Because laptops don’t have the same kind of power supply as desktop computers, they can’t run for long without charging the battery.
When charging the laptop, the charger will start heating up – and while laptops already tend to heat up quite a bit while they’re running, a flaming hot charger is a strong indication that something is wrong but a charger that feels hot the touch is normal as the process inside the charger creates a lot of heat energy.
The increasing temperature is something that manufacturers all over the world have to take into consideration, as a charger that gets too hot can start melting or burning.
It can absolutely be difficult for the user to determine if the charger is overheating or operating at normal temperature levels. Therefore, I have tried my best to describe the difference between the two and give you a set of guidelines to follow if you’re unsure.
It’s normal for a power adapter to heat up to the point where it feels hot to the touch, and even more so when the laptop is running while it’s charging. However, the charger shouldn’t scorch you when you touch it and it shouldn’t emit a strange burning odor either. If the charger feels too hot, you may have a damaged charger, the wrong charger, a faulty battery, you may be running extremely demanding software, or an inappropriate environment surrounding the laptop charger.
Is It Bad If My Laptop Charger Gets Hot?
There’s a big difference between the charger getting warm and the charger getting too hot. It’s not bad for the laptop charger’s temperature to increase while it’s being used, but it is bad if the charger is flaming hot when it’s charging.
If the charger reaches temperatures that are considered out of the ordinary, the charger’s interior could be damaged by the heat.
You might be wondering what’s causing the charger to heat up. It’s caused by the conversion of alternating current (AC) to direct current (DC), which are two types of current flow in a circuit.
When laptops are charged, they’re using DC so the AC has to be converted and that process spawns a byproduct – that’s heat. Chargers aren’t capable of dissipating the extra heat and, therefore, they get hot.
So the answer is both yes and no. You shouldn’t worry about your charger getting a little bit warmer when it’s being used – even to the point where it may be slightly uncomfortable to touch, but it shouldn’t be much hotter than that.
Now, let’s take a look at what could cause your power adapter to overheat.
How Do I Stop My Laptop Charger From Overheating?
Now, if you’re experiencing enough heat to label it as overheating, then we’ve got to figure out what’s causing it in order to make adjustments and decrease the temperature just enough to reach reasonable temperatures for a power adapter.
An overheating or malfunctioning power adapter needs to be taken care of as soon as possible as it can cause the adapter to melt but also damage the laptop’s battery.
To stop a charger from overheating, you must troubleshoot the charger and the computer to find the flaw. I have seen a bunch of different causes for a laptop charger to overheat, but I’ve gathered a couple of those that are commonly involved in the process.
Think about the environment surrounding the laptop charger
If there’s a radiator or any other heat source in the vicinity of your power adapter, this could cause your adapter to overheat. Avoid placing the power adapter in direct sunlight, or somewhere isolated, as this may cause the adapter’s temperature to rise above recommended levels.
You don’t want anything to be covering the adapter either. Place it on the floor and make sure there’s enough space around it to allow proper airflow. This is especially true for warm summer days, where you may have to open a window or install a fan to keep your electronics from overheating.
Make sure you’re using the proper laptop charger
The company I work for has an abundance of leftover chargers in-house. Most customers also return their chargers when it’s time to get an upgrade, meaning we have a ton of different chargers stored in our warehouse.
Whenever I need a charger, I head to the warehouse to grab one of the returned chargers and bring it back to my computer. With such a wide selection of chargers available it would certainly be easy for me to accidentally take the wrong one.
That wouldn’t be any good. Why?
Different computers demand different power outputs from the adapter in order to work. Using a power adapter that’s designed to supply a little bit more or a little bit less power than your laptop needs could mean permanent damage to the laptop.
Also, by using a charger that isn’t able to supply the laptop with enough power, you will force the adapter to work in overdrive. The results? An overheated charger.
Make sure the adapter’s wattage output is compatible with the computer’s demands. The charger should have a label on it where it should say if it’s a 45, 60, 90, or 120-watt charger (or possibly more).
It’s imperative that the charger has the correct voltage and current ratings in order for it to be compatible with the laptop.
Check if the laptop charger is damaged or flawed
I’ve found this to be one of the most common reasons for an overheating charger. Using a flawed or damaged charger will lead to increased temperatures with ease. Now, it’s hard to tell if the charger is damaged or flawed, and sometimes you won’t find out until it has damaged your computer.
Checking the cords and the connection points to make sure they’re intact is a good start. Making sure you’re using manufacturer-certified charger made specifically for your laptop is an even better start.
Stay away from off-brand chargers no matter how attractive the deal may sound. Purchasing a low-grade adapter at a cheap price will come back to bite you when the charger damages your laptop.
Check your current charger for wear and tear. If you find anything out of the ordinary, consider getting it replaced to minimize the risk of damaging the laptop.
A faulty laptop battery can cause the charger to overheat
If the laptop’s battery is getting old and starting to degrade, the battery will have a harder time forcing the currents through the battery’s cells to keep it charged.
The degraded battery will force the adapter to work harder. This could be the cause of the charger’s increased temperature.
Now, everyone doesn’t have a spare laptop battery loafing about in their home. Therefore, this thesis can be hard to put to the test. However, there are ways to see if your battery could be in need of a replacement or not.
Charge the laptop while it isn’t being used
Charging the laptop while it’s turned off could potentially prevent the adapter from reaching higher temperatures.
Most laptops will last for 3-6 hours when they’re fully charged, meaning you don’t always have to keep your power adapter connected to the laptop.
While this isn’t a long-term solution, it’s definitely a short-term one that can be used during warmer days or until you’ve come up with a more permanent solution.
My Laptop Charger Is Getting Hot While Gaming
Some games force the computer to render highly demanding environments. The computer will start going on all cylinders in order to generate the power needed to run the game.
High-performance games and software can, therefore, cause the connected power adapter to heat up more than it usually does, as the computer’s battery is being drained at a faster rate.
Depending on how much hotter the charger gets, you may have to lower the graphic settings in the game to make it less demanding for the computer to run the game.
It should be noted that it’s normal for a laptop charger to get hot while the laptop runs demanding software, such as games. The charger shouldn’t, however, be scorching hot or too uncomfortable to touch.
If you think the power adapter is getting too hot when you’re playing games, I recommend going through the steps I talked about earlier in the article to troubleshoot the adapter.
Laptop Charger Overheated and Stopped Working
If the laptop’s charger continues to heat up to the point where it’s being overheated, there’s a big risk that the power adapter will take damage and possibly damage the computer that it’s connected to.
If the charger takes damage from overheating, it may be rendered useless. That’s most likely what you’re experiencing if the charger has stopped working all out of a sudden, after experiencing intense heat.
It should be noted that some chargers stop working for a short period of time while they’re heated, but then start working again once they have cooled down.
Having experimented with this quite a bit, I’ve learned that the laptop’s battery can be the villain in this case.
I had 10 chargers that were overheating connected to the same 10 laptops that they were connected to when the problem surfaced and I let them run for about 30-60 minutes to see what I could come up with.
Out of those 10 laptops, 6 had a faulty battery that needed to be replaced. When we replaced the battery, the charger stopped working as hard and cooled down substantially.
The rest were either working on overdrive because the software on the computer was too demanding or because the charger was faulty but the majority of those 10 computers had battery problems.
Now, a batch of 10 laptops isn’t nearly enough to come to a final conclusion – but it’s something to lean on when troubleshooting.
How Do You Fix an Overheated Laptop Charger?
If the charger has overheated to the point where it has been damaged by the heat, I wouldn’t recommend continuing with the same charger as you may run into more severe problems down the road.
Once the charger has been damaged, your main focus should be getting a replacement unit and avoid using the damaged charger at all costs. In that sense, there’s very little you can do to fix an already overheated laptop charger (if it has been damaged).
There are things you can do to proactively prevent it from overheating and to stop it from overheating, and we’ve covered those things earlier in the article, but that’s when the charger is still in working condition.
That’s because the charger won’t damage the laptop when it’s in working condition, or at least not as easy as it would if it was malfunctioning and overheating.
You can find replacement chargers both online and in-store. Your best bet is to get in contact with the manufacturers, especially if your laptop’s warranty is still active.
Can a Hot Laptop Charger Catch Fire?
While it is a very rare occurrence, it is possible for a laptop charger to start an electrical fire. Keep in mind that it’s very rare for a charger to catch fire when you consider the sheer number of chargers that are in use every single day.
But since it’s possible, I think it’s important to cover the topic and spread the information.
When heated enough, a laptop charger can catch fire – especially if it’s in direct contact with certain materials or if the wires are exposed.
It’s almost always damaged chargers that start a fire, but fires can also be started by the wrong type of charger or a charger that has been used incorrectly for a long time.
Functioning chargers in good condition will almost never start a fire – while that may not sound reassuring enough, it’s extremely rare.
If you’re worried about your laptop charger catching fire, have someone inspect the charger. It isn’t worth the risk.