Charge at the power your laptop needs
A laptop charger is rated in watts, and the right number depends on the laptop. Too few and it charges slowly or not at all while you work; more than it needs does no harm, because over USB-C the laptop only takes what it asks for. These pages sort the shop's chargers, power banks, car chargers and USB-C to USB-C cables by power, so you can go straight to the figure you need.
Each product is filed by the highest watt figure in its name. For a charger with several ports, that is the total for the charger, which the ports share when more than one is in use. For a cable it is the most power the cable is made to carry.
Each page holds mains chargers with a UK plug, power banks for charging away from a socket, car chargers for the 12V socket, and the USB-C cables rated for that power, so you can find a matching charger and cable together.
The four power bands
- Up to 45W: small chargers for thin laptops, tablets and phones.
- 65W: over 45W up to 65W, a common figure for everyday laptops.
- 100W: over 65W and under 140W, for bigger laptops or charging a laptop and phone together.
- 140W and over: the newest, most powerful chargers, power banks and 240W cables.
How to find the watts your laptop needs
Look at the charger that came with the laptop. The watts are printed on its label, or worked out from the output: volts times amps, so 20V at 3.25A is 65W. On a Mac, System Information also shows what a connected charger provides. If the charger is lost, the laptop maker's specification or support page gives the recommended figure: Apple, for example, lists 30W to 70W adapters for MacBook Air models from 2022 and a 140W adapter with the 16-inch MacBook Pro.
Two more things decide whether a charger works. USB-C laptops charge by USB Power Delivery, so a USB-C charger needs to support it. Laptops with a round plug need a charger with the same voltage, plug size and polarity, which the universal chargers handle with interchangeable tips.
Questions people ask about charging power
Is a bigger charger safe for my laptop?
Over USB-C, yes. Apple says a higher or lower wattage adapter can be used safely, and USB Power Delivery gives the laptop only what it asks for.
Do the chargers have a UK plug?
Yes. The mains chargers here come with a UK three-pin plug, and where a product also lists other plugs as choices, pick the UK one. Our guide laptop chargers explained says why that matters.
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