Why is My iPad Not Charging From a computer?

If you ever plugged an iPad into a PC or Mac, you possibly might have seen a “Not Charging” message on your iPad’s screen, and thought to yourself what this means. Don’t worry, I will explain why the message appears, as well as what you can potentially do to solve the issue of not charging.

The Current is not Enough

A lot of computer USB ports do not supply enough current to charge an iPad while the iPad’s screen is turned on. If this happens to be the case, you will see a “Not Charging” message on the iPad’s screen beside the battery icon.

Depending on the model you own, iPads require anywhere from 10 watts to 20 watts of power for them to charge at a reasonable speed, especially if you happen to be using the iPad at the same time.

Typically, a lot of computer USB ports (especially the ones in older devices) often only output 0.5 amps of current, which is not enough to charge your iPad at a reasonable rate. It is not enough to power it while the iPad is in use. However, some newer Macs as well as PCs do have some high-power charging ports that have the ability to charge an iPad. Unless you know the complete technical specs on every USB port in your device, figuring out which port can charge an iPad is mostly a matter of trial and error.

That being said, it could also be a hardware issue, if so, there are some strategies that can help solve the issue.

What to do to Fix the iPad Not Charging Issue?

Say you plug in an iPad into a USB port on a computer and the “Not Charging” message is displayed, then there are a handful of things you can try. Given below are the most promising options:

Use a Different USB Port: It is common that different USB ports on a PC or Mac have different amounts of power output. Try to plug the iPad charging cable into a different port to check If the issue still persists. As a side note, the USB ports built into keyboards are almost always not powerful enough to charge an iPad.

Use USB Ports on another Computer: Few newer Macs as well as PCs might have high-power USB ports that have the ability to charge an iPad at a reasonable rate. This will not be as fast as an iPad wall charger, however, this will work in a pinch.

Use a Different Charging Cable: Sometimes the Lightning cable you are using to charge an iPad can become damaged or frayed which could be what’s preventing it from charging properly. Purchase a new Lightning or USB-C charging cable (whichever your model of iPad charges from) or try another cable if you have one on hand.

Clean the iPad’s Charging Port: It could be possible that lint or dust can get trapped in your iPad’s Lightning port, which creates resistance that might interfere with the charging. To fix this problem, completely power off the iPad, then gently insert a wooden toothpick into the Lightning port to remove the lint. Do not do this too aggressively as you could damage the pins inside the connector.

Turn Off the Screen and Trickle Charge: Based on which iPad model you have, you might be able to put your iPad in sleep mode (push the power button once,) and then slowly trickle-charge the iPad over a long period. Newer iPads require more power than older models to charge properly, so this option might just work for older iPads.

Ultimately, the best option you can follow is to charge your iPad using a USB adapter that plugs into an AC wall outlet. Search for one that outputs at least 2 amps (2000 mA). If you have a newer iPad, a 3-amp charger is recommended. 

You can usually read an adapter’s power output in fine print on the body of the charger, you just need to search for the word “Output,” then read the numbers printed after that, for example, “2.1A” for “2.1 amps.”

If you are not able to find the proper charger, some iPads can charge with 1-amp (1000 mA) chargers (like those for older iPhones), however, keep in mind it will be a slow process. 

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