Problems · Battery
What do I do about a swollen laptop battery?
Stop using and charging the machine, and have the battery removed by someone qualified. A swollen lithium battery is a damaged one, and the swelling is gas produced by a chemical failure inside the cell. This is the one battery article on this site with a genuine safety instruction rather than advice.
Do not puncture it, do not press it flat, and do not try to prise it out. If it is in a bag or on soft furnishings, move it somewhere hard, cool and away from anything flammable.
First, notice when it happens
The causes, ranked
1. Age and cycles
most commonHow to confirm it
An older battery, well past its cycle rating, with health far below design capacity. Swelling is one of the ways lithium cells reach the end.
The fix
Replacement by a service, not by you. Recycle the old cell at a proper collection point rather than in ordinary waste.
2. Sustained heat
most commonHow to confirm it
A machine that has spent its life running hot, on soft surfaces, or in hot rooms, ages its cells faster and swells sooner.
The fix
After replacement, address the heat. A new battery in a hot machine follows the old one.
3. Long periods held at full charge
commonHow to confirm it
A machine that has lived permanently plugged in at 100 percent, especially a warm one.
The fix
Use the charge limit on the replacement. This is the practical lesson from a swollen battery, and it is a setting rather than a habit.
4. Physical damage or a manufacturing defect
occasionalHow to confirm it
A drop or impact, or swelling on a battery still well within its expected life, which may be covered by warranty or recall.
The fix
Check for a recall on your model before paying for anything. Swelling in a young battery is a manufacturing matter.
5. A cheap third-party replacement
occasionalHow to confirm it
A battery bought on price, swelling much sooner than the original did.
The fix
Buy the maker's part or a reputable equivalent. Battery cells are one of the worst places to save money.
Measure it instead of guessing
There is nothing to measure here, and that is the point. Every other article on this site asks you to run a test first; this one asks you to stop and have the machine seen. Once a healthy battery is fitted, a test on mains and on battery confirms the machine itself came through it fine.
What software cannot tell you here
- We cannot detect swelling, which is visible and tactile: a machine that rocks on a flat desk is the classic sign.
- We cannot assess safety remotely, which is why this article ends at a service rather than at a fix.
Asked, in people’s own words
- Is a swollen laptop battery dangerous?
- It should be treated as such. The swelling is gas from a chemical failure inside the cell, and a damaged lithium battery can vent or ignite, particularly if punctured or compressed. It is not usually an emergency in the next five minutes, but it is a reason to stop charging it and have it removed rather than to carry on for another month.
- Can I still use a laptop with a swollen battery?
- You should not. Beyond the safety question, the swelling physically presses on the trackpad, keyboard and sometimes the screen, and it can damage them permanently. Continuing to charge a failing cell is the worst version of it.
- How much does it cost to replace a swollen battery?
- Usually the price of the part plus a modest labour charge, and far less than the damage a swollen cell does to the chassis and trackpad if it is left. Check for a recall on your model first, since swelling within the expected life is sometimes covered.