Charger not working — the short answer
Short answer: A laptop charger that stops working has failed at one of three points — the wall socket, the cable, or the adapter brick. Check them in that order before buying a replacement. If the socket is fine and a known-good charger still does not charge your laptop, the fault has moved inside the laptop: either the DC jack (the port the charger plugs into) or the charging circuit. The three-step check below takes under three minutes. See our related guide on what a dead charger LED means for the LED-specific diagnosis.
How to diagnose a laptop charger that stopped working
Step 1: Check the wall socket and power strip
This sounds obvious, but a tripped MCB (Miniature Circuit Breaker — the switch in your electrical panel that cuts power to protect against faults) is a common culprit that sends many charger "repairs" back home unfixed. Plug a phone or lamp into the same socket. If it does not work, the socket is the problem, not the charger. In Indian homes, power strips and extension boards also develop intermittent faults — especially older ones that have been overloaded or are in humid rooms. Try the charger directly in a wall socket, not through a strip.
Also check whether the charger cable plug (the end that goes into the wall) is seated firmly. Some three-pin Indian plugs loosen over time with repeated removal, particularly in older sockets with worn contacts.
Step 2: Inspect the cable for visible damage
Charger cables fail at two predictable points: near the adapter brick where the cable exits, and near the laptop end where the plug connects. Both spots experience repeated bending. Run your fingers along the cable length. Any section that feels soft, kinked, or where the outer sheath is cracked or frayed is a likely break point in the inner conductors (the copper wires that carry current).
A broken internal wire can be intermittent — the charger may work if the cable is held at a certain angle but stop charging if it moves. If you notice the charging indicator lights up only when the cable is positioned a specific way, the cable has a broken conductor and the entire adapter needs replacement. Do not attempt to tape or splice laptop charger cables. They carry 45–140 watts and a field repair is not reliable or safe.
Step 3: Test the adapter brick itself
The adapter brick (the rectangular box in the middle of the cable) is the component most likely to fail outright. It contains a switching power supply — essentially a small circuit that converts 230V AC from the wall to 19–20V DC for the laptop. The LED on the brick is the quickest indicator: a lit LED means the brick is working; a dark LED means the brick has failed. If the LED is off even when the socket is confirmed live, replace the adapter. Visit our charger replacement service page for a full list of supported models, or visit the Lenovo charger service if you have a Lenovo model.
If you have a friend with the same laptop brand, borrow their charger for 60 seconds. This is the definitive test. Same wattage and connector type matters — a 45W adapter for a laptop that requires 65W will either not charge or charge very slowly. Modern laptops carry the required wattage on a label on the bottom panel.
Step 4: The India angle — counterfeit chargers and DC jack damage
Across our intake, one pattern appears repeatedly: a laptop arrives for a DC jack repair, and when we ask about charger history, the customer switched to a cheaper third-party adapter purchased from an online marketplace 6–12 months earlier. The counterfeit adapter delivered unstable voltage — slightly above or below the rated output, or with ripple on the DC line — and that irregular current eroded the DC jack's contacts and eventually damaged the charge controller on the motherboard.
In India, a significant percentage of laptop chargers sold on major e-commerce platforms under the cheapest listings are counterfeit or fail to meet BIS (Bureau of Indian Standards) safety norms. The tell is no BIS mark on the label and a weight noticeably lighter than the genuine adapter. A genuine 65W HP adapter weighs around 280g; a counterfeit will be 150–180g. The internal transformer and filtering components are simply absent. If you are replacing a charger, buy from a reputable source or ask us for an OEM-equivalent at the correct wattage. See also our guide on what happens when charging fails at the battery IC level.
When to call a laptop repair service (and what it costs in India)
When DIY ends
Stop the self-diagnosis and call a technician when: a known-good replacement charger still does not charge the laptop, the charging port feels loose or wiggly, you hear crackling or see sparks near the port, or the laptop shows "plugged in, not charging" with a confirmed working adapter. At that point, the fault is inside the laptop — either a damaged DC jack or a failed charging circuit — and both require physical repair.
Typical repair cost in India
Replacement Windows adapter (OEM-equivalent): ₹800–₹2,500 depending on brand and wattage. Original Apple MagSafe (M1/M2/M3/M4 era USB-C brick): ₹6,500–₹9,500. Original Apple MagSafe 3 140W (MacBook Pro 16-inch M3/M4): ₹11,000–₹13,000. If the DC jack needs repair after charger damage: ₹1,800–₹3,500. We confirm the exact cost before starting work — no surprise bills.
A note from the LRW Engineer Team
The most expensive charger mistake we see is replacing a charger with the cheapest listing available, then being back with a DC jack repair six months later. A ₹400 counterfeit that damages a ₹2,000 DC jack costs ₹2,400 total. A ₹1,200 OEM-equivalent from a trusted supplier costs ₹1,200 and does not damage anything downstream. Buy on wattage match and quality, not price.