How to Charge a Laptop with HDMI Cable

08/11/2023

Did you just break your laptop charger, and your laptop has shut down on you? However, you need to do some urgent work on it and need to find an alternative method or temporary replacement quickly. Well, then, we are sure that you must have searched the web for it and come across the method to charge your laptop with an HDMI cable.

This article explains how to charge your laptop with an HDMI cable, but keep in mind that this method is only a temporary solution for emergencies. Charging your laptop with an HDMI cable is not recommended for regular use and should not be relied upon long-term. Let’s dive into the details so you know what to expect and how to do it, if necessary.

Key Takeaways:

HDMI Cables Aren’t Designed for Charging: While HDMI cables are primarily used for transmitting audio and video signals, they can be used as a temporary solution to charge a laptop in an emergency. However, this is not their intended purpose.
HDMI Ports for Charging: Laptops with an HDMI-IN port can potentially charge via an HDMI cable. However, most modern laptops only feature HDMI-OUT ports, which are used for video output and are not capable of charging the laptop.
Safety Concerns: Charging a laptop with an HDMI cable is not safe in the long term. The low voltage of HDMI cables results in slow charging and can damage the battery over time. It should only be used in urgent situations when a charger is unavailable.
Two Methods to Charge via HDMI:
- HDMI to HDMI Cable: If your laptop has an HDMI-IN port, connect it to a power device (like a TV or monitor) using an HDMI cable.
- HDMI to USB Adapter: For laptops with a USB-C port, an HDMI-to-USB-C adapter can be used to charge the laptop, though this method still delivers slower charging compared to a regular power adapter.
Things to Keep in Mind:
- Not All Laptops Are Compatible: Only laptops with an HDMI-IN port can accept power through HDMI. If your laptop only has HDMI-OUT, this method won’t work.
- Slow Charging: Charging through HDMI is much slower than using a proper charger, and it may take much longer to fully charge the battery.
- Temporary Solution: This method is not recommended for regular use. It should only be used when your charger is unavailable and your battery is low.
Other Temporary Charging Options: If you don’t have access to an HDMI cable, consider using other adapters or external power sources. However, always aim to replace your charger as soon as possible to avoid long-term damage to your laptop’s battery.

Can an HDMI Cable Charge a Laptop?

Upon reading about HDMI cable charging laptops, you must have thought for sure that it is possible. Well, truth to be told, HDMI cables, in reality, aren’t meant to charge any gadget, let alone laptops. The primary purpose of these cables is to transfer audio and video signals from one device to another smoothly.

However, when worst comes to worst, these cables can work as a DIY laptop charger, too. One should remember, though, that not every HDMI port can support the charging mode.

Types of HDMI Port

With all this clear, it is important to know about the type of HDMI port before moving further in the article. There are two types of HDMI portas – HDMI IN and OUT. The HDMI IN port is used for receiving the HD signals, while the outer port helps fetch the signals from another device.

Generally, the laptops in the modern world have the support of the HDMI OUT port only since these are the cable ports that help to display the content on the secondary monitors. For this function, some of the laptops also support HDMI IN and a user can directly connect an HDMI cable at one end in such laptops. After this, an HDMI out cable has to be connected to another device to complete the pathway.

Now that you have got to understand whether an HDMI cable can be used to charge a laptop, there is definitely another question that must have cropped in your mind. What is it? Whether the HDMI cables are safe for charging laptops. If this is so, hop down below to seek its answer.

Is HDMI Cable Safe For Laptop Charging?

Charging your laptop through an HDMI cable is generally not safe. The voltage levels provided by HDMI cables are too low compared to the power required by laptops. As a result, charging your laptop this way takes much longer and can negatively affect the laptop’s battery health. Over time, this can lead to battery wear and slower charging speeds.

That being said, if you're in an urgent situation, using HDMI to charge can get you through a quick task, but it should never be your go-to method for keeping your laptop powered.

If you have encountered any such scenario and want to know how to charge laptop with HDMI, then we have a step-by-step guide for it for you below.

How to Charge Laptop with HDMI

While a relatively new concept that may sound intriguing to some, charging a laptop with an HDMI cable is a stance one should only carry out in case of emergencies. This is because it does have a negative impact on your battery, and you shouldn’t make it a habit of charging your laptop through it. With this clear, let’s hop into two common ways to charge a laptop using HDMI cable:

Steps to Charge Laptop with HDMI to HDMI Cable

When one seeks to charge a laptop using an HDMI-to-HDMI cable, the first thing to do is to check for the availability of an HDMI-IN port on the laptop. This is because most recent laptops possess an HDMI-OUT port, which is audio and video-specific and cannot charge the device. Suppose your laptop has an HDMI-IN port. In that case, you can follow the steps to be able to charge the laptop.

Plugin your HDMI cable inside one of the HDMI-IN slots in your laptop. Finally, plug in the HDMI-OUT slot into the same power device, whether it is a TV or a monitor.
Now, check if the power symbol is visible on the battery icon. Hover over the signal, and if you see ‘plugged in’ mentioned, this means that your laptop has now been connected to power.
With the power flowing, your laptop will now start charging. However, ensure to remove the cables when you are done with your work and purchase a regular laptop charging cable quickly.

Important: Even if it starts charging, this is a slow method. You should disconnect the cables as soon as possible and replace your broken charger with a proper one to avoid potential damage to your battery.

Steps to Charge Laptop with HDMI to USB Adaptor

Another pretty effective method to charge your laptop is using an HDMI to USB adaptor. The majority of modern laptops come with a USB-C port; these ports can quickly help you connect to an HDMI cable and let you connect a laptop to a power device. Here is how you can do this:

Plug the HDMI end of your HDMI cable into the HDMI-OUT port of the power device that you are using.
Now, plug the other end into the HDMI port of the adaptor. We recommend using a standard USB-C to HDMI adaptor for quick and efficient transfer.
Take your laptop and connect it to the USB-C connector on the HDMI to USB-C adaptor.
Now, check the battery icon on the Windows taskbar system below. If the icon shows a plugged-in icon, it means that your laptop has started charging.

Facts about Charging your Laptop with an HDMI Cable

With the steps to charge your laptop with an HDMI cable clear, you need to keep a few things in mind before you plug it in for charge:

Not all laptops can receive power through an HDMI. This is because modern laptops usually only have an 1. HDMI-OUT cable, but in order for you to charge through an HDMI-TO-HDMI cable, a laptop should have an HDMI-IN cable, too. If your laptop doesn’t have this device, then you won’t be able to charge using this method.
2. Compared to the power adaptor of a laptop, charging through an HDMI cable will take much longer. The primary reason behind this is that the power is transferred at a lower rate on an HDMI cable, which will cause it to take much more time to charge your laptop fully.
3. Many modern laptops have a USB-C port on them. This particular port can be used to connect an HDMI to a USB-C adaptor and help you charge through an HDMI cable quickly.
4. Not all laptops have an HDMI port cable that is capable of receiving a charge. Hence, simply plugging in the cable and expecting your laptop to pick up the charge will not help.
5. The HDMI to USB-C adaptor might come in handy for charging, given that many modern laptops do have a USB-C port.
6. In case your laptop doesn’t have a USB-C port, you can use a universal adaptor instead.
7. This method is temporary, so one should remember these aspects when using this approach:

Use this method only when charging is extremely low;
Charging your laptop through this method for a longer period can damage the laptop.
There can be an issue in the charging if the voltage in your residence is low.

Conclusion

If your charger runs out the course of its life at the eleventh hour and you have a pending deadline, we are sure it can leave anyone frustrated. However, you don’t have to dwell because many temporary ways can help you fix this particular issue for a while.

If the quest for these temporary methods led you to this article on how to charge a laptop with HDMI, then we hope it was helpful for you and that you worked out a way to charge your laptop using it.

FAQs

How Can I Charge My Laptop Without a Charger?

There are multiple ways to charge your laptop without the charger. However, the best one is to charge your laptop using an HDMI cable. However, the method is only temporary, and one should resort to purchasing a new laptop charger quickly to ensure their battery health remains intact.

Are USB Ports Useful For Laptop Charging?

USB ports are not particularly helpful for charging. This is because these ports usually supply the power to plug into the other devices. Moreover, it also suggests that all battery solutions must be connected to the USB ports for the laptops. Click to read more: USB Cables Guide.

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