It shouldn’t surprise you if a laptop part, such as the power button, stops working after a period of use. Listed below are the tips on how to turn on a laptop without the power button and how to work around laptops that have no power button.
Contents
- How to turn on a laptop without the power button?
- What causes the power switch on a laptop to stop working?
- What is the fix for a broken power button on a laptop?
- 7 Possible Solutions Lock the laptop
- How to turn on/ off your laptop with keyboard shortcuts?
- Why does the trackpad not work when turning on your computer?
- Conclusion
- Press the power button 3-4 times to turn it on.
- If this doesn’t work, gently release the bottom cover of the laptop to let it charge. (DON’T BE A DILEMMA: KEEP INDOOR LIGHTS OFF AS LONG AS POSSIBLE TO LEARN HOW MUCH POWER YOUR LAPTOP HAS OR WHAT YOU NEED TO DO)
- Charge the battery while turning on the laptop with the power button press. (We recommend setting it to charge automatically while turned off.) How to turn on a laptop without a power button? Watch the video above, then read our step-by-step guide.
What causes the power switch on a laptop to stop working?
Issues with the power switch on a laptop can range from a hardware issue to a software issue and sometimes both. Hardware Issues Most issues with a laptop’s power switch have to do with the button itself.
Sometimes, batteries have corroded on the power switch and it can no longer click. This is a common issue, but some laptops may have a button that is hard to press or doesn’t have much resistance.
Sometimes, this is an issue with the power button and sometimes it is a hardware issue with the computer itself. Sometimes the switch might need to be removed and there might be a problem with a connector or cable from the laptop or another peripheral. If you are working on your laptop and all of a sudden it doesn’t work as well as it did, consider checking out the hardware.
Most laptops have an Fn-key to turn on the computer, otherwise known as the power key.
Usually, this is marked in your laptop’s BIOS or programming to access the physical button. Also, most keyboards have a light to indicate when it is on. However, your laptop’s power button might be replaced by a similar power button located on the laptop, such as ‘USB’ or ‘AIRPLAY’, which doesn’t mean it is operating.
In many cases, it might have a similar look to a normal power button, but it isn’t actually operating. As a result, it is necessary to search on Google for a solution. It is very difficult to work around these issues, as your laptop cannot have a battery problem. Also have a look how to turn on and off airplane mode on a laptop.
It is unlikely that the power button on your laptop is broken; however, sometimes the button stops working and gives only an ‘Unknown’ when pressed. To get around this issue, the good news is that it is possible to turn on or off your computer without pressing the power button. Let’s take a look at ways that you can do this.
7 Possible Solutions Lock the laptop
Press the Escape key and then either ‘ctrl’ or ‘alt’ at the same time The first method to turn on your best laptop without pressing the power button is to lock the device. Press the Escape key and then either ‘ctrl’ or ‘alt’ at the same time. The following dialog box will appear on the screen, informing you that you’ve locked the computer.
How to turn on/ off your laptop with keyboard shortcuts?
Touch the power button to turn on your laptop. The normal practice with a laptop keyboard is that you press the power button to turn on the laptop, then touch your finger to a key and it changes to a number key. So, if the power button has a picture of a computer on it, press the picture to turn it on. This is not the easiest way to turn on a laptop, however, so one way to get around this is to press the power button, then a key on the keyboard.
For example, if the power button has a power symbol on it, you can press the power button, and a key on the keyboard will change to a power symbol. Or if the power button has the pound symbol on it, you can press the power button and pound symbol, and it will turn on your laptop.
Why does the trackpad not work when turning on your computer?
One reason a laptop might stop working on its own without a power button is that it lacks a sensitive sensor for a touchpad or mouse. When you push down on a keyboard or touchpad without pushing a button, you’re not actually registering a tactile click. This is what is referred to as a “non-vibration click” and these cues are the main signal that your computer wants you to know it is in “working” mode.
If you have a laptop with a non-sensitive sensor, you might be unable to push down on the touchpad or keyboard because your fingers are not registering anything. When this happens, your laptop is telling you that it doesn’t want you to turn the computer on or switch to any particular desktop environment because the sensor’s sensitivity isn’t working.
Conclusion
Laptop manufacturers tend to put power buttons on the sides of their laptops, but this method is becoming less popular as people start using laptops with docking systems such as Microsoft’s Continuum (a Continuum laptop requires an external power source).
If you are using the Microsoft Surface Pro 4 and you are in need of a power button fix, you can try the USB port, as many Surface Pro 4 owners were using this method. You can also visit a computer parts store that sells various parts to try and reverse engineer how to turn on a laptop without power.