Can laptops use AC power?
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Last Updated on September 3, 2021 One of our readers posed the question about running a laptop without the battery. And others are wondering the same thing. Heres what you should know. Show
One of our readers has posted thisquestion on the groovyPost forums and, since quite a few people seem to be wondering the same thing, Ill try to give an answer. Life Without a Laptop BatteryI had a laptop that had a faulty battery, so I removed the battery and continued to use the laptop on AC power, as it rarely left the house. The fact that it seldom left the house made me give up on the idea of buying a new battery for it. Its mainly being used as a desktop replacement. Did it affect the computer performance or harm it in any way? No, it did not. Did it continue to work just as before? Yes, it did. You can Use a Laptop without the BatteryThere is no reason why a laptop wouldnt work just fine without its battery, as long as you take a few aspects into account. First of all, make sure youre using the original power adapter that came with the laptop. Power variations could cause components on the laptops motherboard to fail, which is something that the battery can prevent by acting the way a UPS would. And speaking of power, you probably shouldnt use a laptop without a battery if you live in an area where high-intensity electrical loads are likely. If you know that you dont have good quality electrical current, dont do this, or use a UPS too. That way, you can make sure that your laptop doesnt suffer any damage in the event of a high load. Not to mention a UPS is essential anyway as you wont lose your work in the case of a power outage, and they act as a surge protector too. Another important thing is never to remove the power cord from the laptop when it is working, as that could cause damage to its components. Also, dont touch the battery contacts when its plugged in. They are well hidden in the case of most laptops, but you could get a bit of a jolt. Its pretty low-voltage most of them are at 24V maximum. And remember only to take out the battery when the laptop is turned off and unplugged. Battery CareIf youre doing this to protect your battery, which makes sense if the laptop doesnt go anywhere and only sits on your desk, make sure you charge the battery to around 40% before taking it out and storing it. To maximize its life, you can store it in your fridge, in a Ziploc bag. If you dont want to do that, you should at least do a full charge-discharge cycle periodically. This should prolong your battery life. ConclusionAs long as you take some common-sense precautions, you can use a laptop without its battery. Makesure that you use a rubber band to prevent the power adapter from falling off the table. 23 CommentsLeave a Reply Cancel replyYour email address will not be published. Required fields are marked * Comment Email *
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David Spector
Modern ion-transport batteries do not need discharge-recharge cycles, not even one little bit. Discharging all the way for long life was needed only for early rechargeable (nickelcadmium, NiCd,or NiCad) batteries.
Toni
Hello! This is completely informative. Now I know why mine doesnt turn on. Whats the best thing to do to a motherboard failure which is caused by an AC adapter that is not the laptops original adapter?
jade
Hi. Im not so sure about my answer but tihs happened to me the same way you did. Just look for your original charger. If you lost or destroyed it, buy a new one from where you bought the laptop.
Dominic
This clears things up. Ive been trying to get my Acer 722 netbook to work, but no luck so far. I suspect its an internal failure of some sort. The laptop doesnt charge and I cant use it without the battery. No power light comes on. Getting it to work is a lost cause
Will
FYI: Some notebooks need the battery in it to work, even if its dead. Check with the maker
Sehway
Just curious, what are the specs of your laptop and how often do you use it? Cause Im a gamer and I use my laptop from like 8am to 2am daily so Im thinking this may not be a good thing for someone to do who frequently uses their laptop for long periods without rest.
jguy
Unfortunately this is no longer strictly true. I am coming across more laptops recently that have dead batteries that wont start up without a battery presence test being positive which means you cant even use it as a desktop type PC. Very questionable practices by Lenovo & Acer. They are all following the evil lead given by Apple with programmed obsolescence
Julián
J: It´s true enough for many older laptops with dead or dying batteries, used by we who don´t see the need to spend money on something that may only last another year or so. In any case, simply remove the battery and if your laptop starts, then you´re good to go plugged in.
Joanah
hi, I`ve got a 6 y.o. laptop and recently I started getting a message that my battery is degrading. Is that mean it is going to leak at some point? I can still work when the laptop is charged, but I am not a whiz.
Harish
Hi Joanah,
The battery is not leaking. The message means that the battery is getting old and unable to charge to its full capacity as before. You can still continue to use it until it loses its capacity to retain the charge after turning off main power.
Gask Gaming
No, This is still working in 2021. My HP Laptop is working without battery.
HP & Acer Laptop Owner
I started noticing recently that my batterys charge is, when fully charged, only 53%. I discovered this was due to a dying battery. Since I dont ever move my HP laptop because of its broken lid, I decided to try removing the battery all together, and it seems to be working. Is this a long-time fix, or will I inevitably have to order a replaced battery sometime in the future?
Lyanna
My laptops battery doesnt work at all anymore. However I can use my laptop using onlt the power cord, but quite often my laptop will unexpectedly shut off, usually when Im watching a movie, what could be the problem? Ive ruled out overheating, (I think!) because my laptop isnt hot or even all that warm.
Im hoping someone has had a similar problem, because if the fix is only getting a new battery, I can do that.
blair marsh
probably power cord connection is degrading?
blair marsh
technically if you use a separate UPS it could be a perma solution. Yet for best operation of your notebook you want that battery of coarse. Its more than just convenience of being able to use it away from on electrical socketon most devices it provides A LOT of extra protection also electrically for your components, better to just have to replace ONE cheap one (the fuse?) than it destroy your entire unit pretty much
Mattie
My battery died last wk, out of the blue. I left it on a lot and it just died. My computer is 3-4 yrs so I guess it was time. I am on it now with no batter its a big hp laptop it has 1gb of memory I think so hopefully I will be ok until I get a battery or confirm from multiple sources, I dont need one. Thanks!!!
Gayla Audia
Lenovo AMD A8 would not turn on. Decided it was the battery since orange lite was flashing slowly. Bought new battery and followed instructions. Now I have a white light on all the time but the laptop will not turn in. Battery has been charged foot 28 hours. I still cannot turn it on. No green light. Help! Thanks!
ryan
Im waiting on replacement battery. Im using power only plugged in, I accidentally unplugged it before shutting down and now it will not turn on?
vinayak
uhh the part that you removed so casually
let me explain real quick i accidently dropped my laptop and then this battery part came out which is kinda weird for me as im a 15 year old and it happened for the first time today
and now if i unplug the charger the laptop shuts down as there is no battery present it shows
John & Linda Falzon
Thank You; I appreciate your explanation. That makes a lot of sense. My wife & I are Snowbirds and our laptop is just used in the coach. Have A Great Day.
Steve Krause
Excellent. Im glad you enjoyed the article.
Paul
Thanks Friend Excellent post for any level. A failing battery can nip at you w/DPC watchdog violations and be masked as driver errors. Ill test to the limits and see if the DPCs subside.
Thx, Paul
roll
I only received my laptop as a gift from other country-from a friend. at the airport, he was advised to remove the battery. and so.. I received the laptop without battery. the lcd started to blink, but I still managed to use it.there are no laptop batteries sold in our province. how long will this laptop serve?