How to Charge Laptop with HDMI Cable Easily (Detailed Steps)

Written by: UGREEN

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Time to read 6 min

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.

If this scenario stands true, and you were wondering how to charge a laptop with HDMI cables, then you have landed on the right page. Hop on below to gain some insightful information on how to charge laptop with HDMI and learn a s step-by-step guide on how you can carry this method out easily.

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 essential to know about the types of HDMI port before moving further into the article. There are two types of HDMI porta – HDMI IN and OUT. The HDMI IN port is used to receive the HD signals, while the outer port helps fetch the signals from another device.

The laptops in the modern world generally only support the HDMI OUT port as these are the cable ports that help display the content on the secondary monitors. However, some laptops support HDMI IN as well, and you can directly connect an HDMI cable at one end in such laptops. Once done, you will then have to connect an HDMI out cable to another device to complete the pathway. 

Now that you know whether an HDMI cable can charge a laptop or not, we are sure that there is another question that might have popped up in your head. What is it? Well, whether the HDMI cables are safe for laptop charging or not. If that is the case, hop on below to seek its answer.

Is HDMI Cable Safe For Laptop Charging?

Now that you read above that an HDMI cable is not meant to charge devices, given its primary purpose is to charge multimedia, we are sure you must be thinking about whether or not it is safe to charge a laptop with an HDMI cable.

Well, charging a laptop with an HDMI cable is not a good option. This is because the voltage levels on an HDMI cable are low compared to those on a laptop charge. Hence, it takes the laptop a lot more time to charge on it. This ultimately affects the laptop's battery badly. However, in cases where you have to do an urgent task on your laptop and do not have a backup charger on hand, this option can still prove to be quite helpful. 

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

To charge your laptop with an HDMI to HDMI cable, one should check first whether or not the laptop has an HDMI-IN port. This is because most modern laptops only have an HDMI-OUT port, which is audio and video-specific and does not support charging. In case your laptop does have an HDMI-IN port, you can proceed with the following steps to charge the laptop.

Step 1: Connect the HDMI cable to an HDMI-IN port on your laptop. Now, connect the HDMI-OUT port of the same cable to the power device – which can be a TV or a monitor.

Step 2: 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.

Step 3: 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.

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:

Step 1: Plug the HDMI end of your HDMI cable into the HDMI-OUT port of the power device that you are using.

Step 2: 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.

Step 3: Take your laptop and connect it to the USB-C connector on the HDMI to USB-C adaptor.

Step 4: 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:

1. Not all laptops can receive power through an HDMI. This is because modern laptops usually only have an 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.