Last checked: July 2026 — sourced against TSA “What Can I Bring?” and FAA PackSafe. Rules change; re-verify before you fly.
The verdict, in one line
Yes — a laptop flies in your carry-on, and it’s the way you should pack it. TSA also permits laptops in checked baggage, but it advises against it, and so do we: the lithium battery inside is a fire risk that airlines want in the cabin where a crew can reach it. The one thing to remember at the checkpoint: unless you have PreCheck or the lane has a modern CT scanner, your laptop comes out of the bag and into its own bin.
Carry-on: yes, and there’s no limit
TSA allows laptops through the checkpoint and into the cabin, and it sets no cap on how many you can bring. Two work machines and a personal one? Fine. The battery inside a standard laptop is a lithium-ion cell rated under 100 watt-hours, which is the ordinary allowance that needs no airline approval — so the device itself is never the problem.
Two checkpoint rules trip people up. First, screening: at a traditional X-ray lane you must remove the laptop from your bag and lay it flat in a separate bin, nothing above or below it. TSA PreCheck travelers keep it in the bag, and so does everyone at checkpoints upgraded to CT (computed tomography) scanners, which build a 3D image and don’t need a clear view. If you’re not sure which lane you’re in, just take it out — an officer will wave you off if it’s unnecessary.
Second, power. A TSA officer can ask you to switch on any electronic device. If a laptop is too dead to boot, it can be refused at the checkpoint and won’t fly. Charge it before you leave for the airport.
Checked bag: allowed, but don’t
Here’s the nuance people get wrong. A laptop with its battery installed inside it is not the same as a loose spare battery. Spare (uninstalled) lithium batteries are banned from checked bags outright. A laptop is a device with the battery fitted, so TSA and the FAA technically permit it in checked baggage — but TSA openly recommends you carry it on instead.
Why the warning? A lithium battery that overheats in the cargo hold is out of sight and out of reach; in the cabin, a crew member can act on it in seconds. Add the ordinary hazards of checked luggage — crushing, drops, temperature swings, theft — and a fragile, expensive computer belongs on your shoulder, not under the plane. If you absolutely must check one, power it fully off (not just asleep), protect it from being crushed or switched on by accident, and understand some airlines restrict this further.
Spare batteries and chargers are a separate rule
The laptop is easy; its accessories have their own limits. A spare laptop battery you carry loose, or a power bank you charge it from, must go in your carry-on and can never be checked. Protect the terminals of any loose battery — original packaging, a case, or tape over the contacts — so nothing can short it.
Most laptop batteries and standard power banks sit under the 100 Wh line and need no approval. Large “workstation replacement” or extended batteries can climb past it; anything rated 101–160 Wh needs airline sign-off and is capped at two spares, and above 160 Wh is banned from passenger aircraft entirely. See our batteries and power-bank guides for the full tiers.
The airline & international layer
TSA rules are the US floor; airlines and other countries can be stricter, and lithium policy has tightened sharply through 2025–2026. Some carriers now spell out that laptops and other large batteries should be in the cabin, and a few international routes have added laptop-specific handling at the gate. If you connect through a hub in the Middle East, UK, or Asia, check that airline’s dangerous-goods page — the item is the same, but the paperwork and the enforcement are not.
One more real-world note: powered-off electronics larger than a phone can draw extra scrutiny on some international routes, and an uncharged laptop has occasionally been the reason a passenger was pulled aside. The fix is the same everywhere — arrive with a charged, checkpoint-ready machine, packed in your carry-on.
Sources & verification
Every claim on this page was checked against the primary sources below and last verified July 2026.
- TSA — laptops allowed through the checkpoint and in the cabin with no quantity limit (removed for X-ray unless PreCheck/CT). tsa.gov/…/laptops
- FAA — installed lithium battery in a device may be checked but is discouraged; loose spares are carry-on only. faa.gov/hazmat/packsafe/airline-passengers-and-batteries
Related rules: Lithium batteries & power banks · Power bank · Batteries · Drone
FAQ
Do I have to take my laptop out of my bag?
At a standard X-ray lane, yes — lay it flat in its own bin. TSA PreCheck travelers and anyone at a checkpoint with a CT scanner can leave it in the bag.
Can I put my laptop in a checked bag?
TSA technically allows it because the battery is installed inside the device, but it recommends against it. Carry it on. If you must check it, power it fully off and pack it so it can’t be crushed or switched on.
Is there a limit on how many laptops I can bring?
No. TSA sets no limit on laptops through the checkpoint or in the cabin.
My laptop won’t turn on — is that a problem?
It can be. Officers may ask you to power on any device; one that won’t boot can be refused at the checkpoint. Charge it before you travel.
What about a spare laptop battery?
A loose spare must go in your carry-on only, never checked, with its terminals protected. That’s a stricter rule than the laptop itself.