Dell XPS 13 9365 2-in-1 Troubleshooting

The laptop appears to be abnormally hot from general use, or spontaneously shuts down without warning.

The vents for the fans are on the back of your laptop. Make sure there is nothing obstructing these vents while you are using your computer.

Using your laptop on an uneven surface, such as your lap or a pillow can inhibit air flow to the vents. Try placing your laptop on a table or desk during use. If this isn't possible, placing a flat object such as a book or cooling pad under your laptop will help air flow to the vents.

Try limiting the amount of applications or browser tabs you use at any one time. This will reduce the work your computer must do and thus produce less heat. Certain applications generally take a lot of power, such as video games or video editing software.

Over time, dust can build up inside the vents of your computer. Inspect the vents and fans for dust and other blockages. Clean the vents using either compressed air, a soft brush, or cotton swabs.

The laptop will not show any sign of powering on and is unresponsive.

Unplug the AC adapter from the wall outlet and plug in another device to verify that the outlet is functional. If it appears to not work or you’re not sure, plug the AC adapter into a known-good wall outlet and plug in your computer. If the wall outlet is working, go to the next step.

Make sure that when the AC adapter is plugged in, the light on the end turns on. If the light is not on, it is possible the AC adapter is not functioning to charge the computer. Check the AC adapter and power cable for signs of overheating or physical damage. Check if the pin inside the plug or adapter port is bent, broken, or damaged. Consider purchasing a new AC adapter if it shows signs of non-functioning.

Performing a hard reset drains residual power that could be causing the problem.

• Step 1: Turn off the computer.
• Step 2: Disconnect the AC adapter from the computer and remove the battery. For instructions on how to remove the battery, [see this guide.]
• Step 3: Disconnect all other devices, including USB drives, printers, webcams, and media cards (SD/xD).
• Step 4: Press and hold the power button for 15-20 seconds.
• Step 5: Replace the battery and connect the AC adapter.
• Step 6: Power on the laptop.

The display flickers or changes brightness without manual brightness adjustment by the user.

Adaptive brightness is a built-in setting that changes the brightness and contrast of the screen depending on what is being displayed. To turn it off, follow these steps:

• Step 1: Click on the battery icon in the notifications bar and click “More power options.”
• Step 2: In the new window, click on the “Change plan settings” for the current active plan.
• Step 3: Click on “Change advanced power settings.”
• Step 4: Find the “Display” option (it may be near the bottom of the window).
• Step 5: Click on the plus sign of “Display.” Then the click on the plus sign next to “Enable adaptive brightness.”
• Step 6: Click on the word “On” to open an On/Off dropdown menu and switch the setting to “Off.”
• Step 7: Click “OK” to close the window and save changes.

Sometimes, switching the screen output can fix a persistent flickering issue.

• Step 1: Hold the Fn button down, then press the F1 key until the Projector output setting is selected and let go. The screen will go black.
• Step 2: Press the Enter key to return to the LCD screen output setting.

Screen flickering can be caused by out-of-date BIOS or device drivers. SupportAssist is a built-in application in Dell laptops that identifies needed updates. To run SupportAssist:

• Step 1: Press and hold the Windows key () then press the Q key.
• Step 2: Type “SupportAssist” in the search box.
• Step 3: Select “SupportAssist (App)” in the list of results.
• Step 4: Click “Start Now” to run the diagnostics.
• Step 5: SupportAssist runs the tests one by one and gives suggestions.

SupportAssist may recommend updating BIOS or installing new drivers. For more information on how to download and install drivers, see the Dell knowledge base article How to Download and Install Dell Drivers. For information on how to update BIOS, see Dell BIOS Updates.

Windows Safe Mode does not load any drivers, startup applications, or third-party services. Booting your computer in Safe Mode will help identify what is causing the display problem. Consult the appropriate Windows knowledge base article to learn how to boot your computer in Safe Mode.

A straightforward way to identify whether the problem is the display screen of the laptop, video card (GPU), or video settings on the computer is to connect the laptop to an external monitor or TV.

To connect your Dell laptop to an external monitor or a TV, see the Dell knowledge base article How to Connect a Monitor to a Personal Computer.

If the issue persists on the external monitor, it may be an issue with the video card (GPU) or video settings and not the laptop LCD panel. Go to [Issue drivers, startup applications, or third-party services.] Otherwise, go to the next step.

Keyboard fails to register typed keys

If the keyboard is not responding, the laptop could be set to tablet mode.  You will need to reset the computer to laptop mode.

If the keyboard is not functioning entirely and the previous cause has been ruled out, there could be a problem with the driver. Updating the keyboard driver should fix this problem.

If the keyboard is still not functioning and the previous causes have been ruled out, the keyboard could have experienced damage and developed a fault. You will need to replace the keyboard.

The camera will not function, throws an error when you attempt to use it, or will appear completely black when turned on.

Occasionally, your operating system will not detect your integrated webcam. This can occur for  a number of different reasons. Restarting your computer will give the operating system the ability to detect your camera again.

Reinstalling the drivers can often solve many problems when dealing with camera devices. Follow these steps to install the driver:

• Step 1: Right click the windows icon at the bottom left corner of your screen and open the “Device Manager”
• Step 2: Expand the “Imaging Devices” group
• Step 3: Right click the “Integrated Webcam” button and choose uninstall
• Step 4: Restart your computer

This will reinstall the driver for your webcam automatically.

Computer doesn’t register USB-C when connected.

If the computer doesn’t recognize that the USB-C is connected, the first step is to check if the cable is faulty. Make sure the cable works with other devices before taking additional steps.

It is possible the BIOS needs to update to fix a flaw in the USB-C. You will need to update the BIOS.