How to Fix an Acer Laptop That Won't Turn On

This article explains how to get your Acer laptop to turn on again or what to do if these suggestion don’t work.

The Cause of an Acer Laptop That Won't Turn On

There's many reasons why an Acer laptop might not turn on, but the cause is usually one of three key problems.

• An issue with the Acer laptop's boot sequence.
• A problem with the battery or power supply.
• A hardware failure.

The first two problems can cause an Acer laptop to appear unresponsive. In some cases the Acer laptop might briefly flash to life but then fail to start, but in other situations the laptop may not react at all when you press the power button. Fortunately, these problems can often be fixed once you know the right steps.

A hardware failure is the worst-case scenario and the one problem you won't be able to fix at home, but it's also the least common cause.

How to Fix an Acer Laptop That Won't Turn On

Follow these steps to fix an Acer laptop which won't turn on. The steps are arranged in an order from the most simple to most complex, so be sure to follow them in order.

1. Remove all external storage devices. This includes external hard drives, optical drives, flash drives, and SD cards.

   An Acer laptop may attempt to boot from an external drive if it detects a boot drive is connected. Let's eliminate this as a possible cause of failure.

2. Remove all docks, hubs, monitors, and other attached peripherals.

   These peripherals should not be detected as a boot drive but in rare cases an Acer laptop may become confused. It's also possible a problem with a connected device, such as a USB peripheral attempting to draw too much power over USB and so causing the Acer laptop to stop attempting to turn on.

3. Connect the laptop to power.

   Be sure to use the default power adapter included with your laptop for this step. Do not use a third-party hub (USB or Thunderbolt).

4. Verify the laptop can receive power.

   Most Acer laptops will include an LED light which indicates when the laptop is connected to power. It may not be near the power connector, so be sure to check all sides of the laptop. This LED will be lit if the laptop is receiving power.

   Try a different power source if the power LED does not light when the power adapter is connected. If the LED still fails to light, the issue may be the Acer laptop's power supply. This will require professional repair or replacement.

5. Try connecting an external display.

   An Acer laptop with a defective screen may appear unresponsive at a glance. If an external monitor works, it means the laptop's built-in screen is not working.

   How to Fix a Black Screen in Windows 10

6. Leave the Acer laptop connected to power overnight.

   A laptop with a battery discharged to its bare minimum may not power on even when connected to power. This is a built-in protection to prevent further battery discharge of a battery already at its minimum.

7. Try to access the Acer laptop's BIOS. Press the power button, then press the F2 key repeatedly.

   Accessing BIOS may not entirely resolve the issue but, if successful, it means the problem is with the Windows boot sequence, not the laptop itself. You can try troubleshooting why Windows doesn't boot.

   Most Acer laptops use F2 to access the BIOS, but if that doesn't work for you, try the F12 key or the Del key, especially if you're using an older model laptop.

8. Remove any new components installed in the laptop since it was purchased. This includes hard drives, RAM, and Wi-Fi adapters.

   It's possible a hardware configuration issue has caused the Acer laptop to stop booting, or the new hardware is defective.

   Remember to unplug the device and follow appropriate safety protocols when removing components from the computer.

9. At this point, it's likely the problem is a hardware defect. A repair shop will need to diagnose the issue and replace the component causing the problem.