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What to do if…
your laptop battery starts swelling and the casing or trackpad begins to lift

Short answer

Stop using it immediately: shut it down, unplug it, and move it to a cool, non-flammable surface away from people and pets. Treat it as a fire risk until it’s safely repaired or disposed of.

Do not do these things

  • Don’t keep using it “just to finish something” or leave it charging.
  • Don’t press the trackpad/casing back down, clamp it, or force the lid shut.
  • Don’t puncture, bend, or try to “deflate” the battery.
  • Don’t put it in household rubbish, kerbside bins, or normal recycling.
  • Don’t store it on a bed/sofa, near papers/curtains, or next to heaters/radiators.
  • Don’t attempt battery removal if it requires prying, strong force, or tools you’re not confident with.

What to do now

  1. Power it off. Do a normal shutdown. If it won’t respond, hold the power button until it turns off.
  2. Unplug everything. Disconnect the charger and any accessories. Do not reconnect power “to check”.
  3. Move it to a safer spot. Place the laptop on a hard, non-flammable surface (tile/stone/metal) in a cool, ventilated area away from anything that can burn. Keep children and pets away.
  4. Reduce escalation risk. Leave it alone and watch for hissing, popping, smoke, a strong chemical smell, or rapid heating. If any appear, do not handle it further.
  5. If there’s smoke/fire/rapid heating, call 999. Say it’s a swollen lithium-ion laptop battery and describe what you see (smoke/heat). If safe, close the door to the room and keep people out.
  6. Protect your data without energising the battery (preferred).
    • Do not power it back on as your default.
    • If the data is important, a reputable repair shop/manufacturer service can often remove the storage drive (or do data recovery) without you trying to run the laptop.
    • Only if the laptop is completely cool, stable, and not worsening, and you accept the risk, you could do a seconds-only power-up to grab one critical file—then shut down immediately at the first sign of warmth or further lifting.
  7. Arrange repair or safe disposal promptly.
    • Contact the manufacturer or retailer and describe it as battery swelling / casing or trackpad lifting. Follow their handling instructions.
    • For disposal: use your local household waste recycling centre (HWRC) or local council’s guidance for damaged lithium batteries/devices. Do not drop a swollen/damaged battery into standard in-store battery bins unless that site explicitly accepts damaged batteries.
  8. Optional: report it as an unsafe product. If you think the product is unsafe beyond your own device, you can report it to Trading Standards via the Citizens Advice consumer service (the route depends on whether you’re in England/Wales, Scotland, or Northern Ireland).

What can wait

  • You do not need to diagnose the cause or run battery tests.
  • You do not need to decide now whether to repair or replace.
  • You do not need to wipe the laptop immediately; safety comes first.

Important reassurance

Swelling is a known lithium-ion battery failure mode. Taking it seriously early (power off, unplug, isolate, then use proper repair/disposal routes) is the right response and usually prevents a bigger incident.

Scope note

These are first steps to reduce harm and buy time. Next steps are manufacturer/retailer service or a qualified repair shop, plus a proper WEEE/battery disposal route.

Important note

This is general safety information, not professional advice. If you see smoke, flames, or rapid heating, prioritise getting people to safety and contacting emergency services.

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