How To Connect Switch To Laptop? 4 Simple Methods

If you are concerned about connecting the Switch to a laptop, consider step-by-step instructions to cope with the arising problem.

Connect your Nintendo Switch console to your computer using a USB cable. It will help if you directly plug a USB cable into the USB Type-C ™ connector on the bottom of your Nintendo device console.

Now let’s look at connecting your Nintendo device to the laptop to avoid errors and expand the device functionality.

How To Connect Nintendo Switch To Laptop With Capture Card? 

Capture Card

Capture Card

An HDMI capture device is required to view Nintendo device gaming on a laptop. We have a helpful instruction for those who are asking: “Can I hook my switch up to my laptop with a capture card?”

Things You’ll Need

  • The Nintendo Switch
  • Laptop
  • Nintendo Dock
  • Capture Card
  • HDMI Cable
  • Software

You can utilize any capture card with an HDMI input port and a USB type C connector for this operation. The Elgato capture card is a good capture card due to its price, ease of usage, and build quality.

You can find a capture card on the website. Besides, the software is available for free download from Elgato’s official website.

Step-By-Step Procedures

  1. Disconnect the HDMI cable with the Nintendo device and the TV.
  2. Connect the Elgato HD60 Capture Card to the Switch HDMI Cable. Because this procedure consumes energy, you should connect your laptop and Nintendo Dock to the power source.
  3. Open Capture HD on the laptop.
  4. To turn on your Switch system, press the Home on any controller.
  5. Connect your capture card to the laptop using your USB cable with this Elgato HD60.
  6. The Nintendo home screen should appear in the Game Capture card after a few seconds.
  7. If the software can not recognize the Switch, connect the HDMI input port rather than the HDMI output port. 
  8. In-Game Capture HD’s corner, select a full-screen function. The application should take up the whole screen.
  9. Make sure you don’t touch the keyboard or the mouse. 

The footage from the Nintendo device should immediately expand to span this entire screen. You can play Nintendo Switch games the same way you do on your television.

The Method To Connect Switch To The Laptop Via HDMI Cable? 

HDMI Cable

HDMI Cable

How to connect a switch to a computer via HDMI input? And are there any other options for how you can display an image from a PC on a laptop display? There is a way to connect Switch to the laptop without a capture card.

Things You’ll Need

HDMI is a digital I/O port that supports bi-directional communication. The video adapter driver-controlled its operation. 

Accordingly, the first step is updating the software to the latest version. It supports the latest version of the port specification.

Some ultrabooks with a physical HDMI port will not output images from another PC. It is because of the technical limitations of the used chipset and its strapping on the motherboard.

It would help if you connected it with the turned-off equipment. Only after disconnecting can the device connect and configure the device.

Step-By-Step Procedures

Connect one end of the HDMI wire to the laptop and the other to the video adapter’s HDMI output port, not the monitor’s.

  1. Turn off your PC and laptop.
  2. Connect one end of the HDMI wire to the laptop and the other to the video adapter’s HDMI output, not the monitor’s.
  3. Turn on your PC and laptop.
  4. Enter the “Control Panel” on the PC, open the “Display” menu, and go to the settings.
  5. In Windows 10, to get to the display settings, go to “Windows Settings” in the “System” section. Or even simpler, right-click on a space on the desktop, the “Display Settings” tab.
  6. In the drop-down menu “Multiple screens,” select “Extend the desktop” or duplicate, create a new table – it all depends on the user’s needs.
  7. On a laptop, also go to the “Screen” settings and select “Show Desktop 1” (or “PC Monitor”). After that, the display will show the image from the PC.

You can switch between operating modes using hotkey combinations in most modern laptops. The most common combinations are Fn + F4 and Fn + F8. You can clarify in the technical documentation or on the labels on the keyboard itself.

If there is no “Extend Desktop” or “Duplicate Desktop” item in the “Screen” settings, either the graphics adapter itself or the driver does not support this function. It is possible that the cable is defective and does not transmit a signal.

How to set up multiple displays in Windows is covered in the following video: 

The Method To Connect Switch Without A Nintendo Switch Dock? 

Nintendo Switch Dock

Nintendo Switch Dock

You can use the Nintendo Dock to connect Switch to a laptop to watch a large display. And the process here will be very similar to connecting to a TV, which means your Nintendo device will be in the docking station all the time.

You get a docking station with your Nintendo device if you buy officially from a company or an official retailer. But if you don’t have one, you can order the original Nintendo Dock online.

Things You’ll Need

If you don’t want to use the dock that comes with your Switch, you have two alternatives for connecting it to your television:

  • Purchase a replacement for the doc.
  • Get the wires and connectors you’ll need.

If you’re worried about the process’s complexity, you can rest easy. You can employ any of these alternatives without difficulty. You only need a rudimentary grasp of how the original attachment works to get started.

The dock only connects to the console through the USB-C port on the bottom: HDMI, USB, and a second USB-C port for charging. So, with that in mind, let’s have a look at the other options you have.

If you have a good, fully functional dock, it may seem senseless to worry about connecting your Nintendo device to a TV. After all, this is one of the dock’s key functions, along with charging the Switch.

But what if the dock isn’t operational? It is, after all, a relatively light piece of gear. It’s easy to snap, compress, or crack after a fall.

There are many additional aspects to consider. If you take your Nintendo device on vacation and find a huge laptop screen with multiplayer games, you’re stuck. After all, you’re not the one who loaded the dock.

It’s also nice to have the Switch out in the open instead of tucked away in the dock. The ability to flip to the big screen is useful if you want to play Switch games on a stand.

Step-By-Step Procedure

Alternative Docking Options

The first, and thus the most straightforward, option is to purchase alternative support. This equipment class may have superior cooling, more ports, and no front, damaging our screen.

There are several types of this type of accessory available, but to make your search a bit easier, we’ve selected two that we think are the most appealing.

Connectors And Brackets

Another approach is to purchase two separate accessories:

Hold: 

You’ll need a base to support the console so that the ventilation system on this piece of equipment works properly, as we indicated earlier. It also makes connecting the segment to another fundamental part much easier. 

For most geeks, there are also coasters with game themes based on Mario, Zelda, and other popular video games.

Connectors:

It is a crucial component since it provides the appropriate ports to connect. HUBs are devices that include connections such as HDMI (for showing images on a television), a charging connector, and a USB port via the USB-C connector.

With these items in hand, we plug the hub into the Switch’s USB-C port, plug the console’s charger into the adapter. Then link it to the TV screen via an HDMI to HDMI connection. 

We keep this set on support, and then we’re ready to play games on the big screen. These are alternatives to the Nintendo Switch’s original dock.

If you have any concerns concerning these devices, please leave a comment, and we will respond as soon as possible.

To connect your Nintendo device to a TV without the dock, you’ll need a USB-C to HDMI converter. It includes three inputs and a single USB-C output, much like the rear of the Switch’s dock.

If you don’t want to use the dock, you may connect your Nintendo device to your HDTV this way:

  • Remove the USB-C and HDMI cords from the dock’s rear.
  • Place the Switch on a stand or a table near the television.
  • Connect the USB-C power cable to the HDMI converter and the Nintendo switch’s HDMI cable.
  • Connect the adapter to the Nintendo device at this point.
  • On your television, change the channel to the appropriate one.

Start Playing Video Games

How to connect joy-cons to computers? You may use the Joy-Cons independently, with a Switch Pro Controller, or without the Joy-Con Grip. There should be no difference in the experience other than the lack of a Switch dock.

As you can see, this is a straightforward approach. However, not all USB-C to HDMI cables will work with it. Make sure the adapter you’re using is Nintendo Switch compatible.

The Method To Connect Switch To Laptop Macbook?

Macbook And Nintendo Switch

MacBook And Nintendo Switch

Many customers who like playing games on their Macbook were ecstatic when Nintendo decided to make the Switch Pro controller Bluetooth compatible. It’s now able to sync it and utilize it on several devices.

Here’s how to hook up your controller to your Mac:

  • Open your Mac and click on the Bluetooth icon to launch Bluetooth Preferences.
  • Keep the sync button on the Pro controller adjacent to the charging connector pressed.
  • When the Pro Controller appears in the list of new devices on your computer, click Connect.
  • You’ll be able to check the controller’s status after the linked devices.
  • You can start utilizing your devices now that they’re linked.

Conclusion

Finally, that’s how to connect Switch to laptop. You may now connect your Switch to the laptop and utilize the screen as a display.

If you satisfy all of the conditions, you’ll be able to stream Nintendo Switch games on a huge screen in various locations.

We hope this post has shown you how to use multiple devices to use your laptop display as a Nintendo Switch output.

Please let us know if you have any questions or recommendations regarding this information in the comments section below.

Thank you for reading!

3/5 - (13 votes)