How To Fix A Lenovo Laptop That Won’t Turn On?(6 Fixes)

Lenovo has become a renowned brand in electronics. It offers a wide selection of laptops for all purposes from gaming to everyday use and is considered one of the top laptop manufacturers in the world. 

How to fix a Lenovo laptop that won’t turn on? Firmly attach the power adapter and the power cable, check that the power cable isn’t loose/damaged/burnt, try using a different wall outlet. Make sure to only use an original Lenovo charging cable and adapter. Reset your laptop.

1. Unplug the power cord and any connected devices.
2. Find a paper clip.
3. Locate the Emergency Reset Hole on your laptop.
4. Press and hold the Reset Hole for about 10 seconds with the paper clip.
5. Power your laptop back on.

As reliable as Lenovo laptops may be, there are some issues that may arise from time to time. One common issue is the laptop not turning on. We have the full rundown on issues with Lenovo laptops that won’t turn on and how you can resolve them. 

Why Is My Lenovo Laptop Not Turning On?

There could be numerous reasons why your Lenovo laptop won’t turn on. The most common are as follows:

• The laptop battery is dead.
• Laptop overheats. 
• Improper shutdown, which causes a change in registry and the performance of the system. 
• AC adaptor issues, not providing sufficient voltage to the laptop. 
• Software/hardware issues.
• BIOS issues.
• The cables are faulty/not properly plugged in.
• The issues with the power button.

Identifying the cause of the problem can help you resolve it faster. Otherwise, you will have to try different methods until one works. But there is no need to panic if your laptop won’t turn on because there is likely to be a solution. 

How To Fix A Lenovo Laptop That Won’t Turn On?

You can find various issues behind why your Lenovo laptop won’t turn on as well as how to resolve them. 

1. Check for Overheating

The internal mechanics of the laptop produce a lot of heat. With excessive use, there comes a point when the heat is damaging to the internal hardware. Therefore, the internal thermal protection turns the laptop off, to protect the hardware. 

 If your laptop shuts off by itself, won’t turn on, and feels hot, it is most likely due to overheating. In such case, you should do the following:

1. Set your laptop aside, make sure it is not in direct sunlight. 
2. Don’t try to turn it on, let it cool down for an hour.
3. If the laptop has a removable battery, remove it. 
4. After an hour put the battery back in (if you’ve taken it out) and turn the laptop on. 

The laptop should turn on. To prevent overheating in the future, make sure the laptop vents properly and you don’t cover the vents while the laptop is in use. 

2. Check the AC Cable/Adapter

One of the easy things to do is to inspect your AC cable/adapter/plugs and see if they are damaged, look burnt, twisted, or have dirt on them. They won’t provide your Lenovo laptop with sufficient power this way.

You can also test whether your AC cable is providing your laptop with enough power by doing the following:

1. Plug the AC cable into the port of your laptop.
2. Locate the power status indicator light(next to the AC cable).
3. If it is on, it means your cable is working. If not, check the power outlet and the power adapter.

Here is how to check if your charger is faulty:

1. Take out the laptop’s battery if possible. 
2. Remove any plugs connected to the laptop, that includes USB, AC adapter, and so on. 
3. Hold down the Power button for about 30 seconds.
4. Plug in your battery only. (leave the charger out).
5. Try to turn on your laptop.
6. If your computer turns on, it means you have a faulty charger.

Tips:

• Try using a different wall outlet.
• Make sure to only use an original Lenovo charging cable and adapter.
• Firmly attach the power adapter and the power cable. Check that the power cable isn’t loose.

3. Check for Battery Issues

It is common for a laptop battery to lose its effectiveness or stop working at all with usage and time. If your laptop turns on while plugged into the charger, but doesn’t with just the battery then you need to replace the battery. To be sure, you can:

1. Take out the laptop’s battery if possible. 
2. Remove any plugs connected to the laptop, that includes USB, AC adapter, and so on. 
3. Hold down the Power button for about 30 seconds.
4. Plug in your charger only. (leave the battery out).
5. Try to turn on your laptop.
6. If your computer turns on, it means you have a faulty battery.

The only solution is to have the battery serviced or replaced. When you perform this test, make sure that you charge the battery beforehand. 

4. Check for Residual Power Issues

The residual power is the leftover power from when you last turned the laptop off, stored in its capacitor. At times, residual power can result in issues with the laptop turning on due to a power glitch. In such a case, you need to do the following:

1. Take out the laptop’s battery if possible. 
2. Remove any plugs connected to the laptop, that includes USB, AC adapter, and so on. 
3. Press the power button 10 times repeatedly. 
4. Press it once more, but hold it down for 30 seconds this time. 
5. Connect the AC adaptor to the laptop and press the power button. 
6. Let the laptop load completely and then shut it down properly. 
7. Put the battery back in the laptop and turn it on. 

If the method doesn’t work the first time, try it again. If it still doesn’t work then you can try the next method. 

Tip: Try using a surge protector instead of plugging your laptop directly into the wall. You might also consider changing your battery or your charger at this point.

5. Reset Your Laptop

Lenovo has a reset button on most of its laptop models. The button gives you a chance to refresh the laptop and resolve common issues like it not turning on. To do this, you need to do the following:

1. Remove the battery and disconnect the AC adaptor from the laptop. 
2. Disconnect all other devices connected to the laptop. 
3. Turn the laptop upside down and look for the emergency reset hole. It is a small hole usually by itself on the backside. 
4. Using a needle, press the button.
5. Turn the laptop around and power it on. 

Tip: If your laptop doesn’t have a dedicated reset button, substitute this step for pressing and holding the power button on your laptop for 60 seconds.

The reset method fixes most issues when it comes to the black screen issue and the laptop not turning on. 

6. Use the Recovery Mode

This method is similar to the previous ones we have talked about and can help if the reset didn’t work for you for some reason. Some Lenovo laptops, like mine,  have a pinhole button on the side called NOVO next to the AC cable which can help you access the recovery mode.

If you can power on your laptop using this button, it means that you are having some issues with the power button itself and need to contact Lenovo customer support for further assistance.

Now that we have discussed all the general tips applicable to troubleshooting the Lenovo laptop that won’t turn on, it’s time to discuss a few other occasions on which your laptop isn’t turning on properly.

Lenovo Laptop Won’t Turn On Power Button Flashing

The blinking power light on your Lenovo laptop is an indication that the laptop is in sleep mode. The thing you can do to fix it is simply open and close the lid of the laptop a few times which should make your Lenovo laptop come out of sleep mode by itself. If not, try resetting it as mentioned in the steps below:

1. Unplug the power cord and any connected devices.
2. Find a paper clip.
3. Locate the Emergency Reset Hole on your laptop.
4. Press and hold the Reset Hole for 10 seconds with the paper clip.
5. Power your laptop back on.

Or

1. Unplug the power cord and any connected devices.
2. If applicable, remove the battery.
3. Press and hold the power button for about 30 seconds.
4. Place the power cable and the battery back in.
5. Power on your laptop.

Lenovo Laptop Won’t Turn On And Just Beeps

This situation is less than desirable. Let’s try to analyze the beeping type at first, and then get to the troubleshooting.

• One long beep or 3 beeps in a row usually indicate that there is a hardware problem – often memory-related – that can prevent your computer from starting up at all.
• Shorter multiple beeps can occur because there are too many inputs coming in from the keyboard at the same time, for instance, if you happened to have pressed a lot of buttons on your laptop. (You should ask your cat if it has something to do with it).

This problem is 2-fold. First, let’s try to get your computer to turn on, then deal with the beeping. Bear in mind, the methods below may not work because beeping can indicate serious hardware problems as previously discussed. In this case, you will need to have your laptop serviced.

Here is what you will need to do to get your laptop working:

1. Remove the battery and disconnect the AC adaptor from the laptop. 
2. Disconnect all other devices connected to the laptop. 
3. Turn the laptop upside down and look for the emergency reset hole. 
4. Using a needle, press the button.
5. Turn the laptop around and power it on. 

Here is how to disable the beeping you’ve managed to turn on your laptop:

1. Reboot the laptop while pressing F1 repeatedly to enter into BIOS.
2. Highlight the Config tab, press enter.
3. Highlight Beep and Alarm, press enter.
4. Highlight Keyboard Beep, press enter.
5. In the pop-up window, highlight Disabled, press enter.
6. Click on the F10 key to Save and Exit.

Lenovo Laptop Won’t Turn On But Power Button On

To troubleshoot this particular issue, you will need to remove the battery and unplug the charger. Then, press and hold the power button for 30 seconds.

After that, try turning your laptop on with the battery and charger. If that didn’t work,  remove the battery again and connect just the AC adapter, or, vice versa, keep the battery but remove the charger and see if your laptop boots up.

We have a detailed description of how to test whether your power adapter or your battery is causing the issue in the main part of the article.

Lenovo Laptop Won’t Turn On After An Update

If you have recently updated your laptop and it suddenly began to act out, there are a few things you can do:

1. Find a reset hole on your laptop and hold it down with a paperclip for 30 seconds.
2. If there is no reset hole, press and hold the power button for about 10 seconds.
3. Some Lenovo laptops have a NOVO button that can be used to get to the BIOS/recovery mode. They are located near the charging port. Take a paperclip and hold it down for about 10 seconds.

How Do I Force Restart My Lenovo Laptop?

If your laptop is unresponsive and frozen, you can force restart it. To do that, all you have to do is hold down the power key for a minute and the laptop will reboot. If that doesn’t work, plug the AC adapter in and try again. 

This process will also drain out any residual power in the laptop. 

Tips To Follow To Avoid Laptop Turning On Issues 

• Make sure you turn the laptop off properly each time after you’ve used it. 
• Unless you know what you are doing, don’t mess with the settings or registry of the laptop. 
• Allow the laptop to update without interruptions. 
• Do not block the laptop’s air vent when in use. 

Final Thought

A laptop not turning on is a scary thought. Remember that it is a sensitive electronic gadget and with misuse, there are bound to be problems. But you don’t need to worry too much, as long as you don’t end up badly damaging the laptop, it will work. The methods mentioned have been tried and tested to fix issues related to the laptop not turning on. 

If you’ve tried them all and it still doesn’t turn on, then we recommend contacting Lenovo for help.