This article was co-authored by Stan Kats and by wikiHow staff writer, Jack Lloyd. Stan Kats is a Professional Technologist and the COO and Chief Technologist for The STG IT Consulting Group in West Hollywood, California. Stan provides comprehensive technology solutions to businesses through managed IT services, and for individuals through his consumer service business, Stan's Tech Garage. Stan holds a BA in International Relations from The University of Southern California. He began his career working in the Fortune 500 IT world. Stan founded his companies to offer an enterprise-level of expertise for small businesses and individuals.
The wikiHow Tech Team also followed the article's instructions and verified that they work.
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This wikiHow teaches you how to charge an Apple Watch, both by using the included charger and by using an Apple Watch stand.
Steps
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Plug the charger into a wall outlet. The charging block side of the charger cable should plug into most standard electrical outlets.
- If the charger cable is separate from the wall outlet end of the charger, first plug the rectangular end of the cord into the port on the charger block. The cord should only fit one way.
- You can also detach the cable from its block and then plug the rectangular end of the cable into a computer's USB port provided that it's a USB 3.0 port with charging capabilities.
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Place the charger face-up on a flat surface. The slightly indented side of the charger disk should be facing up, while the flat side of the charger disc should be face-down on a flat, even surface.Advertisement
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Put the Apple Watch on the charger. The Apple Watch should go face-up onto the charger. You'll notice a slight magnetic pull when you set the Watch down on the charger, and the screen will light up with a progress bar and a charge percentage.
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Leave the Apple Watch to charge. You can monitor the charge progress by looking at the percentage of the battery at the bottom of the screen.
- When the Apple Watch has "100% Charged" listed at the bottom of the screen, you should remove it from the charger.
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Place the Apple Watch on its side to enable Nightstand mode. In Nightstand mode, the buttons on Apple Watch are used the snooze and stop alarms. The screen shows time and a battery ring, along with the date and next alarm.
- Indicators at the top tell you if you aren't connected to your iPhone or Wi-Fi and if you have notifications. The charging indicator is never shown.
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Buy a third-party Apple Watch stand. Unlike watch docks, watch stands have places where the Apple Watch cord can feed into, eventually revealing the circular end.
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Feed the Apple Watch cord through the stand. How you do this will vary depending on the Apple Watch stand itself.
- Some Apple Watch stands have a charger cable built into them, in which case you'll just have to plug an iPhone charger cable into the back or side of the Watch stand.
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Plug the charger into a wall outlet. The charging block side of the charger cable should plug into most standard electrical outlets.
- If the charger cable is separate from the wall outlet end of the charger, first plug the rectangular end of the cord into the port on the charger block. The cord should only fit one way.
- You can also detach the cable from its block and then plug the rectangular end of the cable into a computer's USB port provided that it's a USB 3.0 port with charging capabilities.
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Place the Apple Watch's back against the charger. Wherever the charger disc is in the stand, the Apple Watch's back must be attached to the back of it in order to charge.
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Leave the Apple Watch to charge. You can monitor the charge progress by looking at the percentage of the battery at the bottom of the screen.
- When the Apple Watch has "100% Charged" listed at the bottom of the screen, you should remove it from the charger.
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Place your Apple Watch on its side to enable Nightstand mode. This won't be possible for some Apple Watch stands. In Nightstand mode, the buttons on Apple Watch are used the snooze and stop alarms. The screen shows time and a battery ring, along with the date and next alarm.
- Indicators at the top tell you if you aren't connected to your iPhone or Wi-Fi and if you have notifications. The charging indicator is never shown.
Expert Q&A
Tips
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The Apple Watch can stay on a charger overnight if you're using it in Nightstand mode.Thanks
Warnings
- Avoid leaving your Apple Watch plugged into its charger during daily use.Thanks
About This Article
To charge an Apple Watch with a regular Apple Watch charger, start by plugging the block side of the charger into a standard electrical outlet. Make sure you have the rectangular end of the cord securely plugged into the block, and place the circular end of the charger on a flat surface. With the indented side of the charger facing up, place the back of the Apple Watch onto the circle. You should feel a small magnetic pull as the watch gets closer to the charger. Let the watch charge until it says “100% Charged” at the bottom of the screen. If you want to learn how to use the charger with an Apple Watch stand, keep reading the article!