My computer won’t turn on

Desktop computers

1. Check the power cable is firmly in both the computer and the wall or surge protector. Try a different outlet.
2. If your computer has a power switch on the back, make sure it’s on (the “I” side).
3. If lights or fans come on but the screen stays black, the problem may be the monitor. Check its power light, that its cable is firmly in both ends, and that it’s set to the right input (HDMI, DisplayPort, and so on).
4. Unplug everything except the power, monitor, keyboard, and mouse (USB drives, printers, and so on), then try again.
5. Unplug the power cable, hold the power button for 15 seconds, plug it back in, and try again.

Laptops

1. Plug in the charger and leave it for 30 minutes, even if no light shows. A fully drained battery can take a while to wake up.
2. Look at the charger’s light and the laptop’s charging light. If there’s no light, try a different outlet, and a different charger if you have a compatible one.
3. Unplug the charger, hold the power button for 15 to 30 seconds, plug it back in, and try again.
4. Disconnect everything plugged into the laptop except the charger.

What to note if it still won’t start

• Which lights come on, and what color.
• Whether you hear fans, beeps, or clicking.
• Any message on the screen, such as “Operating system not found” or “Boot device not found”. A photo of it helps.
• What happened right before: a power cut, a spill, a drop, an update.

Careful: Please don’t reinstall Windows or let a repair shop “reset” the computer until your files are safe. A computer that won’t start can often still have its files recovered, but not after it’s been wiped.

Good to know: If you can, avoid opening the computer yourself unless you’re comfortable with it. Static and loose parts cause more problems than they solve.