How To Charge A Laptop Without A Charger? 6 Ways

Are you so much in a hurry to work or school that you forgot your charger? Or perhaps you might have lost it somewhere at some time when you slept away from home? There are a lot of instances where we forget where we put our chargers to the point of completely losing them. But that does not mean all hope is lost!

There are several ways to charge your laptop without the need for its standalone charger. You can charge it in your car, or use a USB cable with an adapter that you will not expect to work. Some ways seem unconventional but surprisingly work.

But take note that some steps I will provide here are not applicable when using the laptop without a battery. In this article, and based on my overall experience in using laptops, I will guide you to the best alternative ways to charge your laptop if you left your charger somewhere else.

Charge Using Type-C USB Cable

Users who have laptops with built-in ports for the Type-C USB can connect a USB-C cable to charge it effectively. The Type-C USB still has its original square port for computers and other adapters.

But this time, the other end’s shape looks like a thin oblong and is used for most of the latest phones.

Finally, USB cables are now strong enough to charge laptops. Take note that you need a USB adapter, which looks like a box with USB ports and a Type-C port, to make it work. This is like charging your phone, and some laptop models also use this as a primary charging method.

The steps are so simple, it’s like charging your phone. Here are the following:

• Connect your USB-C cable to the port found at the side or back of your laptop, depending on the make and model.
• Connect a plug adapter at the other end.
  • Note: Be careful when using adapters of low quality, and go for better quality plug adapters for your safety. Some adapters may cost high but are made of durable materials that do not overheat easily.
• Plug the adapter to your wall or any extension cord, and see your laptop charge up!

This is the easiest trick that you can do when charging your laptop using alternative means. Another known advantage of charging your laptop using a type-C USB cable and an adapter is the cost.

Some may cost less than your laptop model’s charger, which is most recommended when replacing a lost charger.

However, it is extremely hard to find a Type-C adapter when looking for a specific amount of voltage of watts. A lot say that buying a laptop charger is easier to do than going to different computer stores to look for one.

Gladly, you can find one online nowadays – all you have to do is to see if the charger works.

When purchasing the Type-C USB cable and its power adapter, be sure to consider the following for your safety, and to avoid unnecessary costs:

Price – Some might think that buying a cheap cable or adapter made them save a lot of money. But for the long term, it will just make you spend a lot of money as you keep on replacing your cable or adapter for another cheap one in the market.

Learn to consider the fact that buying a cable that’s somewhat pricey is actually a good investment as it can last for years.

Voltage – Check the voltage of the adapter to see if it fits your laptop battery. You might damage the battery or cause it to fail for good if you purchase an adapter with a voltage that does not match your battery’s.

Quality – The adapter you’re going to purchase should not easily break or have known issues. To find out these known issues, and to see if the adapter has a good reputation in its market, check the reviews of the brand you’re interested at.

But if you cannot find a Type-C adapter that is right for your laptop, you still have some hope. I will provide you more unexpected ways that work if you want to recharge your laptop, which is excellent for emergencies.

Use A Power Bank

Your power bank is not just a handheld buddy when charging your phone. Depending on the make and model, power banks are built to handle high amounts of voltage and wattage. Most of the best models are just as good as your wall outlet when charging your phone.

What made power banks interesting is that they can charge several devices, as long as you can connect them to the power bank in some way.

With enough experimentation, as well as the guts to do it, I was able to discover this very neat trick that some technicians seem to know already these days.

But before I provide the steps, be sure to check if your laptop allows Type-C USB charging for this to work. You should also check the specifications of your power bank by checking its manual or by going online to look for its features.

Later on, I will discuss some factors to consider when buying the right power bank for your laptop.

The steps are just as easy as the first tip I taught you. Here are the following:

• Plug the Type-C USB cable into your laptop.
• Plug the Type-C end of the USB cable into the power bank. Make sure your power bank has a port for this type of USB or you will never make this trick work!
• Turn on your power bank, and see what happens next!

The best advantage you can get with using power banks for your laptop is that you can charge it anywhere you go.

When driving because of an emergency, and your low-battery laptop is needed at that point, your power bank will surely save the day.

However, finding a power bank that fits the voltage requirements for laptop charging is quite hard to find. Most laptops need 8 to 12 volts of power to charge properly.

Most power banks in the market can only provide 5 volts of charging power, but there are still a few that can support up to 20 volts.

If you need to buy the right power bank for your laptop, remember these factors to consider first:

• Price – Much like most gadgets, never settle for very cheap ones to avoid short-circuiting or endless replacements of the same cheap product. It is a fact that the better quality materials used, the more durable and pricier it is.
• Voltage – As mentioned earlier, the power bank’s voltage should be 8 volts or higher. This makes the power bank hard to find for this purpose.

If your power bank has run low on batteries or if you ever left it, then do not worry. If you ever have a vehicle when away from home, the next two tips are going to be very interesting for car owners.

Use Your Car Charger

Your car charger found at the cigarette lighter is a very useful alternative port if you want to charge your laptop. Most usually use it for keeping their cigarette lighter up and if they need to charge their phones during an emergency.

But this is also proven to be very useful for those who are struggling with their laptop battery while in the car.

However, this method will still need an adapter for it to work, since the charger relies on a USB connection to function properly.

I strongly suggest that you buy a USB adapter at this point as it serves greatly as your alternative charger for your laptop, and it’s very easy to bring.

To use your USB adapter with the car charger, take note of the following steps:

• Plug the laptop into your adapter. As discussed earlier, buy an adapter that meets the voltage requirement of your laptop’s battery. See your laptop manual for further information.
• Next is to connect the adapter to your car charger. Be sure to remove the cigarette lighter if there are any currently plugged into the charger.
• Turn on your car and see your laptop get charged up.

The best thing about using your car charger for your laptop is that you can recharge its battery as you go along the way. Emergencies regarding work using your laptop will surely be settled even when you are on the go.

It’s also a great solution if you forgot to charge the laptop before you drive your car.

However, this is not recommended on your trip if you’re on a quick ride only or if you need to do something outside the car.

This tip is only meant when you’re driving. You should only consider this tip if you’re going to drive for a long run. Never risk the safety of your car just because you need to charge your laptop for several minutes.

When it comes to the factors to consider before you use the car charger, all you have to do is check if the voltage of your car charger meets the requirement of your laptop’s battery.

Gladly, most car chargers can handle up to 12V, which is just right for almost any laptop model.

It is really surprising to know that your car charger can work wonders for your laptop during emergencies. But if you want to learn something more unconventional, but with the help of your vehicle, then check out the next step.

Charge Using A Car Battery?

This is so far the most unconventional means for you to charge the laptop if you left the charger with you. The car battery is known to contain a vast amount of electricity because of the requirement needed by the car to operate its electronics.

But with proper setup and caution, your car battery can become an emergency “adapter” for charging the laptop.

You need a power inverter for this trick. An automobile power inverter is a type of transformer that inverts a direct current into an alternating current. This helps operate car batteries with devices that have small voltage requirements, such as the laptop.

This is not as easy as the steps provided earlier, but this is a very great trick to share with your friends if they no more options besides the car battery for charging the laptop. Here are the following steps:

• Connect the inverter directly to the battery as instructed in your battery manual. Make sure your car is turned off before connecting the inverter. Keep the inverter away from the engine when it’s hot to avoid any issues.
• Once connected to the battery, hook your inverter to a USB Type-C adapter first before plugging it into your laptop.
• If everything is set up correctly, your laptop should start charging.

The good thing about using your car battery is that you will be able to do this everywhere you go. You don’t need to use the car at this point because the battery and the inverter will do their respective work to charge your laptop.

The only downside of this technique is the fact that it requires a lot of work, and most are not knowledgeable about operating car batteries.

Another disadvantage is that you might damage the laptop or the car, as well as hurt yourself if you are not completely knowledgeable about this procedure.

Before you perform this alternative charging method, here are some very important factors to consider before proceeding:

• Power Inverter – I would recommend you to buy a power inverter that can handle up to 300 watts of electricity, which is just right for charging the laptop.
• Car Battery Status – You also need to check the status of your battery to see if it can sufficiently charge your laptop to sustain your car after the laptop gets charged.
• Ventilation – Inverters produce heat during operation, which is why you should set it up in a location with a cooler temperature. You can do the steps in charging using a battery if the outdoor environment is not too hot, or you can do it inside your car while it’s on if your wires can reach there.
• Equipment Needed – When using pliers and wires to connect the inverter to the battery, be sure to check if the handle and the area of the wire near it have electrical tape wrapped around them.
• Your Expertise – Before you start, and even if you have everything prepared, be sure to check if you are completely knowledgeable in doing this. If you are not confident in doing this, seek a car mechanic or someone experienced with handling car batteries for assistance.

If you have noticed, I have been explaining the fact that you need a USB Type-C adapter in every alternative means to charge your laptop. The USB Type-C is indeed an innovation because you can use it not just for your phone, but for recharging various types of electronics nowadays.

If you don’t have this type of cable, consider the rest of the steps below instead.

Charge With a Universal Power Adapter

Because of the differences between every laptop make and model, technology has found a means to make charging much better.

There are universal power adapters for sale around computer stores and online shops which offer the benefit of letting you charge any laptop in your house even if you don’t have the original charger anymore.

The universal power adapter for laptops looks like a regular laptop charger, but with detachable components such as its tips to accommodate almost every laptop model.

These devices are very useful as it supports almost any model in the market, and is proven safe and effective to use as well.

Here are the steps on how to use one:

1. Attach the necessary components of the adapter such as the power supply and the two wires that must be connected at both sides.
2. Attach the tip that fits into your laptop’s charging port. These universal adapters come with almost any type of tip. You will never have a hard time looking for the right one. If you still have your charger, compare the tips with it to identify the right one.
3. Plug the adapter into your laptop and plug it in, and you will never have to worry about your missing charger.

These universal adapters come at a very affordable price, plus they can be found in any computer store or online shop nowadays.

Some of these nifty chargers also come with battery packs that you can connect to your car, making it portable than the original charger.

If there is a problem with these devices, it could be the fact that you might get one that does not fit the voltage requirements of your laptop.

Though this type of issue is rare, and you can easily prevent that by researching the product you’re going to buy.

To know more tips before doing this method, here are a few factors to consider:

• Voltage – Be sure to look for the voltage that matches the original charger to avoid any problems such as damage to the laptop and its battery.
• Price – As mentioned earlier, and as my personal tip, never settle for cheap products that might break easily or cause other problems like blowing up.

There is also a product called the external laptop battery charger, which is almost the same in terms of the universal charger’s purpose. But this time, the battery should be plugged into the external charger for it to work.

The last step below also another product that’s great for the sudden need to power up the laptop when there is no charger

Use A Super Battery

Super batteries for laptops are regarded as secondary batteries. It operates with a different charging cable that you can plug directly into your laptop’s battery port.

I find this extremely useful as a spare battery, rather than buying the original battery as it’s cheap.

Despite its name, it is not a universal battery. Super batteries are very easy to find in computer stores and some online shops as well.

But take note that the super battery varies by the model of the product, which is why you have to check if your laptop model is fit for the super battery you’re planning to purchase.

The steps are fairly easy when using the super battery:

• Remove the original battery.
• Plug the super battery in and see it work!

The super battery is the perfect spare battery for your laptop because it costs less than the original laptop battery. It is also very easy to bring around because you can keep it in your bag or car when not needed.

However, despite its name once again, it does not hold a charge for a long amount of time compared to the original battery.

This forces some users to only use the super battery in time of need such as adding extra hours to operate the laptop outside due to an important task, or if there is an emergency like a need to contact someone.

Conclusion

Losing or leaving a charger behind might be one of the worst nightmares that laptop users might have.

Technology has given us innovative solutions in unexpected ways, which included the fact that laptops can also be charged in almost any way and anywhere.