You press the power button and nothing happens. Or the lights come on, the fan spins, but the screen stays black. When a laptop won't start, it's easy to assume the worst, but many causes are simple to check at home.
Here's a step-by-step guide from We Fix Phones N More to help you figure out what's going on with your Windows laptop or MacBook.
Plug something else into the outlet to make sure it works, or try a different outlet. Avoid power strips while testing. Look over the charger cable for frays, kinks or a bent tip, and make sure both ends are pushed in firmly. Many chargers have a removable cord between the brick and the wall, and that connection can work loose.
Most laptops have a small light near the charging port or on the charger. If it doesn't light up, the charger, cable or charging port may be the problem. If you can borrow a compatible charger, try it.
A battery that's been completely drained, especially after sitting unused for weeks, may need time on the charger before the laptop will start. Leave it plugged in for at least 30 minutes, then try again.
Unplug the charger and hold the power button for 15 to 30 seconds. This drains leftover power and can clear a stuck state. Then plug it back in and press the power button normally. If your laptop has a removable battery, take it out for a minute before trying again.
On a MacBook with Apple silicon, press and hold the power button (or Touch ID button) for about 10 seconds, release it, then press it again. Older Intel MacBooks have a System Management Controller (SMC) reset. Apple's support site explains the right steps for your model.
Sometimes the laptop is actually on, but the display isn't showing anything. Look and listen for clues:
If so, try turning up the screen brightness. On a Windows laptop, pressing the Windows key, Ctrl, Shift and B together restarts the graphics driver and can bring back a blank screen. You can also connect an external monitor or TV with the right cable. If the picture shows up there, the problem is likely the laptop's screen or its connection rather than the whole computer.
If you see the logo and then an error, a spinning circle that never ends, or a restart loop, the hardware may be fine but the software or storage drive is having trouble. Unplug any USB drives, docks and accessories, then restart. Windows may offer automatic repair after a few failed starts. Macs have recovery options built in.
Be careful with any repair tool that offers to reset or reinstall the system. Some options can erase your files. If your files aren't backed up, stop and get help first. Our post on hard drive warning signs explains what a failing drive can look like.
Stop trying to power the laptop on and bring it in if you notice:
A laptop that won't turn on usually still has your files on its drive. In many cases, a technician can recover documents and photos even if the laptop itself isn't worth fixing. If your files matter, tell us up front and ask about our data recovery services. Once the laptop is working again, set up automatic backups to an external drive or cloud service.
If these checks don't bring your laptop back to life, our computer repair technicians can test the charger, battery, charging port, screen and internal parts, then explain what we find in plain language. We work on Windows laptops and MacBooks, and our repairs come with a 90-day warranty. Visit We Fix Phones N More at 801 County Line Rd in Horsham, or call 215-323-4750.
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