How to fix the orange flashing light on Dell laptop

Encountering a flashing orange light on your Dell® laptop can be puzzling, especially when you're unsure what it means

That’s where we come in. Asurion provides the expert care your family's tech deserves, protecting and repairing the items that make up your digital life. Here’s what you can do about a Dell laptop flashing an orange light.

What is causing the orange flashing light?

The flashing orange light on your Dell laptop typically indicates a power or battery issue. This might be caused by several different circumstances, such as a failing battery, poor battery connection, faulty charger, or more serious hardware failures.

A flashing white light on a Dell laptop may mean that the system is unable to boot to the operating system. This would be an entirely different set of problems, like your laptop failing to start or giving you a black screen because of a software issue.

How to fix a Dell laptop flashing orange light

Now that we understand what those different flashing lights mean, let’s examine how to troubleshoot a blinking orange light on a Dell laptop.

Restart your laptop

Restarting your laptop can often resolve minor glitches, including power-related issues.

1. Click the Start menu.
2. Select the Power icon > Restart.

Try a different charger

A faulty charger can also cause the battery indicator light to flash orange. To rule this out, connect a different compatible charger to your laptop. Then, check whether the light continues to flash. If it stops, your original charger may need replacing.

Check the battery health

The health of your laptop’s battery plays a crucial role. A degraded battery might not hold a charge, causing the power LED to blink orange. Here’s how to check your battery’s health:

1. Restart your laptop, and boot into the BIOS setup by pressing F2 as the laptop turns on.
2. Look for the battery information menu to see the health and status of the battery. If it says the battery is weak or failing, consider replacing it to resolve the flashing light issue.

Check your physical battery

Sometimes, the flashing orange light could be due to a loose or poor battery connection. If your battery is removable, make sure it’s properly connected by following these steps:

1. Turn off your laptop, and disconnect it from the power cable.
2. Remove the battery carefully according to your laptop's user manual instructions.
3. Check for any dirt or debris in the area or on the battery contacts. Clean gently if needed.
4. Reseat the battery, making sure it is securely connected.
5. Turn on your laptop to check whether the flashing light persists.

Got a Dell laptop with an internal battery? You can use our guide to disconnect and check your battery.

Reset BIOS

BIOS, which stands for Basic Input/Output System, is the essential software that initiates your laptop's startup process. Over time, BIOS settings can become disorganized due to software updates or compatibility issues. Resetting it clears these settings, allowing your laptop to recalibrate and reconfigure its power management and battery performance.

Before resetting BIOS, back up all your important data to avoid potential data loss. Then, follow these steps to reset BIOS:

1. Click the Start menu > Settings> Update & Security.
2. Select Recovery from the left sidebar, then click Restart now underneath the Advanced Setup heading.
3. After your computer restarts, a blue screen with advanced troubleshooting options should appear. Select Troubleshoot > Advanced Options.
4. Choose UEFI Firmware Settings, and click Restart to continue.
5. Your computer should shut off and then load a setup menu. From here, you’ll select Load Setup Defaults or Load Default Options (the wording may vary depending on your computer). Then, select Yes.