Surface Not turning on or Battery not charging

You could try the following solutions one by one to resolve the issue and see if anything helps you.

Isolate common cases

Make sure of the following things: If the LED light indicating power connector status is off or is flashing, you will need to check the power source and replace it. But if there is nothing wrong with the power supply and yet Surface wouldn’t start or charge, you need to check the following solutions.

1] Surface running but not charging

In this case, you need to systematically shut down the device to charge. After this, generally, everything becomes normal.

2] Install Windows Updates

Charge the battery up to at least 40% and then install the latest updates for both, Windows and for Surface. This will help avoid a similar situation later. If the device doesn’t automatically restart after these updates, go to ‘Start’, followed by ‘Power’ to click ‘Restart’ manually. Keep repeating the process till you get the “Your device is up to date” message.

3] Run Power Troubleshooter

Run the Power Troubleshooter and see if it helps fix the problem.

4] Plugged in, not charging issue

When the connection is fine but the device is still not charging, the device might turn off when you unplug the charger. In this case you need to do two things. You first need to remove the battery driver. Here’s how. If this is not your problem, go to the next solution for serious battery-related issues.

5] Battery not detected

If you see a red ‘X’ on the battery icon with a power plug, go to Microsoft Device Service & Repair to solve the battery detection issue.

6] Not plugged in message

If there is no power plug symbol on the battery icon even when the device is connected to a functional power supply, here’s what you can do (not for Surface 3). Alternatively, you could try removing the battery driver and then installing the updates.

7] Surface won’t run on battery

Another problem is when the device is charging but won’t function if it is unplugged. For this you need to clean the pin for the connector with an eraser, followed by rubbing alcohol on a wet swab. Ensure it is dry before you plug it back in.

Why is my Surface not charging when plugged in?

There could be mainly two reasons why your Surface is not charging when it is plugged in. First, if there are some issues with the charger or the charging port of your device, it won’t work. Second, if there is a glitch, it may prevent you from charging your device – no matter which Surface device you use.

How do you fix a Surface that won’t turn on?

There are a few things you can try when Surface doesn’t turn on. First, you can remove or unplug all the external accessories, including your mouse, sound system, headphones, etc. Second, you can use the keyboard shortcut Ctrl+Shift+Win+B to wake it up. Third, you can force restart the device by pressing the Power button for 20 seconds. These were solutions to common charging and power related issues for Surface. Hope something here works for you.