How to Charge an Apple Watch

Co-authored by Stan Kats and Jack Lloyd

Last Updated: January 14, 2019 Tested

This wikiHow teaches you how to charge an Apple Watch, both by using the included charger and by using an Apple Watch stand.

Method 1

Method 1 of 2:

Using an Apple Watch Charger

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1
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.
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.

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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.
4
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.
5
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.

Method 2

Method 2 of 2:

Using an Apple Watch Stand

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Unlike watch docks, watch stands have places where the Apple Watch cord can feed into, eventually revealing the circular end.
2
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.
3
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.
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.
5
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.
6
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.