My laptop shuts down unexpectedly when the battery is getting low

[BillS2023]

Hi, my HP laptop has started to unexpectedly shut down when the battery is getting low, and then I lose work. I'm pretty sure it shut down the other day when it was still at about 30%, and today it did it when it was actually low (maybe 8%). I recently upgraded to Windows 11, and I swear that Windows 10 had some sort of warning when the battery is getting low. I don't know if this is a Windows problem or an HP problem, but it's very annoying. Is there some way to set my laptop to have a warning when the battery gets to 40% or so? Thanks in advance!

[Raj_05]

Hi @BillS2023,

Welcome to HP Support Community.  

Thank you for posting your query, I will be glad to help you.

If your HP laptop shuts down unexpectedly when the battery is getting low, it could be due to several reasons. Here are some potential causes and solutions you can try.

Battery calibration issue: Sometimes, the laptop's battery needs to be calibrated to accurately determine its remaining capacity. 

To do this, follow these steps: 

a. Fully charge your laptop. 

b. Use it until the battery drains completely and the laptop shuts down. 

c. Connect the charger and let it charge without turning on the laptop until the battery is fully charged. 

d. Restart your laptop and see if the issue persists.

Power settings: It's possible that your laptop's power settings are configured to shut down the system abruptly when the battery level reaches a certain threshold. You can adjust these settings by following these steps: 

a. Open the Control Panel on your laptop. 

b. Go to "Power Options" or "Power & Sleep Settings." 

c. Look for the advanced power settings and click on it. 

d. Find the "Battery" or "Battery Low Level" option and adjust it to a lower value (e.g., 10%). 

e. Save the changes and see if the problem is resolved.

Faulty battery or power adapter: If your laptop's battery or power adapter is faulty, it can cause unexpected shutdowns. Try the following steps to identify the issue.

a. Remove the battery from your laptop and only use the power adapter to see if the laptop still shuts down unexpectedly. 

b. If the laptop doesn't shut down, the battery may be faulty. Consider replacing it. 

c. If the laptop continues to shut down, it could be an issue with the power adapter. Try using a different adapter.

Overheating: If your laptop is overheating, it may shut down to protect the hardware. Ensure that your laptop's cooling vents are clear of dust and debris. You can use compressed air or a soft brush to clean the vents. Additionally, using a cooling pad or elevating the laptop to improve airflow can help prevent overheating.

I hope this helps. 
 

Take care and have a good day.

Please click “Accepted Solution” if you feel my post solved your issue, it will help others find the solution. Click the “Kudos/Thumbs Up" on the bottom right to say “Thanks” for helping!

Alden4
HP Support 

[BillS2023]

Great, thank you! I've tried the second option, adjusting the settings in the Control Panel. Fingers crossed that that does the trick. Thanks!

[Raj_05]

Hi @BillS2023,

Thank you for your response, 

Is there anything else that I can help you with today?
 

Take care and have a good day.

Alden4
HP Support 

[BillS2023]

Alas, the second option didn't work (adjusting my control panel settings), so I'll have to try the first option, of running the battery down. Yesterday, after I adjusted the control panel settings, the laptop still suddenly shut down on me at about 35%, giving me about a second to react before it shut down. I didn't lose too much because of auto-save, but I still lost about half an hour of work getting everything turned back on and resaved. Very annoying!

[BillS2023]

Okay, so I tried the first option, and that didn't work, either: after recharging the battery*, I ran it on battery power for a while, watching the battery percentage like a hawk. This time, it made it to 29% before the screen instantly went black, again with no warning.

(* My wife actually turned on the computer while it was still charging back up, and she said it had reached 87%, not 100%. Should I try again, and this time make sure no one touches it and that the laptop gets to 100%?)

Do you have any other advice? As I mentioned, I suspect that this behavior has something to do with the upgrade to Windows 11; actually it's more like a "grade" rather than an upgrade.

When the battery was low before, it used to get dim and give me a couple of minutes' warning that the battery was about to die. Is that no longer an option? If so, that is dumb.

[Raj_05]

Hi @BillS2023,

Thank you for your response, 

Due to limited support, I would request you contact our HP Support and our Support Engineers should be able to sort this out. HP Support can be reached by clicking on the following link.

https://www.hp.com/contacthp/

Please feel free to contact us here anytime you need any further assistance.

Have a great day!

Alden4
HP Support 

[BillS2023]

Hi, unfortunately the virtual assistant thing isn't working. You are an HP employee, correct? So hopefully we can solve this here. I watched a video about running the HP PC Diagnostics thing, and I ran the "short tests." When it got to the battery test, it said it was "CANCELLED" afterward, although it looked like it failed the test. It didn't give me any further instructions. Could you clarify what I'm supposed to do next? If you don't know, please give me a specific contact email or whatever for a human to speak to about this. The virtual assistant is useless. Thanks! 

[BillS2023]

Hi again,

Here's a screenshot to show what I'm talking about. What am I supposed to do next? The video says to click on a "Troubleshoot" tab, but there is no such tab. Please advise, thanks!