'%3e%3cpath%20d='M0,0%20v30%20h60%20v-30%20z'%20fill='%23012169'/%3e%3cpath%20d='M0,0%20L60,30%20M60,0%20L0,30'%20stroke='%23fff'%20stroke-width='6'/%3e%3cpath%20d='M0,0%20L60,30%20M60,0%20L0,30'%20stroke='%23C8102E'%20stroke-width='4'%20clip-path='url(%23s)'/%3e%3cpath%20d='M30,0%20v30%20M0,15%20h60'%20stroke='%23fff'%20stroke-width='10'/%3e%3cpath%20d='M30,0%20v30%20M0,15%20h60'%20stroke='%23C8102E'%20stroke-width='6'/%3e%3c/g%3e%3c/svg%3e)
UK
%20--%3e%3cuse%20href='%23s'%20x='0'%20y='0'/%3e%3cuse%20href='%23s'%20x='494'%20y='0'/%3e%3cuse%20href='%23s'%20x='988'%20y='0'/%3e%3cuse%20href='%23s'%20x='1482'%20y='0'/%3e%3cuse%20href='%23s'%20x='1976'%20y='0'/%3e%3cuse%20href='%23s'%20x='2470'%20y='0'/%3e%3cuse%20href='%23s'%20x='247'%20y='210'/%3e%3cuse%20href='%23s'%20x='741'%20y='210'/%3e%3cuse%20href='%23s'%20x='1235'%20y='210'/%3e%3cuse%20href='%23s'%20x='1729'%20y='210'/%3e%3cuse%20href='%23s'%20x='2223'%20y='210'/%3e%3cuse%20href='%23s'%20x='2717'%20y='210'/%3e%3cuse%20href='%23s'%20x='0'%20y='420'/%3e%3cuse%20href='%23s'%20x='494'%20y='420'/%3e%3cuse%20href='%23s'%20x='988'%20y='420'/%3e%3cuse%20href='%23s'%20x='1482'%20y='420'/%3e%3cuse%20href='%23s'%20x='1976'%20y='420'/%3e%3cuse%20href='%23s'%20x='2470'%20y='420'/%3e%3cuse%20href='%23s'%20x='247'%20y='630'/%3e%3cuse%20href='%23s'%20x='741'%20y='630'/%3e%3cuse%20href='%23s'%20x='1235'%20y='630'/%3e%3cuse%20href='%23s'%20x='1729'%20y='630'/%3e%3cuse%20href='%23s'%20x='2223'%20y='630'/%3e%3cuse%20href='%23s'%20x='2717'%20y='630'/%3e%3cuse%20href='%23s'%20x='0'%20y='840'/%3e%3cuse%20href='%23s'%20x='494'%20y='840'/%3e%3cuse%20href='%23s'%20x='988'%20y='840'/%3e%3cuse%20href='%23s'%20x='1482'%20y='840'/%3e%3cuse%20href='%23s'%20x='1976'%20y='840'/%3e%3cuse%20href='%23s'%20x='2470'%20y='840'/%3e%3cuse%20href='%23s'%20x='247'%20y='1050'/%3e%3cuse%20href='%23s'%20x='741'%20y='1050'/%3e%3cuse%20href='%23s'%20x='1235'%20y='1050'/%3e%3cuse%20href='%23s'%20x='1729'%20y='1050'/%3e%3cuse%20href='%23s'%20x='2223'%20y='1050'/%3e%3cuse%20href='%23s'%20x='2717'%20y='1050'/%3e%3cuse%20href='%23s'%20x='0'%20y='1260'/%3e%3cuse%20href='%23s'%20x='494'%20y='1260'/%3e%3cuse%20href='%23s'%20x='988'%20y='1260'/%3e%3cuse%20href='%23s'%20x='1482'%20y='1260'/%3e%3cuse%20href='%23s'%20x='1976'%20y='1260'/%3e%3cuse%20href='%23s'%20x='2470'%20y='1260'/%3e%3cuse%20href='%23s'%20x='247'%20y='1470'/%3e%3cuse%20href='%23s'%20x='741'%20y='1470'/%3e%3cuse%20href='%23s'%20x='1235'%20y='1470'/%3e%3cuse%20href='%23s'%20x='1729'%20y='1470'/%3e%3cuse%20href='%23s'%20x='2223'%20y='1470'/%3e%3cuse%20href='%23s'%20x='2717'%20y='1470'/%3e%3cuse%20href='%23s'%20x='0'%20y='1680'/%3e%3cuse%20href='%23s'%20x='494'%20y='1680'/%3e%3cuse%20href='%23s'%20x='988'%20y='1680'/%3e%3cuse%20href='%23s'%20x='1482'%20y='1680'/%3e%3cuse%20href='%23s'%20x='1976'%20y='1680'/%3e%3cuse%20href='%23s'%20x='2470'%20y='1680'/%3e%3c/g%3e%3c/svg%3e)
USA
What to do if…
your laptop battery is swelling and the casing or trackpad is lifting
Short answer
Stop using the laptop now: shut it down, unplug it, and place it on a cool, hard, non-flammable surface away from people, pets, and anything that can burn. Treat it as a fire risk until a qualified repairer, the manufacturer, or the correct waste route has dealt with it.
Do not do these things
- Don’t keep using it to finish work or check one more thing.
- Don’t charge it, reconnect the charger, or leave it plugged in.
- Don’t press the trackpad or casing back down, clamp it, or force the lid shut.
- Don’t puncture, bend, crush, heat, or try to deflate the battery.
- Don’t put it in household rubbish, kerbside recycling, or a normal mixed battery bin.
- Don’t store it on a bed, sofa, carpet, paper, near curtains, or next to heaters.
- Don’t remove the battery yourself if it needs prying, force, or tools you are not confident using.
What to do now
- Power it off. Use a normal shutdown. If it will not respond, hold the power button until it turns off.
- Unplug everything. Disconnect the charger and any accessories. Do not reconnect power to check whether it still works.
- Move it carefully if it is cool enough to touch. Put the laptop on a hard, non-flammable surface such as tile, stone, or a metal tray, in a cool and ventilated area. Keep children and pets away.
- Check from a safe distance. Look for hissing, popping, smoke, a strong chemical smell, leaking, or rapid heating. If any of these happen, do not handle it again.
- If there is smoke, fire, leaking, or rapid heating, call 999. Say it is a swollen lithium-ion laptop battery. Get people away from the room; close the door if you can do that safely.
- Protect data without turning the laptop back on. Use existing cloud or external backups if you have them. If the data matters, ask the manufacturer, retailer, or a reputable repair shop about removing the storage drive or data recovery without running the laptop.
- Arrange repair or safe disposal promptly. Contact the manufacturer, retailer, or a qualified repair shop and describe it as battery swelling with the casing or trackpad lifting.
- Use the right disposal route if it will not be repaired. Check your local council or household waste recycling centre instructions for damaged lithium batteries or electricals before travelling. Tell staff it is a swollen or damaged lithium-ion battery and follow their handling instructions.
- Report it if you think the product is unsafe beyond normal battery failure. Use the GOV.UK product-safety reporting route, which points to the right contact route for England and Wales, Scotland, or Northern Ireland.
What can wait
- You do not need to diagnose why the battery swelled.
- You do not need to run battery tests or open system settings.
- You do not need to decide today whether to repair or replace the laptop.
- You do not need to wipe the laptop immediately; safety comes first.
- You do not need to argue with the retailer or manufacturer while the device is still unsafe.
Important reassurance
You have already spotted the main warning sign. Powering off, unplugging, isolating the laptop from flammable items, and using a proper repair or disposal route are the right first moves.
Scope note
These are first steps to reduce harm and buy time. Later decisions about repair, replacement, warranty, data recovery, or disposal may need help from the manufacturer, retailer, local council, or a qualified repair service.
Important note
This is general safety information, not legal, technical, fire-safety, waste-disposal, or professional advice. If there is smoke, flame, leaking, or rapid heating, prioritise getting people to safety and contacting emergency services.
Additional Resources
- Reading — I have a Swollen Lithium-ion battery what should i do
- GOV.UK — Batteries and chargers - Fire safety at home
- GOV.UK — Consumer products: recycling batteries and electrical waste
- GOV.UK — Lithium-ion batteries
- GOV.UK — Consumer products: reporting product safety issues
- Recycle Your Electricals — Electrical Recycling Near You
About this guide
This guide was produced and is maintained by PanicStation.org using its published editorial process. Official and specialist sources are checked where relevant, and AI-assisted tools may be used for drafting, organisation, and consistency checks. The site operator remains responsible for publication, revision, and removal decisions.