How to Turn On a Dell Laptop
This is how nearly all Dell laptops are turned on (exceptions are noted below):
Where Is the Power Button on a Dell Laptop?
The power button should be pretty easy to locate no matter what kind of Dell laptop you have. Look for a circular or rectangular button below the screen and above the keyboard. The button could be anywhere along that area but is usually on the right or in the middle. It often fits with the device’s color scheme, so it could be challenging to spot at first glance. It’s especially true if the power button is built-in to a touch control bar above the keyboard. Here are some examples of the power button on various Dell laptops:
Turning Off the Laptop With the Power Button
If you need to force the computer off, pressing and holding the power button should do the trick (be sure to save your work first!). It will look like nothing is happening for a few moments until the screen suddenly goes dark. At this point, the laptop will have quit making noise and will be powered down. However, forcing the laptop to power down isn’t the preferred way to turn it off. Depending on what’s going on when you force it off, you could end up with corrupted files or lost data. Pressing the button once usually won’t even turn it off unless you change the default setting for what the power button does. A single press will usually sleep or hibernate the laptop instead. Learn how to change what the power button does if you want it to turn off your computer when you press it. The best way to shut down a laptop is through the operating system. You still need to save and close any open files, but it’s considered safer than forcing the computer off with the power button. To shut down Windows 10, use the power button in the Start menu and choose Shut down.
Dell Laptop Won’t Power On?
Dell recommends performing a hard reset if the laptop won’t boot into Windows. New laptops shouldn’t have this problem, but here’s what to do nonetheless: See How to Fix a Computer That Won’t Turn On if you need more help.
