Laptop is Overheating When Charging: 8 Ways to Fix It
Simple yet effective solutions to this frustrating problem
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Key notes
- The laptop is overheating when charging issue can be caused by a faulty or outdated graphics card.
- One quick and effective way to fix this issue is to run the built-in power troubleshooter.
- You can also solve this overheating problem by updating your BIOS and changing your power settings.
Users of laptops know all too well the stress they face when their Windows 10/11 laptop is overheating either when charging or on battery. This can cause problems not just for themselves, but also for any laptop.
In general, when the temperatures within the laptop case rise to excessively high amounts, the risk of damaging important internal components of the machine also increases.
One of the top common causes of overheating is an accumulation of dust within the laptop or inadequate cooling. Some signs of overheating, include games stopping during gameplay and Windows not responding while using it.
In extreme cases, you may experience frequent fatal exceptions or General Protection Fault error messages depending on which Windows OS you’re using. When your laptop is overheating when charging, it may not be an issue of dust, but it shouldn’t be ruled out.
Sometimes you could have added an extra hard drive which causes the power supply to work harder and generate extra heat. This article looks at the causes and solutions when your laptop is overheating when charging.
Why does my laptop overheat when charging?
This isn’t a brand-specific issue, and both Dell and HP devices reportedly overheat while charging. If your laptop adapter gets hot you need to disconnect it and check if it’s working properly.
It’s normal for your laptop to get hot, especially when charging, but if the laptop overheats when playing games, it’s possible that it needs cleaning.
Another cause can be damage to your battery, and if your laptop battery isn’t charging at all, you should look into replacing it.
Is it OK to use a laptop while charging?
There is nothing wrong with using your laptop while charging. Your laptop has power options for usage when it is plugged in and on battery.
Also, you don’t have anything to worry about in terms of overcharging, thanks to the battery’s mechanism. This is especially true if your battery is made of lithium-ion.
How do I fix the laptop if it’s overheating when charging?
1. Preliminary checks
Before trying any other solutions for the laptop overheating when charging issue, check that the air vents are clean and clear. Sometimes, electrical components in the laptop generate heat as it runs, which can easily damage the same components.
Laptops have vents in the bottom and sides to remove heat, allowing air to flow through the case. If these are blocked, the fan cannot cool the components properly hence they spin much faster.
To remove dust, first shut down the laptop, remove the battery, unplug the power strip, and use a can of compressed air to blow dust out of the area inside the vents.
When the computer is turned on, place it on a hard, level surface keeping the vent areas unobstructed. Using your notebook computer on a cloth surface can block the airflow and cause overheating.
If you have a lot of software open on your computer, your computer works harder and generates more heat. Reduce the amount of heat by increasing the efficiency of your computer.
2. Get a laptop cooler/cooling pad
If you are facing the laptop overheating when charging on HP, ASUS, Lenovo, Surface or other laptop types, you should consider getting cooler. A laptop cooler is supposed to provide additional cooling assistance.
Before you buy a laptop cooler or a cooling pad, understand how air flows in and out of your laptop. This is because many laptops take in cool air from underneath. So it won’t make sense to get a cooler that sits at the bottom of the laptop, as it will accelerate overheating.
If your machine has intake grills underneath it, get a cooler or cooling pad that will blow the cool air upwards and into the machine. Another option is to get a passive cooler that won’t use up much power but just absorbs heat.
3. Run the power troubleshooter
- Click the Start icon and type troubleshoot in the search bar.
- Select the Troubleshoot settings option.
- Choose the Additional troubleshooters option.
- Click the Power option.
- Finally, click the Run the troubleshooter button and wait for the scan to complete.
Running the power troubleshooter detects and fixes issues that can be causing the laptop is overheating when charging issue. It adjusts your computer’s power settings, as it checks stuff like your laptop’s timeout settings.
This setting also determines how long the machine waits before it turns off the monitor display or goes into sleep mode.
4. Reinstall graphics driver
- Press the Windows key + I and select Device Manager.
- Click the arrow next to the Display adapters option to expand it.
- Right-click on the driver there and select Uninstall device.
- Click the Uninstall button to confirm the action.
- Finally, click the Scan for hardware changes icon at the top and your PC will reinstall the driver.
Some users have noted that when the laptop is overheating when charging, the problem turned out to be the GPU or graphics card, which gets too hot (not because of dirt or dust, or blocked vents).
- Download and install the Outbyte Driver Updater app.
- Launch the software and wait for the app to detect all incompatible drivers.
- Now, it will show you a list of all faulty drivers to select the ones to Update or Ignore.
- Click on Update & Apply Selected to download and install the newest versions.
- Restart your PC to ensure the applied changes.
OutByte
Keep your GPU in a flawless state without worrying about possible driver issues.5. Change the power plan of your laptop
- Press the Windows button, type control, and select Control panel.
- Click the Hardware and Sound option.
- Select Power Options.
- Click Create a power plan in the left pane.
- Now, choose your preferred power plan.
If your laptop overheats when plugged in but runs fine on battery, you might need to look at your power settings.
For example, if you leave your laptop on when not using it, you can change the power setting to turn off your monitor when it is not being used. This can help keep your computer running at a cooler temperature and solve the laptop overheating when charging problem.
6. Update your laptop BIOS
One of the main functions of the BIOS is to monitor the temperature and adjust the operating conditions. While the sound of the fan running always can be annoying, it may be the first clue that your computer is running as efficiently as possible.
To help your computer run as cool and efficiently as possible, update your laptop’s BIOS.
Once laptops are released, an updated BIOS may be distributed to manage the fan, CPU power loads, and other components. This can help you fix the laptop overheating when charging issue
To know if there’s the latest BIOS update check the website of the manufacturer for a newer version.
7. Check if BIOS is set to Hybrid
This function lets the laptop draw power from the battery when the machine needs more power than the AC can provide. This can be a design flaw, or your laptop just has cheap parts.
But the hybrid charge will seriously reduce your battery life. You can try disabling the hybrid battery behaviour in the system BIOS and see if it solves the laptop overheating when charging issue. If it does help, replace your AC with a larger capacity AC.
8. Identify corrupt processes using Task Manager
- Press the Windows key + X and Task Manager.
- Select the Processes tab.
- Click the CPU column header to sort the processes by CPU load.
- Right-click on any process that is using high CPU resources and select End task.
Consistent CPU load can lead to your laptop overheating when charging, as it causes heat buildup. This forces the fans to run continuously to maintain operating temperatures.
This heat can be caused by corrupt software or malware, which consumes CPU time between 1 and 100 percent of the CPU.
Should I unplug my laptop when fully charged?
You should always unplug your charger from your laptop when it is fully charged. In fact, it is recommended to do so before it gets to 100 percent.
The recommended level to unplug your laptop is 80 percent and you can plug it again when it is down to 40 percent. This is to elongate the battery life and get the best out of your PC.
The laptop overheating when charging issue is dangerous, as it can lead to bigger problems. Fortunately, it is a problem that is pretty easy to fix, as shown in this detailed guide.
If you want to know how to fix overheating problems in Windows 11, check our detailed guide to do it effectively.
Have you tried any of these solutions and they worked? Or do you have other suggestions that worked for you that aren’t listed here? Let us know by leaving a comment in the section below.
