What to do if your Surface Go won’t charge

The Surface Go is a 2-in-1 laptop and tablet with a battery that can last up to about nine hours. However, there might be times when the Surface Go’s battery doesn’t charge for a small minority of users.

Then users can still utilize the SG when it’s plugged in, but the laptop will turn off when unplugged. These are a few resolutions that might fix a Surface Go that doesn’t charge.

Solutions to fix Surface Go charging problems

1. Shut Down the Surface Go and Charge it

If the Surface Go doesn’t charge up when it’s on, try shutting down the laptop instead of restarting. Select the Shutdown option on the Start menu. Then charge the laptop for more than half an hour.

This will also help when faced with a black screen on Surface Go 3.

2. Open the Power Troubleshooter

Window 10 includes a Power troubleshooter that can come in handy for fixing laptop battery issues. To open that troubleshooter, press the Type here to search button on the taskbar.

• Input the keyword ‘troubleshoot’ in the search box.
• Click Troubleshoot to open the window shown directly below.

• Select Power and press the Run the troubleshooter button.
• Thereafter, the Power troubleshooter window will open and might apply fixes automatically. The troubleshooter might also provide some guidelines for users to follow.

3. Update your drivers

Outdated or damaged drivers might be the source of this problem. You can fix that by installing the latest drivers for your PC.

To ensure the right versions will be installed, we recommend using professional third-party software that downloads and installs the drivers after it performs a deep scan of your computer.

This is the safest and easiest option because a dedicated driver updater eliminates all risks that come with installing a mismatched driver.

It will also detect whether you have any damaged or missing drivers on your PC and install/fix them upon your approval.

Another notable benefit of using professional tools is that they can automate most of the tasks and you can set them up to do regular driver scans and updates, so you won’t have to think about this again.

4. Reinstall the Battery’s Driver

Some users have confirmed that reinstalling the battery driver can fix Surface devices that don’t charge. So that resolution might fix the Surface Go’s battery charging. This is how users can reinstall a battery driver in Windows 10.

• Open the Win + X menu by pressing the Windows key + X hotkey.
• Select Device Manager to open the window in the snapshot directly below.

• Double-click the Batteries category.
• Then right-click Microsoft Surface ACPI-Compliant Control Method Battery and select Uninstall device.
• Press the Uninstall button to confirm.
• Press the Scan for hardware changes button in Device Manager to reinstall the battery driver.
• Alternatively, users can also restart Windows 10 to reinstall the battery driver.

5. Check for Windows 10 Updates

Microsoft sometimes releases patch updates that can fix batteries on Surface devices. So it might be worth manually checking if there are any Windows 10 updates. Follow the guidelines below to check for Windows 10 updates.

• Open the Cortana app.
• Enter ‘updates’ in the search box.
• Then click Check for updates to open the window in the shot directly below.

• Press the Check for updates button. Thereafter, Windows will then automatically install available updates.
• A restart might also be required to install the available updates. If so, click the Restart start now button.

6. Charge the Surface Go With the Surface Connect Charger That Came With it

The Surface Go is a device users can charge with a Power Delivery charger via USB-C port. If a third-party charger doesn’t charge the Surface Go, try charging it with the Surface Connect charger that cane with the SG. It might be the case that the third-party charger isn’t compatible with the SG.

Alternatively, users who can’t charge the SG with Microsoft’s Surface Connect charger can get a new, compatible third-party charger. The Anker’s PowerPort Speed 1 is among the best third-party wall chargers for the Surface Go. Note that the Surface Go charger should provide more than 15 watts.

7. Unplug all Connected Devices

A connected peripheral or accessory might prevent the battery from charging correctly. As such, make sure there aren’t any USB sticks or other peripherals connected when charging the Surface Go.

The mouse doesn’t usually have any impact on battery charging, but unplug that as well. In addition, remove SD storage cards from the SG.

If the above resolutions aren’t enough to fix a Surface Go battery that doesn’t charge, check if the laptop is still within its warranty period. The standard warranty period for surface devices is one year.

Users can return their Surface Go laptops to Microsoft for repairs within that warranty period. If Microsoft can’t fix the battery charging either, users should be able to get a replacement for a Surface Go that’s still within warranty. Alternatively, users can also contact Microsoft support.