Chromebook won’t charge or turn on? Here is the Solution

Does your Chromebook not turn on or charge when you plug in the charger? Or is your device booting up but not charging? Unless there is a hardware problem with the laptop, charger or charging port, these problems are usually easy to fix and you may not even need to visit a repair shop.

1 Check battery and other hardware issues

If your Chromebook won’t turn on, first check for a battery hardware problem. If your battery is removable, remove it and run the device on direct power via the charger. If the laptop turns on and works normally with direct power, but won’t start on battery power, leave it plugged in to avoid completely draining the battery.

If the problem persists even after charging the device, the battery may be malfunctioning. In this case, you need to replace the battery to get your device working again. If your Chromebook won’t turn on or charge even with direct power, the problem may be related to the outlet, charger, charging cable, or charging port rather than the battery itself.

Check the charger and cable for visible damage and try using a different charger to rule out any issues with the original one. Try switching electrical outlets to make sure the problem isn’t with the outlet itself. Also clean the charging port on the laptop and the electrical outlet to remove any dirt or debris that interferes with the connection.

If your Chromebook turns on but won’t charge or shows a charging error, the problem may be hardware related. you may need to take your device to a technician.

2 Check the display

Your Chromebook may be on, but a display issue may be preventing you from viewing, indicating that the problem is with the screen rather than the device itself. So check for signs such as charging lights, keyboard backlight, LED indicators, or startup sounds. If it works but the screen remains black, it’s probably a display problem.

To verify this, connect your Chromebook to an external monitor or TV using HDMI or a USB-C adapter. If the Chromebook’s content is showing on the external display, the problem is with the screen. In this case, contact the manufacturer or local technician to repair the screen or display.

Before taking the next action, make sure that the screen brightness is not completely reduced so that it does not appear to be turned off. Press the brightness button a few times to see if the screen lights up.

3 Disconnect the external device and turn the Chromebook off and on

Do you have any external devices connected to your Chromebook, such as USB drives, keyboards, headphones, HDMI cables, or external storage? If so, these devices may be draining power and causing problems. To check if they are causing the problem, temporarily disconnect all external devices and turn your Chromebook back on.

If it turns on successfully, get in the habit of connecting external devices only after the Chromebook has fully booted up.

If disconnecting external devices does not solve the problem, try doing so and turning on the power. This simple reboot can help clear minor software glitches without affecting your data or settings. To do this, press and hold the power button for at least 10 seconds to completely shut down the Chromebook.

After turning off, wait 30 seconds and then press the power button again to reboot the device. This may solve any charging or booting issues you are having.

4 Perform a hard reset

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If your Chromebook won’t turn on, try a hard reset. This process will re-establish the connection between the battery and the Chromebook’s internals and resolve issues such as charging issues and display glitches. It forces a reboot and resets certain low-level hardware settings without affecting your data or personal settings.

To perform a hard reset, you must first turn off your Chromebook. Then press and hold the Refresh key (circle arrow) while tapping the Power button. After the Chromebook starts up, release both keys. Some Chromebook models have different hard reset procedures, so check Google’s official documentation for detailed instructions.

5 Try booting into Chrome OS recovery mode

If none of the solutions above work, the last option is to boot your Chromebook into recovery mode. This can help diagnose deeper problems or allow you to reset or reinstall ChromeOS. If the device is on, hold down the power button until it turns off completely. Then press and hold the Esc and Refresh keys and tap the Power button.

Once the device boots up, release the power button but hold the Esc and Refresh keys. This will bring you to the recovery mode screen.

If you see the message “Chrome OS Is Missing or Damaged”, there is a problem with your Chromebook’s operating system. To fix this problem, you need to restore it using a USB drive or SD card with a recovery image. You can create this recovery image using the Chromebook Recovery Utility on another device.

6 Perform a Powerwash

Powerwashing is the equivalent of factory resetting a Chromebook. It will erase all data and settings and return the device to its original state, like when you first bought it. Unlike a power cycle or hard reset, a wipe will erase all locally stored data, so back up any important files. This will also remove user accounts, files, apps and installed extensions.

How to powerwash a Chromebook:

• OPEN Settings and go to System Preferences in the left sidebar.
• Under Reset click on Reset button next to Powerwash. In the pop-up window, click on Restart. Then follow the on-screen instructions to complete the reset process.

If a software glitch is causing the problem, a powerwash will likely fix it.

The solutions above should help you identify and resolve the issue. However, if none of them work and the problem persists, then it’s probably a hardware related problem. To resolve this issue, have your device checked at an official store if it is still under warranty. If it is out of warranty, visit your local service workshop for further inspection.