Windows 10: Battery stuck on 3% remaining, plugged but not charging. Any solution?

Yesterday I had to use my laptop unplugged because I had no other choice. I was distracted so I didn't notice power percentage until battery drained to 0% and turned off by itself. When I plugged it in and turned it on again, it booted as usual, but power shows "Battery Status: 3% remaining" And it won't go up. Apparently it "charged" during certain hours but it didn't go up, it's still stuck in 3%. Is there anything I can do? I've already tried updating/reinstalling battery drivers. Troubleshooting the battery shows no problems, and according to the Energy Report my battery my battery health

:)

 

Plugged in but battery does not charge

If the laptop works without the battery then charger is functioning correctly. Take a cloth with a bit of rubbing alcohol on it (or some on-the-go alcohol swabs), and clean the metal contacts that connect your battery to your laptop.

Make sure to install all Windows important updates.

Install latest versions of your laptop device drivers you can download the latest device drivers from the device manufacturer or from your laptop manufacturer website.


Step 1

1. Shutdown your laptop.

2. Remove the battery.

3. Connect the AC power adapter to your laptop.

4. Power on the laptop

5. Open the Device Manager by typing Devmgmt.msc into Start Menu or from Control Panel.

6. Under the Batteries category, right-click all of the Microsoft ACPI Compliant Control Method Battery listings, and select Uninstall (it’s ok if you only have 1).





7. Shutdown the laptop.

8. Insert the battery.

9. Power on the laptop.

If above suggestions wont resolve the battery charge issue then follow below steps.




Step 2

1. Shutdown the laptop.

2. Remove the battery.

3. Start the laptop with only AC adapter connected to laptop.

4. When you login to Windows OS connect the battery while Windows OS working.





Step 3

Reset the System Management Controller. Use one of these methods to reset the SMC, which controls battery management, battery status light.

1. Shut down the computer and disconnect the power cord.

2. Remove the battery.

3. Press and hold the power button for ten seconds.

4. Reattach the battery and AC power adapter, then start up the laptop.


Hopefully one of the above suggestions will help you resolve the battery not charging problem. If battery still doesn't charge, you may need to replace your battery.

 

Battery plugged in but not charging.

Thanks erpster4,
Yes, I have read most, if not all, of the old threads. There seem to be a dozen or more possible solutions but none that is guaranteed to work under all circumstances. At the moment my battery is showing 100% charge at the battery icon. When I go into F2, the battery information shows AC Adapter Unknown (a Dell Adapter) and battery health normal on 99% Charge.
When I go into F12, Diagnostics, it shows AC Adapter as 1 Watt (the actual adapter is 130 Watt).
As I have been running the laptop with the adapter plugged in for a number of days now I have just unplugged it and will see what happens when I plug back in with the battery having partly discharged. The one suggested solution I have not attempted is to update the BIOS as doing this can, I read, cause more problems than it solves. By the way, all the Dell diagnostic tests I run show everything in the best of health. Clearly the diagnostic tests themselves need a diagnostic test.

 

Battery Won't Charge Fully

Make sure to install all Windows important updates.

Install latest versions of your laptop device drivers you can download the latest device drivers from the device manufacturer or from your laptop manufacturer website.


Step 1

1. Shutdown your laptop.

2. Remove the battery.

3. Connect the AC power adapter to your laptop.

4. Power on the laptop

5. Open the Device Manager by typing Devmgmt.msc into Start Menu or from Control Panel.

6. Under the Batteries category, right-click all of the Microsoft ACPI Compliant Control Method Battery listings, and select Uninstall (it’s ok if you only have 1).





7. Shutdown the laptop.

8. Insert the battery.

9. Power on the laptop.

If above suggestions wont resolve the battery charge issue then follow below steps.




Step 2

1. Shutdown the laptop.

2. Remove the battery.

3. Start the laptop with only AC adapter connected to laptop.

4. When you login to Windows OS connect the battery while Windows OS working.





Step 3

Reset the System Management Controller. Use one of these methods to reset the SMC, which controls battery management, battery status light.

1. Shut down the computer and disconnect the power cord.

2. Remove the battery.

3. Press and hold the power button for ten seconds.

4. Reattach the battery and AC power adapter, then start up the laptop.


Hopefully one of the above suggestions will help you resolve the battery not charging problem. If battery still doesn't charge, you may need to replace your battery.