How to Connect Switch to Your TV Without the Dock? Nintendo Switch is undoubtedly one of the most popular consoles of all time. And although it’s not quite on the level of the Nintendo DS yet in terms of sales, it doesn’t look like it’s going to be long until it overtakes it and has sold more overall.
The Nintendo Switch is popular in part because it can be used as both a portable console and a docked one. You can therefore easily connect it to your television.
However, what if you don’t have the dock that comes with the Switch? Is it still possible to dock it and play it on your TV? Well, we’re here to show you how you can do this.
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How to Connect Switch to your TV without the dock
If you want to connect your Switch to your TV without its dock, you’ll need an HDMI to USB-C converter. Then, all you have to do is plug the USB-C end into the Switch and the HDMI end into the back of your television.
Therefore, you can use a Nintendo Switch without its dock. A USB-C cable is required to connect your Switch to its dock, as it has a USB-C port. You just need to connect the Switch’s output via USB-C to your television’s input – the best option for this is typically HDMI.
Finding an adapter for this is pretty easy, and they’re not going to be too expensive either. It’s a great option to pick up if you don’t want to carry your dock around with you everywhere – you can even keep it in your bag ready to use if you want to use your Switch on the go.
Several older USB-C adapters may not work, so you may need to get a newer one to connect your Switch to your television. Here’s my Switch connected to my television;
Bear in mind that this also requires a power supply. To use it, you’ll need an extra plug and a USB to USB or USB to Micro USB cable, since the adapter needs power. It will also charge your Switch while you’re using it.
You can see that I’ve been playing Celeste on the big screen. The Switch Lite does not have HDMI output capabilities, so you can’t do this with a full version of the software.
This is the link to the Nintendo Switch USB-C adapter I bought to use with my television. It’s a bit more expensive than other USB-C adapters, but some of the cheaper ones have a lot of negative reviews saying they don’t work.
This is the easiest way for you to connect a Switch to your TV without having to use a dock. Are there other ways to do this? That’s what we will look at now.
Is it possible to connect a Nintendo switch wirelessly to a TV?
So, now we know that you need an HDMI cable and an adapter for you to connect your TV and Switch together. You can have a lot of fun playing your Switch on a 75-inch TV. Is it possible to do this wirelessly, or do you need a cable?
Without a wire, you won’t be able to do this. The Switch cannot output video content via a wireless connection. You will always need a cable to connect it to another device when you don’t want to use it in portable mode.
Of course, you can prop the Switch up on its own and use the two joy-cons as controllers if you want to. But, many people find that this screen is too small for multiple people playing. Currently, you can’t do this without the use of an HDMI lead, so you’ll need to pick one up.
Can I charge my Nintendo Switch without the dock?
If your dock is broken or you don’t have it with you, you might be concerned about charging your device. With a USB-C cable, you can easily charge any Switch. Charging your Switch doesn’t require a dock – just plug this cable directly into the wall to do so.
So you can connect your Nintendo as well as charge it without a dock. In this case, you won’t need to carry around a full dock and AC adapter with you everywhere you go. It should work with a standard USB-C cable, although it may charge slowly depending on what you’re connecting it to.
Additionally, you might want to consider getting a power bank for your Nintendo Switch since some of them offer more than 15 hours of additional playtime.
Why is my Switch dock not working?
It’s likely that you’re having issues with the dock itself if you’re searching for help with this problem. Check these things if your Switch dock isn’t working.
Cables – One of the main reasons for your dock not working may not actually have anything to do with it. Instead, it may be the cables that you’re using with it. This could be with the power cable of your Switch, or maybe with the HDMI cable that you’re using too.
Within your TV – Another potential cause of the issue between the two could be your television. This can be the case whether you’ve got a newer widescreen smart TV but it’s more likely to be an issue if you have an older model.
The dock itself – Unfortunately, although it’s not a common problem with Nintendo docks, the issue could lie within the dock itself. If this is the case, then you don’t have much of an option other than taking it to Nintendo or your nearest game store to get fixed.
Conclusion
Overall, it isn’t the end of the world if your Nintendo Switch dock has broken, or you didn’t bring it with you to use with your console. As long as you make sure that you have a USB-C adapter to an HDMI port, then you can connect your Switch up to your TV and use it in docked mode, even without the dock itself.