My laptop only works when it’s plugged in. Can you replace the battery?

Yes, on most laptops, and it’s one of the more satisfying repairs — a machine that had become a desktop goes back to being a laptop.

Is it definitely the battery?

Usually, but not always. A few checks worth doing first, because the alternatives are cheaper.

Battery: it dies the instant you unplug it, or the charge percentage is wildly wrong — 100% then 3% minutes later. Windows and macOS both report battery health; if it says “replace battery” or “service battery”, that’s your answer.

Charger: it won’t charge at all, or only at particular cable angles. Chargers fail near the plug where they flex.

Charging port: the connector is loose, or you have to hold it just so. A port repair is not a battery.

The free diagnosis settles it in a few minutes, and it’s worth knowing before you buy anything.

If the battery is swollen, stop

This one matters. Signs: the laptop rocks instead of sitting flat, the trackpad has risen or clicks oddly, the case is separating, or the base bulges.

A swollen battery is a damaged lithium cell, and it is a genuine fire risk. Stop using it, unplug it, and don’t press on the bulge. Don’t put it in a bag with the lid shut. Bring it in, or ring us and we’ll tell you how to transport it safely.

This is the one battery situation we’d treat as urgent rather than inconvenient.

How long should a battery last?

Three to five years of normal use before it becomes noticeable. Batteries wear by charge cycles and by heat, so a laptop that lives permanently on charge in a warm room ages faster than one used more lightly.

If yours is four or five years old and lasts an hour where it used to last six, that isn’t a fault — that’s a consumable part reaching the end of its life, exactly like tyres.

“I’ve lost my charger — can you supply one?”

Yes, and it’s worth a word of warning about buying one yourself.

Chargers are not interchangeable just because the plug fits. Voltage and wattage have to match. An underpowered charger will either refuse to charge or run the machine flat while it’s plugged in — which is exactly the symptom people then bring us thinking the battery has failed.

Very cheap unbranded chargers are also a real fire risk, and we’ve seen the results. It’s not a place to save fifteen pounds.

Bring the laptop, or tell us the make and model, and we’ll supply one that’s right for it. Modern USB-C machines are more forgiving but still need enough wattage — a phone charger will trickle at best.

Is a battery worth it on an older laptop?

Often yes. A battery doesn’t tell you anything about the rest of the machine, and if everything else is fine, a battery is a fraction of what a replacement costs.

If it’s slow as well as short of charge, we’d talk to you about doing the battery and an SSD together — that combination on an older laptop is genuinely transformative. And if the machine is past helping, we’ll tell you that instead.

Workshop on Station Road, no appointment needed, or 01753 884700.