Windows 11 laptop won’t turn on and charging light is orange but lightbulb light is blue

Hi Britta Luce,

Thank you for reaching out to Microsoft Q&A forum. I understand how worrying this situation can be, especially when the laptop shows power but the screen remains completely black.

Based on your description, it sounds like the system may have become stuck after the device froze and was force‑closed, which can sometimes affect how Windows or the display wakes back up.

You’ve already tried some important basics, so the next helpful step would be to check whether the device can start in Safe Mode. Safe Mode loads Windows with only the most essential drivers, which helps us determine whether this is being caused by a display driver or software issue.

To access Safe Mode when the screen is black, please press and hold the power button to turn the laptop off. Turn it back on, and as soon as it begins starting up, press and hold the power button again to force it off. Repeat this process two or three times. On the next startup, Windows should automatically open the recovery screen. From there, select Troubleshoot > Advanced options > Startup Settings > Restart, then choose Safe Mode.

If the screen appears in Safe Mode, that’s a good sign and usually points to a driver‑related issue, which can often be resolved once Windows loads normally again. If the screen remains black even in Safe Mode, this would suggest the issue is likely related to firmware or hardware rather than Windows itself.

Please take your time trying this and let me know what you observe. I’ll be happy to guide you based on the outcome and help you decide on the best next step.

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Try these steps in order to get the laptop to turn on again:

1. Disconnect everything
   • Unplug the power adapter from the laptop and from the wall.
   • Disconnect all accessories: USB drives, external monitors, SD cards, docks, etc.
2. Check and reset the charger
   • Plug the power adapter back into a known‑good wall outlet.
   • Connect it firmly to the laptop.
   • If the charger has an indicator light (similar to Surface Connect LED behavior), make sure it is solid (not off or blinking). If it blinks or is off, follow the guidance in What to do if your Surface power supply or charger doesn’t work: unplug from wall and device for at least 10 seconds, then reconnect and try a different outlet if needed.
3. Charge for a while
   • Leave the laptop plugged in and charging for at least 15 minutes.
4. Try to wake it
   • Close and reopen the lid (if it has one), then press the power button once.
   • If there is a keyboard, press Windows logo key + Ctrl + Shift + B to try to wake the display.
5. Force a restart
   • Press and hold the power button for about 20 seconds (keep holding even if any logo briefly appears), then release.
   • Wait a few seconds, then press the power button again normally to turn it on.

If the laptop still will not turn on after these steps, and the charging/battery light remains on, this indicates a deeper hardware or firmware issue. In that case, contact the device manufacturer’s support for hardware service.

References:

• Surface won’t turn on or start
• What to do if your Surface power supply or charger doesn’t work