As all of us get more and more comfortable with portable devices like laptops and bringing our PCs with us wherever we go, it can be easy to think that all ports on machines can be used for charging and to connect to other peripherals. There are a wide array of connection types that most modern laptops have built into them, but most of them will not work for charging the laptop.
HDMI ports are not intended for charging your device. This means that you should not consider trying to charge your laptop with this port. You can use a workaround through an HDMI-IN port, but this will be very slow and will likely damage your laptop. There are very specific charging ports on every laptop for a reason, and you should not try to use the wrong kind of charging if you don’t want to damage your machine.
Which Ports Are for Charging?
The most common type of port that is used for charging is the USB-C port. Some laptops use a USB Type -A charging port as well. The age of your machine will impact the type of USB port that was added for charging. This is why it is so important to have a charger for every device that you own. There can be big differences in the charging designs and ports in various devices that you own. In many cases, you will not be able to use the same charging cable for more than one or two devices in your technology inventory.
Remember as well that fast chargers are not used for every kind of device either. In some cases, fast chargers can actually damage the item that you are trying to charge. This is one of the most common reasons that people’s devices end up being ruined, so using a generic, fast-charging cable is not always ideal.
Charging With HDMI is Never a Good Idea
If you are in a bind and you are trying to get your device to charge without the ability to use the regular charging port, you might just need to avoid the use of this device until it can be repaired or replaced. Charging with HDMI is almost guaranteed to ruin your machine, and it likely will not get much charge from this workaround anyway. There are specific charging ports in every device for a reason, and you need to use these charging ports for this one purpose.
Be sure that you are cautious about using generic chargers and fast chargers for some of your older devices as well. Not every electronic device is capable of being charged with a fast charger, and you could ruin your electronics by doing this. Having the correct charger for each device in your home is important, and you should be sure that you are not trying to use universal chargers for every item that you own.
This article was last updated on March 29, 2023 .
