Surface Pro 4 "Plugged in, Not Charging"

Anonymous
2016-03-16T13:08:47+00:00

So I did a search and found a lot of similar issues with the Pro 2, but nothing that really fits what I'm dealing with regarding my pro 4.

I've already swapped it out once before for this same issue, so I don't believe this is just a one off issue.

I have a Surface pro 4, i7, 256gb, 16gb RAM. I use the Surface pro 3 docking station with insert and have connected through the dock the following:a Single Dell 24" monitor off the displayport out of the docking station, Satellite/sub sound system, wireless keyboard, wired mouse, and a bluray drive. So that's the setup.

here is the issue. When ever I attempt to do anything that is somewhat power intensive, I get the  "Plugged in, Not Charging" issue. For instance if I play "Call of Duty: Heroes" which is a download from the app store it stops charging. Doesn't matter if I have the surfaced docked or connected directly to the supplied power cable.

The batter charges, it lasts 4-5 hrs when not on the charger. If I'm just doing word processing or watching a video, if I'm not compiling code, digital circuits, or playing a very very very low demand game it works just fine.

Anyone with a similar issue? Anyone able to get this resolved?

Surface | Surface Pro | Power and battery

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Anonymous
2018-03-15T15:48:24+00:00

Here's what worked for me just now.

I've got a Surface Pro 4 i7/16GB  with the Microsoft Dock, and it stubbornly refused to charge.

I went into Device Manager, ![](https://learn-attachment.microsoft.com/api/attachments/1f924923-6af6-422b-8472-31c1b800abbc?platform=QnA and for each of the "Microsoft AC Adapter" and "Microsoft Surface ACPI-Compliant Control Method Battery" devices, I selected them, right-clicked, "Uninstall Device", then went to Action, Scan for Hardware Changes, and it re-appeared.  After doing that to each of them, my SP4 started charging again.  No reboot necessary.

More info can be found in the Surface battery won’t charge troubleshooting article.

Hope that helps someone out there.

Your mileage may vary.

-KwM-

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  1. Anonymous
    2018-03-09T04:41:01+00:00

    I have been struggling to fix my surface Pro 3 battery issue for few days. I cant use the device without pluggin it.! Have tried all possible options including factory reset, but no luck.!

    I hope Microsoft comes up with a solution soon. Or else they are definitely going to loose surface customers (who actually love it)

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  2. Anonymous
    2018-03-07T18:43:24+00:00

    Come on Microsoft surely it's time to take ownership of this software update issue. 

    Stop being blinkered and dame right ignorant to your customers .

    TIME FOR A FIX PLEASE .

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  3. Anonymous
    2018-03-06T14:48:09+00:00

    Thanks DT - I tried as you suggested, but not help.   See my question from February 19, 2017 - I have now had four different Surface 4 permanently stop receiving a charge from anything but non-microsoft PSU, and those that do charge do it slowly.   I believe it is a firmware update + software that somehow changes the fundamental way that the Surface can accept charge.    I have been on the phone with Microsoft 3 times and even have reset my Surface back to original condition - and after all this - will still not accept a charge.   Light on the wand never lights up on any charger.   I hope Microsoft is working on a fix - they have been very quiet - but this is a major design issue.  I love my Surfaces!    I just would like to charge them. :).

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  4. Anonymous
    2018-02-22T02:46:01+00:00

    Sorry to hear your problem goes on and on like that. Mine seems to have resolved itself. So, I'm in the phase of "I like my Surface Pro 4". But it's a quirky machine for sure. I have the 4 gig ram model which I guess regret since 8 gigs would probably make it run smoother. Fewer hiccups. I also wish it had a better battery. Bought it in 2016. I see they still sell them and they're cheaper. I assume with those charger changes you have the plug with the reinforced cord (a little block has been added to prevent the cable from breaking near the plug block.) I think there were fire issues with the earlier plug cord. A great puzzle to me is the facebook app which is so slow as to be useless. But not everyone finds this. So is the intel i5 chip simply not powerful enough to run a facebook app? That's disappointing if true. I'm not sure I would jump to Apple though. I have a desktop Mac and like it, but the Apple world is far from problem free. The machine I like despite the reviewers disputing its usefulness is the Google Pixel Chromebook. Not cheap at $1299 (Canadian). Chromebooks on average have fewer problems and the drawback of not having much storage is not that important. But with the Google Pixel you get a minimum of 128 Gigs so it's something of a hybrid. When and if my Surface dies that's probably where I'm going. For now it's okay. Good luck.

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