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Starting a laptop and logging in

Connect the charger, switch on, sign in to your account, lock the screen when you walk away, and look after the battery so it lasts for years.

20 minbeginnerUbuntu/LinuxWindowsPractical task needs a laptop or desktop

Marking a lesson as read does not prove you can do it. Skills count as demonstrated when you pass the quiz (not yet) and complete the practical tasks (not yet).

By the end of this lesson you will be able to

  • Connect a charger and switch on a laptop safely.
  • Log in to your account and say what a user account is for.
  • Explain the difference between a locked screen and being logged out.
  • Lock the screen with the keyboard shortcut on Ubuntu and on Windows.
  • Describe three habits that protect the battery and the charger.

Switching on a laptop sounds too simple to need a lesson, but small habits here make a big difference. Handling the charger gently, keeping your password private and locking the screen when you leave the room protect both your hardware and your files. This lesson shows you the safe routine, step by step, on Ubuntu and on Windows.

Before you press the button

A laptop runs from its battery or from the charger. For your first start, and whenever the battery is low, connect the charger first. A flat battery is the most common reason a laptop seems dead. Plug the charger's cable into the laptop, then plug the other end into a wall socket and switch the socket on.

The round or rectangular plug fits only one way, so never force it. Where your laptop charges through a USB-C port, the plug is reversible, but it must still slide in smoothly. A small light near the port, or a battery symbol on screen, normally tells you that charging has begun. The charger works as the power supply for the laptop and also refills the battery.

Illustration

Where to look on a laptop before and while switching on.

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Where to look on a laptop before and while switching on.
Read this figure as text

An open laptop with numbered markers on the charging port, the power button and the display.

An open laptop drawn from the front, with the side ports shown. Marker numbers point to the display, which will show the logo and login screen; the keyboard, where you will type your password; and the power button, which you press once and release. The charging connection is on the side of the laptop. Your own laptop may place these parts in slightly different spots.

Switching on

Start the laptop

  1. Step 1: Open the lid

    Open the lid fully but gently. Hold the base with one hand if the hinge is stiff.

    You should see: Some laptops switch on by themselves when the lid opens. If yours does, skip to step 3.

  2. Step 2: Press the power button

    Press the power button once, firmly, and release it. Do not hold it down.

    You should see: A light comes on, fans may whisper, and a logo appears after a few seconds.

  3. Step 3: Wait for the login screen

    Wait. Do not press keys or the button again while the logo is showing.

    You should see: After 10 to 60 seconds the login screen appears with your name or a picture.

Logging in with your account

To log in is to tell the computer who you are. Your user account holds your own files, settings and desktop picture, separate from anybody else who uses the machine. That is why you need a password: it proves the account is yours.

At the login screen you choose your name (if there is more than one), type your password and press Enter. Letters you type appear as dots so no one can read them over your shoulder. Passwords are case-sensitive, so a capital letter matters. Keep your password private. Never write it on a sticker on the laptop, and never tell it to anyone who phones or messages you, however official they sound.

The login screen on each system

Ubuntu shows a login screen with your name. Click your name if the password box is not already visible, type your password and press Enter. If the screen first shows a large clock and date, that is the lock screen. Press any key or click, or drag it upwards, to reveal the password box.

After a correct password, the Ubuntu desktop with the dock on the left appears. On a first start after installation, a short welcome window may offer a tour. You can close it.

Diagram

The usual path from a closed laptop to a working desktop.

  1. Step 1: Charger inCheck the light or battery icon
  2. Step 2: Open lidGently, with both hands if stiff
  3. Step 3: Power buttonPress once, then wait
  4. Step 4: Log inName and password, then Enter
  5. Step 5: DesktopReady to work
The usual path from a closed laptop to a working desktop.
Read this figure as text

A flow of five steps: connect the charger, open the lid, press the power button, enter the password, use the desktop.

Five steps in order. Step 1: connect the charger and check the charging light. Step 2: open the lid gently. Step 3: press the power button once and wait for the logo. Step 4: at the login screen, choose your name and type your password, then press Enter. Step 5: the desktop appears and you can start working.

Locking the screen is not the same as logging out

When you step away from the laptop, someone could read your files or messages. The fix takes one second: lock the screen. Your programs keep running and your work stays open, but the screen is covered until your password is typed again. Use the keyboard shortcut: Super + L on Ubuntu (the Super key is the one with the Windows logo) or Windows key + L on Windows. Both use the same keys because the Super key and the Windows key are the same physical key.

Logging out (also called signing out) is different. It closes all of your programs and ends your session. You use it when another person will use the laptop, or when you finish for the day and want a completely fresh start. Save your work first.

Diagram

Locked, logged out and shut down compared.

LockedSuper + L or Windows + L
  • Screen is covered
  • Programs keep running
  • Work stays open

Short break.

Logged outSign out from the menu
  • Programs are closed
  • Laptop stays on
  • Login screen appears

Someone else will use it.

Shut downPower off from the menu
  • Everything is closed
  • Power is off
  • Starts from the logo again

Not using it for hours.

Locked, logged out and shut down compared.
Read this figure as text

Three columns comparing a locked screen, a logged-out session and a shut-down laptop.

Locked: the screen is covered and needs your password, but your programs and open files stay as they were; use it for a short break. Logged out: your programs are closed and your session ends, but the laptop stays on and shows the login screen; use it when someone else will use the laptop. Shut down: everything is closed and the power is off; use it when you will not use the laptop for a long time.

Lock the screen using menus

The shortcut is quicker, but the menus are useful to know.

  1. Step 1: Use the shortcut or menu

    Press Super + L, or click the system menu in the top-right corner of the screen (it holds the Wi-Fi, sound and battery icons).

    You should see: A panel of quick settings opens.

  2. Step 2: Choose the padlock

    Choose the padlock button to lock the screen.

    You should see: The screen turns to the lock screen with a clock. Press a key to bring back the password box.

Looking after the battery and charger

Almost all laptops contain a lithium-ion battery. It wears out slowly with use. Each time you use up a full battery's worth of charge, even spread over several top-ups, counts as roughly one charge cycle, and a battery is usually good for hundreds of them. You cannot stop wear, but you can slow it down.

  • Keep the laptop cool. Heat harms batteries more than anything else. Do not charge it on a bed, a sofa or in direct sunshine, because they block the vents.
  • Use the charger that came with the laptop, or a good-quality one with the same rating. Cheap unknown chargers can be unsafe.
  • Hold the plug, not the cable, when you pull it out, and do not bend the cable sharply near the plug.
  • Avoid leaving the battery at 0 percent for days. Many makers suggest keeping the charge roughly between 20 and 80 percent when you can, and some laptops have a setting that limits charging to protect the battery. Look in your laptop maker's settings if it has one.
  • Never use a battery that is swollen, hot when not in use, or smells strange. Stop using the laptop and ask a technician.
Diagram

Good and poor habits for batteries and chargers.

Do
  • Charge on a hard, flat surface
  • Use the right charger
  • Pull the plug, not the cable
  • Keep the laptop cool

Slows battery wear.

Avoid
  • Charging on a bed or in a bag
  • Cheap unbranded chargers
  • Leaving it flat for weeks
  • Leaving it in a hot car

Heat and strain shorten battery life.

Good and poor habits for batteries and chargers.
Read this figure as text

Two columns showing good battery habits and habits that damage a battery or charger.

Good habits: charge on a hard flat surface with the vents clear; use the original or a matching charger; pull the plug by its body; shut down or sleep the laptop when travelling; store it somewhere cool. Poor habits: charging on a bed or in a bag where heat builds up; using cheap unbranded chargers; yanking the cable; leaving the battery empty for weeks; leaving the laptop in a hot car.

Checking the battery level

On Ubuntu, open the system menu in the top-right corner. The battery symbol shows the level and whether it is charging. To see more, open Settings, choose Power, and look at the battery section. The labels vary slightly between Ubuntu versions and laptops.

Common mistakes

  • ✖ Instead of: Pressing the power button again and again because the screen is slow to appear.

    ✔ Do this: Press once and wait up to a minute. Repeated presses can interrupt start-up or switch the laptop off again.

  • ✖ Instead of: Sticking the password on the laptop lid or keeping it in an unlocked note.

    ✔ Do this: Anyone who picks up the laptop would be able to open your account. Memorise it, or store it safely in a password manager.

  • ✖ Instead of: Walking away from a logged-in laptop in a public place.

    ✔ Do this: Lock it first with Super + L or Windows + L. It takes one second.

  • ✖ Instead of: Charging the laptop under a pillow, in a bag or on a bed.

    ✔ Do this: Charge it on a hard, flat surface where the vents can breathe.

If something goes wrong

The laptop does not start and nothing lights up.
Check that the plug is fully in the laptop and the wall socket is switched on. Try another socket. Leave it charging for 30 minutes, then press the power button once.
My password is rejected although I am sure it is right.
Check Caps Lock, check that the keyboard language has not changed, and type slowly. Look at the on-screen option to show the password as you type, if one is offered, before pressing Enter.
The charger light is on but the battery percentage does not rise.
The laptop may be using all the power while it works hard. Close big programs, check the plug is fully inserted, and try the original charger. If it still does not charge, ask a technician.
The lock shortcut does nothing.
Make sure you hold the Super or Windows key first and then press L. Some laptops use the Fn key to switch the function of keys, so try with Fn released, or use the menu method.

Key terms

Login
Proving who you are, usually with a password, to start using a computer or account.
User account
Your personal sign-in on a computer, with its own files and settings.
Lock screen
A screen that hides your work and asks for your password, while your programs keep running behind it.
Charge cycle
One full use of a battery's capacity, added up across several partial charges, which slowly wears the battery.
Lithium-ion battery
The rechargeable battery type used in nearly all laptops and phones.

Practise it for real

Reading is not the same as being able to do it. Complete these on your own computer, then tick only what you have actually done. These ticks are your own honest record: nothing checks them for you.

Guided exerciseNeeds a laptop or desktop

Start, log in and lock

Connect the charger and check that the charging light or icon appears. Shut the laptop down properly (see the next lesson if you are unsure), then switch it on with one press of the power button. Log in. Then lock the screen with Super + L (Ubuntu) or Windows key + L (Windows), wait ten seconds, and sign in again. Check that your open programs are still there.

You have succeeded when:
Independent challengeNeeds a laptop or desktop

Challenge: audit your charging habits

For one day, notice where you charge your laptop, what it sits on, and what charger you use. Check the battery level in the system menu or taskbar three times. At the end, write down two habits you will keep and one you will change, using the do and avoid lists from this lesson.

You have succeeded when:

Knowledge check

6 questions. You need 80% to pass. Mistakes here are part of learning, and you can retry as often as you like.

  1. Question 1.Put the safe start-up routine in the right order.
    1. Enter your password at the login screen
    2. Open the lid gently
    3. Press the power button once
    4. Connect the charger
  2. Question 2.You are leaving the room for five minutes and want your open document to still be there. What is the best action?
  3. Question 3.The Super key on Ubuntu and the Windows key on a Windows laptop are the same physical key.
  4. Question 4.Match each term to what it means.
  5. Question 5.Fatuma charges her laptop every night on top of a soft duvet with the laptop closed under a blanket. After months, the battery only lasts an hour.What is the most likely contributing cause?
  6. Question 6.A caller says they are from your laptop's maker and asks for your login password to fix a problem. What should you do?

Summary

  • Connect the charger first, press the power button once, then wait for the login screen.
  • Your user account keeps your files and settings private. Keep the password secret.
  • Lock the screen (Super + L or Windows + L) when you step away; log out when someone else will use the laptop.
  • Heat and rough handling shorten battery life. Charge on a hard, flat surface with the vents clear.

Checklist: can you do these?

Marking a lesson as read does not prove you can do it. Skills count as demonstrated when you pass the quiz (not yet) and complete the practical tasks (not yet).

Related lessons

References and further reading

Official sources for details that can change between versions.

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