Your laptop’s power button is probably not working. And you are looking into some working methods to turn your laptop on right?
The shortest and easiest answer to this would be to go get your laptop fixed.
But you want some instant solution to get hands-on something important. Do not worry, I was once into this, would not be boring you to tell my story, but to help you in turning your laptop on right away.
I am going to mention all the working methods to power up a laptop. I am pretty sure any of the methods will help you get your computer turned on.
Before we move into telling you the working methods to turn on a laptop without a power button let me explain how this power button actually works.
How does the Power button work?
When we press the power button on, we actually allow the power to run through the system to turn it on. Under the power button, there is a power switch, that connects this button to the motherboard.
When you press the power button, you press that switch that is connected to the motherboard, it sends a signal to the motherboard to allow the electricity to flow towards the system.
When the power button is broken actually that power switch is broken. Either this is loose from the power switch side or the motherboard side. With it not functioning properly, the laptop would not be able to send a signal to the motherboard to allow the power supply.
5-Ways to Turn on a laptop without a Power Button
- With an External keyboard
- With the motherboard
- Using the Wall socket method
- Using clock battery method
- Using Wake-on-LAN
1. How to turn on a laptop without a power button using an External Keyboard.
The easiest method out of the mentioned is using an external keyboard. Keep in mind this method is only workable if you had already set up a keyboard with your laptop beforehand. You would not be able to get your laptop turned if you are into this problem without setting the keyboard up.
We assume that you had set it up beforehand, and if your power button is showing the sign of ‘not-working sometime, now it is the time to set up an external keyboard with the power button on it to use that later when your power button would not be working.
- Access the Bio setting of your laptop, it is different for different models but for most of the laptops, it is F2, DEL, or F10.
- When you access the BIOS settings, simply click on the power management settings, and under this, enable ‘power-on by the keyboard’.
- Next time you power on your laptop try to check whether the external keyboard power on is working or not, to prevent you from any situation when you really do not turn up the laptop using the power button.
In some cases, the external keyboard method to turn on a laptop does not work. And more importantly, you have to have the settings set up beforehand. If we get our power button damaged accidentally, we really can’t use this method to turn on the laptop.
Let’ see the next method.
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2. Using a Motherboard method
This method is relatively simple, but in some cases, this might now work.
- Disconnect the power button carefully, your AC power supply should not be connected to the laptop.
- Open the Laptop Case and locate the power button
- If the button is broken, remove it from the location.
- You will see a switch underneath the power button.
- There will be some pins on that power switch
- Use any conductor material to connect those pins or simply use a screwdriver to connect the pins.
- Your laptop will be turned on with that.
- Done.
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3. How to Turn on your laptop without a power button using Wall Socket?
It is the simplest method, and in most cases works fine. I can hope this method will help you turn on your laptop with a broken power button.
- Disconnect the power supply do not connect your laptop to the AC power supply.
- Open the Lid
- Locate the power button that connects the power switch to the motherboard
- Disconnect this cable.
- Take Off your battery
- Plug the laptop into a socket.
- Done…
- Your laptop should be turned on immediately.
If this method works for you, but the battery is on, disconnected from the socket if you want.
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4. How to turn on a laptop without a power button using the Clock Battery Method.
The clock battery method is a perfect way to turn on a laptop with a damaged power button.
- First, disconnect the battery cable, keep in mind it is the battery cable that should be disconnected not the charging cable from the motherboard. Obviously, you will have to open the lid to get this done.
- From the motherboard, disconnect the clock battery.
- Here your laptop does not have any power source, with the battery disconnected. Hereafter any power method will turn it on.
- From here, you can connect the battery cable again, and you will see the laptop is still working, turned on.
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5. Turning on a laptop with a damaged power button using Wake-on-Lan
Wake on Lan is a very famous method to access a dead laptop from a remote location.
But the problem with this method is you have to configure your laptop or PC beforehand. If you had not set it up to be accessed anytime from a remote location, you can’t use this method.
In our case, as we have a broken laptop that should be immediately turned on to do the business for us, this method might not be that useful.
These are the steps you should follow to configure your laptop to be accessed from a remote location. Mostly digital Nomads or those who need to access the system to get some important files to use this method, they already configured their system to use this method.
- Go to the settings and access the start menu option.
- Clock update and security
- ‘Recovery Option’, on the left column
- Choose the troubleshoot and click on Advanced Option
- Go to Power Management or in ACPI management
- Check on the radio button of Power on Lan or Wake on Lan
- You can select any key to turn on your laptop, ‘+’, or ‘-‘ or any other key.
- Save the settings
- And exit.
Now when you have configured the laptop to use the Wake on Lan method, configure the network card or computer network card.
A network card is used to connect a system to a computer network, You do not have to learn anything more about a network card, just follow the steps.
- Search device manager in the start menu in the search bar
- Open Network Adaptor Option
- Click on ‘Select the Properties’
- Power management.
- And check on the radio button ‘Allow this device to wake the computer’
- You are done.
Configured to use the Power on Lan method to access this laptop or power it on when the power button is not working or broken.
Also Read: Best Laptops For IT Professionals
How to Install a New Power Button?
The best thing for you should be to install a new power button. The mentioned methods are for instant or immediate access to your system to get things done.
How to install a new Power button?
Installing a new power button is not a costly process. If the clips that hold the button are broken or come lose you can install a new power button yourself, no need to hire some expertise or visits a place.
But, if the issue is with the power button, I mean if the power button is not damaged or broken, it might be a long processor and expensive one.
- Open the lid, and take out the battery.
- Take out the storage and RAM also
- Remove the keyboard
- Remove the keypads
- Remove the frame and locate the power switch
- Take off the old broken switch and insert a new one.
That’s it.
Final Thoughts:
In this guide, we mentioned the top working methods to turn on a laptop without a power button. Maybe all methods do not work for you, but I am pretty sure, one or two of the methods will let you turn up the laptop to access the system.
The methods are only working when the power button is not working. If there is an internal issue, that is making your system does not turn on, you will have to take it to a service center to let them look deep into it to find the issue and get that fixed.