Do you have a Chromebook but its original AC Charge cable is damaged, lost, or forgotten and you are wondering how on earth you are going to charge it? Well, look no further because here we will walk you through how to charge a Chromebook without a charger.
There are different ways you can charge a Chromebook without a charger, this includes using a USB Type-C Cable or using a car charger. This could sound so funny but both options can charge your Chromebook without your charge except for the fact that it will take time to complete the charging cycle.
Although using the original charger that came with your Chromebook will provide the fastest charge possible within a short time frame. There’s usually a limitation with the charging speeds when you use phone chargers.
However, before you go ahead to use your phone charger, ensure that it is compatible with the Chromebook and it must be a USB-C cable since it’s the standard cable compatible with most recent smartphones.
Note: The old-generation smartphone chargers such as Micro USB are not compatible with your Chromebook. Read on as we guide you through the step-by-step procedure on how to charge a Chromebook without a charger.
Can you Charge a Chromebook with a USB?
Yes, you can charge a Chromebook with a USB but it has to be compatible with your Chromebook, that is use a USB Type-C Cable. At the same time, your Chromebook must have a USB Type-C port to achieve this.
Interestingly, most Chromebooks are compatible with a USB Type-C Cable, therefore if your Chromebook has this option, you won’t have any issues charging your device with a USB Type-C Cable.
Can You Wirelessly Charge a Chromebook?
If your Chromebook is NFC-enabled, it can be used to manage communications and charging since there’s a power transfer rate of up to one watt and a single antenna.
Wireless charging restores pens that fit full USB-C ports and older models that use an alkaline battery. Now, it’s found on Chromebooks like the twice from HP.
How to know Your Chromebook Battery Situation
You need to know the battery health of your device, to know this, follow the steps below:
- Tap on the time in the bottom right corner.
- Next to the date, you will see a readout of your present battery power.
- This will show you how much battery life and approximately how much time you have before your Chromebook eventually dies.
That’s it! If you want to know if your Chromebook battery is bad, you can follow the steps below.
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How Do I know if my Chromebook Battery is Bad?
You need to know your battery situation. To do a Battery Health Check to know your Chromebook’s battery status, follow the steps below:
- Press the Ctrl + Alt + T keys at once (Crosh will open in a new browser tab).
- Ensure that the A/C adapter is connected to your Chromebook and an electrical outlet.
- Enter battery_test 1 (including the space) into crosh, and then press Enter.
That’s it!
How to charge a Chromebook without a Charger
There are several ways in which you can charge a Chromebook without a charger, here we will be discussing 3 methods such as using USB Type-C Cable, a car charger, and a phone.
How to Charge Chromebook Using USB Type-C Cable
In case your Chromebook has a USB Type-C port, you can always charge your Chromebook using that as well. If you need to use your Chromebook while it charges, then you will need a charger that supports USB PD (USB Power Delivery).
However, if USB Type-C power is an option, you can locate that option in Settings. Follow the steps below:
- Click the Time >> Settings, signified by the gear symbol.
- Click on Power.
- Next to the Power source, select the USB-C port from which you would like to receive power.
It’s very important to note that if your power setting does not have this option, then charging via USB type-C will not be possible and you will not be provided with the option to choose the USB Type-C port.
Then you can try the following option which is to charge a Chromebook with a car charger.
How to Charge a Chromebook Using Car Charger
Some Chromebooks are sold with both an AC power cord and a DC power cord for the car. With that, you can charge your Chromebook with your car charger. However, if your Chromebook is sold with an air/car charger, then you can use that to charge your Chromebook.
Although the clear disadvantage here is that it requires being in your car to use, which is not ideal at all, however, it will keep your Chromebook functional while you wait for a replacement cable.
Using a Phone to Charge a Chromebook without a Charger
Charging your Chromebook with other chargers like portable battery packs or phone chargers will only make it very slow to charge fully.
In other words, if you want to use the Chromebook while connected, the battery would still drain.
Therefore, you can also use your phone to charge your Chromebook if it supports two-way power delivery and if your Chromebook has a USB type-C port. Your phone is capable of delivering power to your Chromebook.
You only have to set it up the same way as above using the USB Type-C Cable method.
However, the same restrictions apply which is you will get a dribble charge.
Your USB Type-C port must be able to accept power and since your phone’s battery is quite smaller than your Chromebooks, therefore your phone will run out of power faster than your Chromebook.
Although it’s not a great solution, it might just save you some extra precious minutes of uptime.
How to Charge a Dead Chromebook?
To charge a dead Chromebook, you need to first check if the charger or adapter cables are plugged in, both to your Chromebook and the wall.
In case your Chromebook still won’t charge, you can follow the steps below:
- Disconnect your charger from the wall and your Chromebook.
- Connect your charger back into your Chromebook, then the wall.
- Charge your Chromebook for at least 30 minutes and check if this fixes it.
How to Revive a Dead Chromebook?
You can as well revive your dead Chromebook by enabling Recovery mode, you can do that by following the steps below:
- If you have a mouse or external hard drive connected to this Chromebook, remove it.
- To enter recovery mode on your Chromebook, press and hold Esc + Refresh, then tab Power.
- Release the Power button.
- On some Chromebook models, you need to press and hold Esc + Maximize, and press Power, then release the Power option.
However, for some other models of Chromebooks, you can reset the hardware by clicking on a special reset button, disconnecting the power cable, or removing and re-inserting the battery. Follow the steps below:
- Power off your Chromebook.
- Detach the power adapter.
- Detach the battery, then put it back in.
- Now, reconnect the power adapter.
- Finally, power on your Chromebook.
This should revive your dead Chromebook.
How Long Does it Take to Charge a Chromebook?
Well, on average, all Chromebooks provide fast charging, and you can expect your Chromebook to completely charge in about 2 and a half to 3 hours while you are not using it.
But, it may take a bit longer than this to charge if you are using it while charging. In addition to this, a dead Chromebook with battery issues can take about 24 hours to charge.