How to Fix No Battery Detected in Windows?

Majority of Windows users usually own a laptop as compared to PC owners around the world. With laptops, users get the flexibility to use Windows wirelessly and on the go. But like all other portable devices out there, there are numerous issues which develop over time. One of these is where there is no battery detected on the laptop.

This comes as an error message when you click the battery icon on your laptop. Now this means two things; either there is a hardware issue i.e. your battery is defected or too old to be used or your software is causing trouble. In this article, we will look at all the reasons as to why this occurs and what the possible workarounds are to fix the problem.

How to Fix No Battery Detected on your Computer?

After receiving numerous reports from users, we started investigating and after combining all the use cases and our research, we came to the conclusion that the issue was also mostly related to software even though it may seem it is of hardware. Some of the reasons why you experience this issue are but not limited to:

Before we start with the solutions, make sure that you are logged in as an administrator. Also, save your work beforehand as we will be restarting your computer quite often.

Note: Before we proceed, make sure that the battery is properly connected to your computer. The connectors on the battery and the computer should match and you should hear a ‘click’ sound when you insert the battery it its place.

Solution 1: Power Cycling your Computer

Before we start with any other solutions, we will try to power cycle your computer. Power cycling is the act of completely shutting down your computer, disconnecting all of your peripherals and draining the power of your computer. The draining of power helps reset all the temporary configurations of your computer and also help in fix any small hardware issues. Follow the steps below to power cycle your computer:

1. Turn off your computer completely by shutting it down and disconnect the power cable.
2. Now, take out the battery of your laptop by sliding the levers or pressing them depending on your model.

   

3. Press and hold the power button for around 5-8 seconds. All the power will be drained from your computer. Let the laptop sit for around 4-5 minutes.
4. Now, plug everything back in and start your computer. Check if the issue is resolved and the battery is detected.

Solution 2: Enabling the Battery in Device Manager

As with all other hardware devices connected to your computer, your battery is also controlled with its driver. The device manager also grants the option to the user to disable the battery manually by disabling the driver. When you disabled the driver, the battery will refuse to be detected. Here, we will navigate to the device manager and enable the battery and check if this resolves the problem.

1. Press Windows + R, type “devmgmt.msc” in the dialogue box and press Enter.
2. Once in the device manager, look for the tab of batteries. Expand it.

   

3. Now, right-click on the driver and click on Enable (if it is disabled).
4. Restart your computer completely and then check if the battery is detected properly.

Note: You can also perform Solution 1 after performing these steps.

Solution 3: Checking Power Adapter

Normally, the majority of the users think that the power adapter supplying power to your computer isn’t related to the battery in any way except charging it. This is a wrong assumption; the power adapter charges your battery while also providing power to your computer. If the power adapter isn’t charging your battery, it might get drained completely and might not show on your computer.

In this solution, you should make sure that you are indeed using the required adapter for your computer. It should be noted that adapters with the same pin as your original one (which came with the laptop) doesn’t necessarily mean both are the same. Each power adapter have different power rating which are designed for specific laptops. If you are using a third-party power adapter, consider changing it and then check if this solves the problem.

Solution 4: Updating Battery Drivers

If all the above methods don’t work, we can attempt at updating the battery drivers manually. Usually, Windows is responsible to automatically update your battery drivers whenever a Windows Update is released. Even though Windows may seem like a reliable OS, it can’t be relied upon when it comes to driver updating.

Windows Update module is notorious for not updating drivers especially battery drivers. Follow the steps below to make sure that you have the updated drivers out there. Before we update the driver, we will try to install the default ones. If the default ones don’t work, we will move on to updating them.

1. Press Windows + R, type “appwiz.cpl” in the dialogue box and press Enter.
2. Once in the application manager, open the category of Batteries, right-click on the driver and click on Uninstall Device.

   

3. Now, Windows will automatically uninstall the driver and the entry will vanish. Right-click on any empty space and click Scan for hardware device. Now, the operating system will automatically install the latest drivers out there for your computer.

Perform Solution 1 and check the status of the battery again. If it still refuses to be recognized, follow the steps below to update the drivers.

1. Navigate to the battery entry in your device manager as we did earlier.
2. Now, right-click on the driver and click Update driver. Now you will be given two options; either to update automatically or manually where you select the driver file. We will cover both.

   

3. To automatically update the drivers, just click on the option and the process will start. Make sure you perform Solution 1 after it’s done.

   

4. To manually install the driver, you can either click on the second option or download the driver from the manufacturer’s website and install it by executing the executable.

After updating the drivers, check if the battery is recognized on your computer.

Solution 5: Cleaning Battery Connecting Points

If none of the above methods work and you are still unable to detect the battery on your computer, we can move ahead and try cleaning the connecting points. The connecting points on your laptop are responsible for connecting and transmitting power from your battery to your laptop. If these are dirty or dust is accumulated, the connecting process will not work. Follow the steps below to clean the connecting points. If you are uncomfortable in doing so, find someone technical to do so.

1. Power off your computer and take out the power cable. Now, remove the battery according to your model.
2. You will instantly notice the connecting points present. Take a bit of alcohol and apply it on earbuds. Now, gently apply it on the connectors and make sure that there is no dust accumulated.

   

3. When the connectors are clean, put everything back in and power on your computer.
4. Check if the issue is resolved. If it isn’t, proceed to the next solution.

Solution 6: Checking Health of your Battery

If you are using the battery for quite a while on your computer, it is recommended that you check its health whether it is even able to work. Normally, an original (stock battery which comes with the laptop) battery should work for around 2-3 years. After this period, it will slowly start depreciating, reducing the battery life every day until it becomes completely used up.

Hence if you are using your battery for quite some while, it is recommended that you consider replacing your battery and see if the issue gets fixed. You can try inserting another working battery on your computer and see if it gets detected. If it does, it will help us in troubleshooting whether the issue is indeed with the battery. If it doesn’t, it probably means there is some issue with your laptop.

Note: Make sure that you insert a battery which is meant to be used by your laptop. If you insert another battery of another model, it might prove harmful and even damage your computer.

Solution 7: Updating/Resetting BIOS to Default Settings

We have kept the resetting of BIOS at the end of the article because it is very technical and if done wrong, can render your computer useless. BIOS is the main component in your computer which connects your input-output devices and then loads the operating system.

We came across instances where the BIOS was not updated or wasn’t working properly and because of this, users were not able to see their battery being detected. We recommend that you perform this solution after all alternatives are exhausted. Furthermore, if you are not confident, you can get a technical friend to help you out.

Note: Make sure that you don’t interrupt the update process because if you do, your computer can get bricked and may not be usable at all. Below are some of our articles to help you get started. It is wise to make a backup of all your settings and data beforehand.

How to Update Gateway Desktop or Laptop BIOS

How to Update Dell BIOS

How to Update BIOS on A HP Desktop/Laptop