Maybe the time has come, and the charger on your laptop is no longer working. When this happens, people always ask me if I can use a different laptop charger/cell phone other than the one that came with my laptop? I usually say no, it’s not a good idea, although I didn’t fully understand the formula behind it. But I decided to look more at it so that I could be more knowledgeable about laptop chargers, power adapters, batteries, and incompatibilities.
Is it Okay to Use a Different Charger for Your Laptop?
The short answer is; Lol You should never use the charger intentionally from another laptop on your laptop. It doesn’t matter if you’re in trouble or if your battery is about to die. Connecting a different charger that is not designed for your specific model will not lead to anything good. In fact, you can immediately, if not eventually, fry the battery and you will have to get a new one. Now that you know you should not use the other laptop’s charger on your laptop, let’s look at why not.
Power Requirements
All laptops are not the same and are not your power requirements. Some laptops require more power; Think of laptops Gaming. Its chargers are manufactured for this specific power requirement. If you use a charger that does not provide enough power, or that provides too much power to a laptop, you can risk damaging the battery beyond repair. There is also the possibility that you will damage other hardware on your laptop so really, just don’t do it.
The battery can happen immediately or the damage may eventually arise. Generally, it is manifested in the form of ‘ connected, not loading ‘ message.
Proprietary Hardware
Laptop chargers are not designed to mix. If you have a Dell portable charger and plug it into an HP laptop, it will damage your battery. It won’t matter if the charger provides the right amount of power, the different manufacturers ‘ mixing chargers are never a good idea and the laptop batteries could reject it simply because it is not from an approved manufacturer. You may be able to go out with it if you are using chargers from the same manufacturer who can provide the right amount of energy, but this is a great “If “. Better to err on the side of attention and avoid it.
Cheap Knock-offs
Some chargers are cheap, while others may cost a bit. If you are looking to replace the charger of your laptop and you are tempted to buy a cheap Knock-off you know it is the same as using the charger for a different brand, except worse. There is no way to determine the quality of a Knock-off charger and while you can claim to provide a certain amount of energy, you cannot be sure if you really do. Stay away from me. Spend the extra money and get a document or you will replace the battery very soon.
Macbooks
MacBooks are a small exception to this rule. You can probably use a MacBook charger with another MacBook as the power requirements are met, but you should never use a Knock-off charger or try to use a non-Apple charger. Not only can you fry the battery you may be voiding a warranty or two.
