Why is my laptop charging percentage not increasing?

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Does your original battery discharge correctly, but never recharge to a higher percentage? If your battery will not recharge at all, but will still discharge correctly, you are likely experiencing a problem with your charge system. Most commonly this means your adapter is beginning to fail, or you have damaged the power socket on the side of the computer where the charger plugs in. In more rare cases you could have experienced a failure in the charge circuit on the motherboard.

Does your battery correctly discharge and recharge even though it does not reach 100%?

If your battery will discharge and recharge, but gets stuck at a percentage less than 100%, you may have a failed cell in your battery, a problem with your power management settings, or a software calibration issue

Battery Report:
Windows can generate a “Battery Report” which will show the design capacity and the current capacity of your battery. For Apple users, you can find your battery health statistics in System Settings > Hardware > Power. These two numbers will almost always be slightly different, but you will be able to see if there is a substantial reduction in capacity. If the disparity is great enough your computer will recommend that you change the battery. If the short runtime bothers you a new battery will help.

Power Management:
Some research has shown that the total service life of a battery can be extended by not fully charging and discharging the battery. In some cases, your laptop will have a power management tool that can be set to restrict the amount of charge the computer gives the battery. If your computer offers this feature it is a wise idea to make sure the settings have not been changed to restrict the charge to a lower percentage.

Software Calibration:
There is also a chance that the computer's battery software is no longer correctly calibrated. This can be a result of swapping between batteries often, not rebooting your computer often enough or simply installing a new battery. Sometimes your laptop can have trouble distinguishing between a new replacement battery and the older worn out battery. The new battery usually is charging to 100% even though the power gauge software doesn’t correctly represent this.

Often with new batteries, the operating system is unable to correctly measure the charge in the new battery. Your battery may be fully charged, but the power gauge is giving you a false reading. This can be because of some stored data relating to the former battery. If your laptop battery is not charging to 100% you may need to calibrate your battery.

Laptop Battery Power Cycle:

1. Power down the computer.
2. Unplug the wall adapter.
3. Uninstall the battery.
4. Press and hold the power button for 30 seconds.
5. Re-install the battery.
6. Plug in the wall adapter.
7. Turn on the computer.

If the “Power Cycle” did not help, a full “Re-Calibration” might be needed. Below are the directions for calibrating the battery software:

Note: If your computer will not recharge the battery at all this calibration will not help. This process may cause the battery to fail permanently if you are unable to recharge the battery immediately following the discharge.

Laptop Battery Calibration For Windows:

1. The goal is to run the battery to zero percent, and for the computer to shut off without going to sleep or going into hibernate mode.
2. Unplug your laptop from the wall.
3. Change the “Power Plan” > “On Battery” > "Put the Computer to Sleep" settings to “Never.”
4. If you cannot find these settings you can turn on an internet radio station, and let it play until the computer shuts off. (This is not effective in all versions of Windows)
5. After the computer shuts down, plugging in the AC adapter should be required to turn the machine back on. Once the computer starts a message will appear asking if you would like to start in “Safe Mode.” Restart Windows normally.
6. Leave your computer plugged in and charge it all the way from 0% to 100%.
7. Remember to change your Power Scheme settings back to what they were.

Laptop Battery Calibration For Mac:

1. Charge your battery to the highest percent available.
2. Leave the laptop plugged in for 2 hours after you reach the topmost charge percentage.
3. Unplug the AC adapter and use the computer until it forces the machine into hibernation mode.
4. Let the computer stay in hibernation mode for 5 hours.
5. Recharge the battery from 0% to 100%.

If the re-calibration is performed correctly and does NOT fix the problem a new battery should correct the issue.

Does your laptop say its charging to a certain percentage but turn off as soon as you unplug the AC adapter?

If your computer shuts down immediately after unplugging the AC adapter, your battery has failed completely. The most common reason this happens is that the battery ran out of power completely. If a laptop battery runs to 0% and does not get recharged right away the computer will not allow that battery to be used again. Laptop batteries have a computer chip inside each battery. This chip monitors the battery status and requests a charge from the laptop when required. The chip requires a small amount of energy from the battery to continue functioning. When the battery loses all charge the computer can no longer communicate with the battery, and as a safety precaution, the computer will not allow electricity to be sent to the battery. Without the software in the chip to restrict the flow of electricity there would be a potential fire threat, so the laptop refusing to use the battery is a safety feature. Unfortunately, this is a non-fixable state, and a new battery is the only solution. If your original battery still charges and discharges but your Xtend replacement battery will not, the new battery may have run to 0% or it may be a defective unit. This may be an indication that you need to replace your AC Adapter. It is more difficult to charge a new battery than it is to charge an older "broken in" battery. If your AC adapter is not outputting the correct amount of power you can run your computer, and charge an old battery, but you may be unable to charge a brand new battery. If neither battery will recharge, you are most likely experiencing a failure in the laptop charge system (AC adapter, charge port, or motherboard charge circuit).

If your new battery will not charge the following chart may help you troubleshoot your problem.

It's not uncommon for a Windows 10 laptop to display the wrong battery percentage. Perhaps the battery percentage isn't decreasing or simply isn't accurate. This could be a fault with the battery hardware or the Windows software. We'll show you how to fix it and get it to display the right battery charge level.

Also, if you've ever found yourself with a laptop unexpectedly shutting down, even when you seemingly had enough battery left, this will help you fix the problem.

Laptop Batteries Don't Last Forever

Not every laptop battery is created equal. A laptop battery has a set capacity, determined by the milliamp-hour (mAH). Simply put, the higher the mAH value, the more power the battery can hold. It's common for more expensive laptops to have better batteries, but check your manufacturer's specifications if you're unsure.

The amount of time that your laptop will stay on without requiring more charge depends on how you use the laptop. Having the screen at full brightness, watching videos, and running lots of programs are all things that will drain the battery quicker.

That said, no matter how lightly you use your laptop, the total capacity of the battery will always decrease over time. Every battery has a specific number of charge and recharge cycles. They also get affected by environmental factors like heat.

Related: How to View Your Laptop's Battery Cycle Count

Of course, no battery will last as long as it did when you bought the laptop. Typically, you'll notice a reduction in battery run time after 18 to 24 months.

You can use battery health tools to get a better understanding of how your battery is fairing.

Battery Time Remaining Is a Prediction

Before you read the steps below to try to sort out the battery reading provided by Windows, you should understand how it's calculated because it might not off the mark in the first place.

The battery time estimate provided by Windows is an estimate. It's based upon what your laptop is currently doing and assumes it will continue doing that.

If you are watching a video, playing a game, or doing something intensive like that, Windows will estimate a reduced number of remaining hours.

However, if you stop playing the game, decrease screen brightness, and only open a Word document, the number of hours left on the battery will shoot up.

The figure can also change without you actively doing anything, like if a program is installing updates in the background.

So, if the remaining hour count jumps around a lot, that might be normal. But if your laptop suddenly turns off at 30% charge, there's a problem.

1. How to Calibrate Your Laptop Battery

If your laptop battery meter displays an incorrect percent or time estimate, the most likely way to solve it is by calibrating the battery. This is where you run the battery down from a full charge to empty and then back up again.

This process won't give your battery more power or increase its life but will instead allow Windows to provide an accurate reading.

1. Adjust Your Power Plan

1. To start, right-click the battery icon in the taskbar. Click Power Options, then click Change when the computer sleeps from the left menu.
2. Take note of your existing settings here because you will need to put them back later. Change all the dropdowns to Never and click Save changes.
3. Click Change advanced power settings. Expand Battery, then expand Critical battery level. Take note of the current percentage for later. Click the On battery percentage and set it as low as possible.
4. Expand Critical battery action and ensure that On battery is set to Hibernate. If it isn't, click to change it.
5. Once done, click OK to save the changes.

2. Charge Your Laptop

Plug your laptop in and charge the battery to 100%. You can still use your laptop when doing this.

When it gets to 100%, stop using the laptop and wait a couple of hours. You want the battery to cool down. It'll also account for any extra charging that might need to happen if the 100% reading is inaccurate.

3. Unplug Your Laptop

Take your laptop off charge and let the battery drain. Again, you can use your laptop during this time. You need to wait until the laptop completely runs out of power and turns off. When it has, let it rest for a couple of hours.

4. Charge Your Laptop Again

Plug the laptop back into power and charge the battery to 100%. Go back into the Windows power plan settings, following the previous instructions, and set everything back to how it was (or adjust them to something new, if you want.)

The battery percentage provided by Windows should now be accurate. If it isn't, try the other steps below.

2. How to Reinstall Battery Drivers

Your battery drivers might be missing or corrupted and therefore causing an incorrect percentage reading. This can also help if your laptop is plugged in and not charging. Let's reinstall them.

1. Press Windows key + X and click Device Manager.
2. Expand Batteries, and you should see Microsoft AC Adapter and Microsoft ACPI-Compliant Control Method Battery.
3. Right-click on Microsoft ACPI-Compliant Control Method Battery and click Uninstall device. Wait for this to complete.
4. Once done, from the top menu, click Action > Scan for hardware changes. This will reinstall the driver. Restart your computer when it's finished.

3. How to Update Windows

You should always keep Windows up to date to keep your system protected and benefit from the latest features.

There's an issue with Windows where the battery percentage that displays when you hover the battery taskbar icon is one percent different from the number that shows when you click it. This is usually solved by updating Windows.

Related: How to Restore a Missing Battery Icon on the Windows 10 Taskbar

To ensure your laptop is running the latest version of Windows:

1. Press Windows key + I to open Settings
2. Click Update & Security.
3. Click Check for updates. Any available updates will automatically download and install.

Extend Your Windows Battery Life

Hopefully, this has helped you understand your Windows laptop battery reading and fix it if necessary.

If your laptop battery is getting old and not providing much juice, you should use custom Windows power plans to save energy and extend battery life.

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