How to charge a Nintendo Switch?
There are two solutions for charging a Nintendo Switch. The first, often the simplest, is to place it in its dock. When you buy Nintendo's hybrid console, a station is in the box; this allows you to connect the console to the TV, to play on it, as well as to power the console and thus charge it. Of course, this is not the case with the Lite model of the Nintendo Switch, since it can only be used in portable mode.
The second solution is simply to plug a USB Type-C cable into the console's port, visible on the bottom edge. Like a smartphone or a computer, it will recharge its battery once connected to the mains (or an external battery, for example). Be careful though, the Nintendo console is a little capricious about the charger used: if you can, only connect it with the original cable provided in the box, especially if you tend to play while charging. Other cables and power adapters will do the trick, but you risk discharging it faster than it charges if you use it at the same time.
My Nintendo Switch is no longer charging, what should I do?
This is a scenario that happens more often than you might think. As we said above, Nintendo's console tends to be a little capricious with recharging, just like with its battery in general. If unfortunately your console no longer wants to recharge, don't panic: it may be nothing at all. After a very long period of disuse, or simply if you have let the battery reach 0%, the console may have trouble restarting. Here are the few steps to follow to restart it:
- Make sure the console is turned off: press the POWER button on the console for at least 12 seconds. Wait 5 seconds, then try to turn it back on;
- If this doesn't work: simply connect your Nintendo Switch to its dock, or via the official AC adapter provided with the console. Wait up to a few hours before trying to turn it back on.
If this still doesn't work, your console may be suffering from a more serious failure. Contact Nintendo customer service for support. Be careful, if the problem is due to improper use, the repair will be charged, even under warranty.
Taking care of the battery of a Nintendo Switch
Like any device that runs on battery, there are several tips for taking care of your Nintendo Switch. Whether you have a standard, OLED or Lite model, these tips can be very useful:
- Never discharge the battery completely: the lithium batteries that we now have in our devices are no longer the same as in the days before smartphones. Discharging the device completely is a bad idea that will reduce the health of the battery and, consequently, damage it;
- Don't let your Joy-Con discharge your console: you may already know this, but the Joy-Con themselves run on batteries. To recharge them, simply connect them to your Nintendo Switch. Yes, but! If you put empty Joy-Con on a console where the battery life is at 15%, it is obvious that it will not hold the charge. At best, you will have a few small percent left when you pick it up again, at worst it will be turned off and its battery will have taken a hit;
- Use official accessories to charge your Nintendo Switch: if Nintendo took care to provide a dock and a charging cable with your console, it is not for nothing. The Switch is a sensitive machine with charging. Keep your official charger, buy a second one if you can and only use the dock and charger provided to charge the console. This will avoid problems of undercharging or overcharging, bad cables that continually disconnect and overheating;
- Do not charge it in a place that is too hot: this is obvious to many, but not always a reflex. It is necessary not to charge your Nintendo Switch next to a radiator in operation or, worse still, exposed to the sun. The battery gets hot when charging, but increasing that heat further can be very bad for it, as it is for the rest of the console.
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