It is frustrating when you are doing an essential task on your laptop, and it unexpectedly turns off. In a worse scenario, you lose all the work if you do not save it. Fixing the issue is easy, but before going to fix the problem, it would be appropriate to know: why does my Dell laptop keep shutting down?
Suppose your Dell laptop suddenly turns off, and you want to eliminate the issue as soon as possible. The good news is that we have listed the critical reasons behind the shutdown issue and their fixes. Let’s get into the details.
Why Does My Dell Laptop Keep Shutting Down?
If your Dell laptop keep turning off unexpectedly, there are several reasons behind it. When the computer overheats due to faulty fans or multitasking, the safety mechanism kicks in, and the laptop turns off to prevent damage to internal components. The other reasons include the worn-out battery or the broken power adapter. Some power settings might cause the laptop to turn off without warning. The incomplete windows update, corrupted drivers, viruses, and malware also caused the random shutdown problem of the dell laptop. If the unexpected turning off is due to a hardware problem, fixing the concerned hardware will automatically resolve the issue.
Why Does My Dell Laptop Shut Off Randomly-Know The Reasons
Let’s uncover some of the major culprits that cause the dell laptop to keep turning off unexpectedly,
Reason 1: Worn Out Battery
The battery has a specific life span, after which you see a drastic decrease in battery timing. Ultimately, the laptop keeps turning off suddenly. Any impact on the battery can also damage it and make it a hassle to complete any task on your laptop.
NOTE: If the battery is new and there is no apparent damage, the battery drivers might be outdated or corrupted to cause a random shutdown. In such a case, you must update or reinstall the battery drivers.
Reason 2: Damaged Power Adapter
If the AC adapter is faulty, it cannot charge the battery, and the laptop can unexpectedly shut down during an important task. The same happens when the charging port is defective.
Reason 3: Faulty Fan Cooling System
The fan cooling system prevents your laptop from excessive heating. When dust or dirt accumulates on the fans, it may compromise their efficiency in cooling down the computer. The laptop turns off without warning to prevent damage to other laptop components from heating.
Reason 4: Overheating
Multitasking or working for extended hours on a laptop can cause overheating issues. The fans work to cool down the laptop to some extent, but it gets beyond their capacity when you are multitasking for unlimited hours. The laptop shuts down when the fans cannot do away with the overheating.
Reason 5: Power-Intensive Software
Software for designing and editing is heavy. It slows the laptop’s performance and causes laptop freezing issues. In some cases, the laptop even turns off without any warning.
Reason 6: Faulty Windows Update
Faulty or incomplete windows update is responsible for generating corrupt system files. Such system files cause your laptop to turn off unexpectedly. Restarting the laptop might fix the windows update issues.
Reason 7: Inappropriate Power Settings
If your laptop is facing random shutdowns, check the power settings. When the option ‘Turn off when plugged in’ is on in the power settings, it is the main culprit behind the laptop turning off suddenly.
Reason 8: Insufficient Ram
Ram provides space for running programs on the laptop. When this space is insufficient due to background running apps or multitasking, the Dell laptop turns off suddenly. You might hear a beep sound sometimes, which indicates ram issues.
Reason 9: Viruses
Viruses and malware occupy much space in the ram and interfere with the system processing. Hence, these viruses in the form of encrypted files can corrupt your system and make the laptop turn off unexpectedly.
WARNING: Surfing unauthorized websites cause viruses to sneak into your laptop. To be safe, install a good antivirus like AVAST free. It will automatically detect any possible threats to the system and kill them.
Reason 10: Cmos Battery Problem
Booting the laptop and resetting the date/time is impossible if your laptop’s CMOS battery is damaged. The Cmos battery is responsible for system BIOS and RTC. So, a faulty CMOS battery, too, can cause your Dell laptop to shut down unexpectedly.
How To Stop Dell Laptop From Shutting Down-Easy Fixes
Fix 1: Replace The Battery/Power Adapter
If the battery or laptop charger/adapter is responsible for random shutdowns, buy the original battery and adapter compatible with your laptop.
Fix 2: Repair The Fans Or Faulty Hardware
Replace or repair the internal components which became a victim of overheating. If the laptop fans are not working fine, you can open the laptop casing, remove any foreign particles stuck inside, and clean the fans.
Fix 3: Update Windows & Drivers
Regularly updating windows and drivers might save your laptop from random shutdowns due to update issues; check for windows and driver updates every month for the safe side.
Fix 4: Replace Cmos Battery
If you suspect any damage to the CMOS battery, it’s better to get it replaced by any laptop repair shop. However, if you know the technical stuff, you can do it yourself. You have to open the laptop cover and locate the CMOS battery on the motherboard to replace it. Online tutorial videos can help you too.
Frequently Asked Questions
How To Get My Dell Laptop To Turn On
Ans: To get your Dell laptop to turn on, you must charge the battery or connect the power adapter if the battery health could be better. Then open the laptop lid and press the power on button at the bottom of the screen. The laptop would take a few minutes to turn on. You should perform a hard reset if the laptop does not turn on.
Why Is My Dell Laptop Not Shutting Down
Ans: Sometimes, the Dell laptop does not shut down because the Fast Startup option is ON in the settings. It prevents the complete shutting down of the Dell laptop. You can go to power settings, and you can uncheck the Fast Startup option under Shutdown settings. If this does not work, you can force the shutdown of your laptop by pressing the power button for 15 seconds. The other alternative is to restart the laptop.
How To Manually Shut Down Dell Laptop
Ans: If your Dell laptop does not respond to the Shutdown command, you can do it manually by pressing the power button and holding it for 5-10 seconds until the screen goes black and the spinning sound of the disk drive ceases to come. Another method is to press the Alt+f4 keys; a dropdown menu will appear. Select the Shut Down option and click OK.
To Summarize
Why does my Dell laptop keep shutting down? The most common reason is overheating, which causes the laptop to turn off suddenly without warning. It is a defensive mode for the laptop to prevent potential thermal damage. Sometimes, the sudden Dell laptop shutdown indicates poor battery health. Inappropriate power settings might cause your laptop to keep turning off. Fortunately, there are ways you can deal with such issues proper laptop maintenance, replacing or repairing the faulty components, and altering the power settings.