage when discharged completely before they’re recharged. Repeating this over and over will limit the capacity each time. Other things like running the machine hot, never power-cycling, or even leaving the battery in an idle state can totally wreck it.
In your case, if the battery is reported missing entirely by the Crosh shell, I’d suspect that there’s definitely something going on with the connectors or the OS simply not picking up the battery through a reinitialization. The embedded controller may need to be hard reset:
Completely shut off your Chromebook (as in using the power-down function, not sleep).
Hold the Power and Refresh keys for at least 10 seconds.
Release both keys. Your Chromebook will restart automatically. (If it doesn’t hit the Power key again.)
When it boots back up, the EC will attempt to look for all peripherals- keyboard, touchpad, battery, screen, etc. This may resolve the problem.
If not, I’d suggest either getting a refund for a defective unit if you’re still in warranty. Or replacing the battery if you’re sure the issue lies with just the battery (not a mobo defect).
Please let me know if the EC reset worked! Or if you’ve found another solution!
Thanks levasha.
what does it mean if the light keeps flashing and dosen’t turn solid? Do I need a new charger port?
Hey grammashirl,
What color does it flash? Does it flash when it’s completely powered down also? Does it only flash when connected to the charger?
Any specific details you provide may help facilitate a resolution!
Thanks.
It keeps flashes orange (longer than a minute) for me when the battery is unplugged but the wall charger cable is on and Chromebook is on.
Hi Andy, I followed your instructions and took the back case off. Unplugged the battery connector and plugged it back into the mains. Unfortunately, all I get is the led flashing green and orange. It doesn’t go to a solid colour (Samsung XE303). Any ideas? Thanks
Same problem Mikey, followed the above easy steps, blue light comes on, then the orange one…… it just keeps on blinking. Tried it twice. no results 🙁
Hey Andy, I have an Acer CB3-111. Tried the above. All lights correct and battery_test 1 in crosh says its charging but % never goes up. Any ideas?
You are the Man, Andy! I did exactly like you told, just had to find a proper way to unplug motherboard connector as it’s plugs down, not slides in, in Samsung Chromebook plus. I gently pushed it up with small flat screwdriver (could use some plastic thingy instead though), and then pulled it off. The went along your instructions. After all was put back together I plugged charger as instructed and could start using it right away. It stays on versus when it would just show 1% charge and shut down after 2 seconds. My battery looks very good so it certainly wasn’t a problem.
Before that I tried different solutions to fix the issue (https://thedroidguy.com/2019/01/troubleshoot-samsung-chromebook-pro-isnt-charging-1077803) but nothing worked.
All hail Andy the great ! 🙂
Hey Igor,
Thank you so much for the kind words. I’m stoked you got it fixed and saved yourself some nice cash rather than buying a new one just because of the connector. And double props for going in and trying it! Now that’s taking initiative and exactly what the world needs more of!
Wasn’t too bad to fix, was it?
If you run into any problems with your Chromebook (battery-specific or not), let me know and I’ll gladly help you out!
Thanks again for the kind words! This is why I write.
It took me about 10-15 min, most of the time spent trying not to lose those tiny screws. If I’d went to a repair shop it would cost at least $83 plus whatever parts they decide they were needed. It would also take few days before it’ll be done. You know, Andy, for the good advice like yours I wouldn’t mind pay a few bucks. Got a PayPal account?
Hey again Igor,
That’s exactly the kind of mentality that’ll get you places.
Spend a few minutes reading, executing, and DIY will save you time, money, and you’ll acquire a new skill. I’m just thankful that you got it working and that someone out there took the execution from this article and got some benefit out of it!
And just from that- I’m super thankful enough. No donation is needed, but I thank you kindly and sincerely appreciate your offering! Just pay it forward and help out someone else =]!
Thanks again, Igor. Should you ever run into other issues with your Chromebook, again, I’ll be glad to help you out.
So far is the best looking advice I found to fix not charging issue. I think my battery is good based on other tests, charger is good based on that I tried different cables/chargers and nothing changed so I think it’s internal glitch with connector. Even just reconnecting it to the battery again might help. I don’t know for sure but I’m going to try it tonight. Thx!
How much would it cost to bring it somewhere to have them do it? I prefer to not try it myself in case I break something.
Hey Charles,
I would expect anywhere from $30+ depending on how much labor and parts it takes to fix it. You should definitely do a search for something like “computer repair [your city]” to find a nearby repair center and call them for a quote.
But if you’ve purchased it within the last year or so I think Google has a warranty for their Chromebooks that covers any defects. You should definitely use this if possible because a lot of times they cover everything. Shipping may be charged through and it can be expensive, so watch out for that.
Let me know if you have any other questions.
Thanks.
Hi Andy,
My 3 year old Asus C300 Chromebook was not charging – battery icon would show 1%, but wouldn’t increase. I opened it, removed the battery and put it back in (following instructions on a different website), after which the Chromebook was completely dead – no icon, no LED light, nothing. I’ve since left it plugged-in over-night, power-cycled it, and followed the instructions above. Nothing. My question is whether it is likely now a brick, or whether it is worth taking it somewhere for repair (parts/labor obviously would exceed replacement cost quickly). Thanks.
Hey there,
It definitely sounds like it’s bricked at this point.
Assuming that you put everything back together just like you found it and it’s still not working, then it’s beyond any amateur repairman’s (me) capabilities.
It’s hard to tell if it was the battery itself or if there was some other issue. If it got stuck at 1% just out of nowhere, I doubt it’s a battery issue. Even though the batteries in these laptops are pretty decent (good amount of charge cycles), they’re still not amazingly good. But if it were the battery becoming resistant, it would be a gradual thing rather than a sudden thing. But then again, you said you power-cycled it so the battery was fully charged at some point, yet you got no response from it. So it could also be the battery. Again, it’s hard to tell.
Personally, I wouldn’t send it in for repairs. I’ve heard from other readers here that repairs are actually pretty expensive and it’s not worth it (just like you assumed). You can see the comments in this post for reference. At this point, it’s well-beyond the warranty period so you’re free to experiment with it. You can order replacement batteries from third-party vendors on eBay and attempt to replace the battery. Just be careful.
If it doesn’t work, you’re out a few (dozen) dollars, and you’ll know it wasn’t the battery at fault.
If it works, you get your Chromebook back (and some satisfaction).
But if you’re not feeling the urge to experiment, I’d just use that money towards a new Chromebook (there are a lot of newer laptops with all sorts of fancy features and whatnot), and use that one as an oversized paperweight.
Let me know if you have any other questions. Just leave a comment and I’ll get back to you ASAP =].
Thanks.
Thanks, Andy. I really appreciate the quick response and the insights. That all makes sense given what I’ve observed, and I’m definitely leaning towards the replace option at this point. BTW, your page had by far the clearest and most complete instructions for testing, repair etc., that I found anywhere online! I’ve bookmarked it for future reference. GM
Hey again,
I’m super glad you found the reply (somewhat) helpful. I tried to be as detailed as possible given the information you provided, so again, I’m very glad you got something out of it.
If you do decide to replace it with a newer laptop, it’s definitely a wise choice because Chromebooks have seriously come a long way. If you haven’t been keeping up with them, newer versions have all these nifty little features about them- everything from military-specced durability to an all-aluminum body. It’s really crazy to look then and now. I know I’m rambling. I’ll stop now.
And thanks for your kind words. This is why I write =].
If you have any questions (or you do decide to upgrade), don’t be a stranger around these parts. Feel free to leave a comment.
Thanks again.