What to try when your laptop will not turn on after sitting unused for months, and when to call for help.
Quick answer
Very often the battery has drained so far that the laptop needs time on the charger before it shows any sign of life. Plug it into the charger that came with it, straight into a wall outlet, and leave it alone for at least 20 minutes before you press anything. If it is still dead, unplug everything and hold the power button to reset it. On a Mac that takes about 10 seconds. On most Windows laptops, hold it past 15 seconds, until the laptop goes completely silent and the screen is completely black. If that does not wake it, it is worth a call.
No light. No fan. Not even a flicker.
Yeah, we know that feeling. Here is a typical one: you spent months away, you come back, you open the laptop that has been sitting in the closet, you press the power button, and nothing happens.
Think of the car that sat in the driveway all summer. The engine is not ruined. The battery just ran all the way down. A laptop that sat for months is very often in the same spot.
Why won’t my computer turn on after sitting for months?
A laptop battery slowly loses charge even when the laptop is switched off. After enough months it can run completely empty, and a battery that empty may not react the moment you plug it in. So the computer looks dead when it is really just hungry.
That is the good news. The not so good news is that a dead screen can also mean a charger that gave out, or a drive that failed. The steps below sort those out, in order, from the easiest to the least easy.
What should I try first?
Plug in the charger that came with the laptop. Plug it straight into a wall outlet, not a power strip or a surge protector. You should see: a small light near the plug on the laptop, or a light on the charger itself. No light? Try a different outlet. Plug a lamp into the first one to make sure it works. Still no light? The charger may be the problem. Try a matching charger for your exact model.
Look over the charger and the cable. Check the whole length, both ends, and the plug. Stop here if you see a frayed wire, a kink, a burn mark, a warped or discolored plug, or if anything feels hot or smells like burning. Unplug it and do not use it.
Leave the laptop plugged in and do not touch it for at least 20 minutes. Seeing nothing during this time is normal. A very drained battery can take a while to wake up.
Press the power button once, normally. You should see: a light, a logo, or you hear the fan. Still the same? Go to the next section.
What if I plug it in and still get nothing?
Be careful with this one. A reset forces the laptop off, and cutting power at the wrong moment can damage Windows so that it will not start. So only do it when the laptop shows no sign of life, and not if you see an update screen. A reset clears out leftover electrical charge that can keep a laptop from starting.
Unplug the charger.
Unplug everything else too: USB drives, printers, adapters, anything on a cable. Leave nothing connected.
Press and hold the power button. After 15 seconds, keep holding until the laptop goes completely silent and the screen is completely black, then let go. On a Mac, it is about 10 seconds.
Plug the charger back in, and only the charger.
Wait a few minutes, then press the power button once, normally. You should see: a light, a logo, or you hear the fan. Still the same? Leave it plugged in for another 30 minutes and try steps 1 to 5 one more time.
One more warning: please do not pry the case open to get at the battery. That is where a fixable problem can turn into a harder one.
What about a Mac?
Good news: the Mac steps are shorter, and they follow the same idea as above. Rule out power first, then reset. Apple’s own page for this walks through it.
Check the power. Make sure the cable is plugged firmly into the Mac and into an outlet that works. If you have another compatible cable or power adapter, try it. A cable that looks fine can still be the one that quit, so swapping it in is the quickest test there is.
Do the reset. Press and hold the power button for about 10 seconds. On a laptop with Touch ID, hold the Touch ID button. Let go, then press it once, normally.
Unplug everything else. Printers, drives, hubs, and phones too, then repeat step 2. One misbehaving accessory or cable can keep a Mac from starting, and it is an easy one to miss.
Look at what the screen does. If you see a flashing question mark or anything else on screen, the Mac is on but not finishing startup. That is a different problem from power, and it is worth a call.
Still dead? Older Intel Macs have one more reset, called the SMC reset. Newer Macs with Apple silicon do not need it. Not sure which kind you have? Skip it and call us. We will walk you through it.
What if it is a desktop?
A desktop is a different story, because the battery is not usually the problem.
Check the power cable at the wall and at the back of the computer. Push both ends in firmly.
If the back has a small power switch near the cable, make sure it is on.
Make sure the screen is on and plugged in. A dark screen can be a screen problem while the computer itself is fine. Lights or fans on, but a black screen? Our guide on the black screen walks through it.
Are my files gone if it won’t turn on?
Not necessarily. A drained battery and a failed drive are very different problems. Very often the computer is what quit, and your files are still sitting safe on the drive inside. No promises, because a drive that has failed itself is a different story, and that one is worth a call.
Please do not open the laptop to look. Our guides on getting your files off an old drive are here: Windows and Mac.
When should I stop and call someone?
The charging light comes on, but nothing happens after two full tries.
The case is bulging, the trackpad is lifting, or the laptop no longer sits flat. Unplug it, stop charging it, and do not press on it. A bulging battery is a warning sign. It usually means the battery, and sometimes the laptop, needs replacing, and it happens more on laptops that were left plugged in for long stretches. We cannot fix this over a remote call. It takes a Field Services visit, so call us and tell us what you see. Here is how we help in Estero.
The charger is hot, damaged, or smells like burning.
The laptop is old enough that you are wondering if it is worth fixing. Our guide on that is here.
How do I keep this from happening next year?
The advice we found for storing a laptop for months is simple. Back up your files first. Charge it to about half, not full and not empty. Shut it down all the way, so it is not asleep. Keep it somewhere cool and dry. If you will be away longer than six months, charge it to about half again at the six month mark. Do not leave it plugged in the whole time. Laptops left plugged in for months are more likely to end up with a swollen battery.
Being in Florida makes this part matter more. A closed-up house in summer can get hot, and heat is hard on a battery. Pick the coolest spot in the house, not the garage and not a closet against an outside wall.
If you spend months away every year and would like someone who already knows your setup to help you remotely when you get back, that is what the Service Loop is. It is one person who learns your setup and writes it down, so nothing depends on anyone’s memory. The story of why we built it is here.
Don’t forget
Back up your files before you leave
Shut down all the way, not sleep
Charge to about half, then unplug it. Do not leave it on the charger all summer
Store it somewhere cool and dry
Keep the original charger with it
Take a photo of the model label on the bottom, so you have it if you ever need help
Set a reminder to charge it again if you are away more than six months
Want a second pair of eyes? Use this prompt.
Copy this into your favorite chatbot and fill in the brackets:
“I have a [brand] [model] laptop. It has been unplugged for [number] months and will not turn on. Find the maker’s official support page for my model and give me the steps for power and reset, one at a time. After each step, tell me what I should see, and what to do if I do not see it.”
Check what it tells you against the maker’s own support page. If you have any questions that AI can’t resolve for you, let us know.
Common questions
How long should I charge a laptop that has been off for months before turning it on?
At least 20 minutes is a good start. Some makers say 15 to 30 minutes. A very drained battery can be slow to show any sign of life, so give it time before you decide anything.
Is it safe to charge a laptop that has been sitting for months?
If the case looks normal and the charger is undamaged, charge it with the charger that came with it. If the case is bulging, anything is hot, or you smell burning, unplug it right away. A bulging case usually means the battery needs replacing, and that takes an in-person visit, so call us.
Can I use any charger?
Use the one that came with it, or an exact match for your model from the maker. A wrong one may not charge it at all.
Is it safe to reset a laptop by holding the power button?
Mostly yes, but be careful. It forces the laptop off, and cutting power while Windows is in the middle of something can damage it so that it will not start. If the laptop is completely dead, a reset is a normal step. If it shows any sign of life, like a fan or an update screen, give it time first.
Still dead? Tell us what is going on.
The Free Look and Listen is a free call where we talk it through, and if it helps, we take a look at your setup. We help businesses and homes across Estero, Bonita Springs, Fort Myers, Naples, and Cape Coral.
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