What to do if you’re unable to power on a Surface Pro 4?
The Surface Pro 4 is a Microsoft branded tablet that, in theory, is supposed to rival the iPad. It’s not a good rival but it is otherwise a reasonably good tablet. Some might say it’s only shortcoming is that it runs Windows 10. Both the Surface Pro 3 and the Surface Pro 4 sometimes don’t turn on. If you’re unable to power on a Surface Pro 4, here are a few things you can try.
Unable to power on Surface Pro 4
These are all solutions for when the problem is a software related one. If you suspect there’s hardware damage, i.e., your tablet fell from a considerable height or you spilled something on it, you should take it in for a check up. Software fixes won’t do anything.
Check battery
This is one the most frequent solutions that work. Often users suspect they have a full battery or a reasonably charged battery but it has actually drained to zero. Plug your Surface Pro 4 in and allow it to charge for a few hours. Try turning it on afterwards.
Check the charging cable
While you’re at it, it’s a good idea to make sure the charging cable isn’t damaged. If it is, your Surface Pro may not be charging at all. Connect your charger and make sure it lights up to indicate it has connected. If possible, try using a different cable to see if it works. This is something you should do if simply charging the Surface Pro doesn’t turn it on.
Soft Reset
The Surface Pro runs Windows 10 and one rather old bug with the OS is that it doesn’t always come out of sleep. Sometimes, it won’t wake from sleep and this tends to happen often on desktops/laptops but it might also be what’s keeping your Surface Pro off. To fix it, perform a soft reset.
To perform a soft reset on the Surface Pro 4, press and hold the power button for 10 seconds. Release it, and then press it again to turn the tablet on.
Force Shut down
With tablets, and most other devices that have a battery, forcing a shut down takes a little more effort since you have to do more than just pull a plug or disconnect its power source.
To force shut down a Surface Pro, press and hold the power button for 30 seconds. Release it when you see the Windows logo on the screen. This will force shut down the tablet and boot it again. If it doesn’t boot, you might need to let it charge for a while.
Boot with a keyboard
You can connect an external keyboard with the Surface Pro. If you happen to have one set up with your tablet, use the Ctrl+Shift+B+Win keyboard shortcut to turn it on. It’s possible that the power button on your tablet is no longer working or has come loose. If this works, you should take the device in for a check up.
Drain battery
If you suspect your tablet is on but the screen won’t wake up, let the tablet rest until you know its battery will drain to zero. After that, charge it and see if it will turn on/wake up.
If all else fails, you should take the device in for a hardware check up.
