How To Connect Nintendo Switch to a Laptop

The Nintendo Switch has become a game-changer. It has garnered a lot of buzz and, most significantly, has sold a record-breaking 55 million units. Many gamers have begun to adore portable handheld consoles, and many non-gamers have chosen to purchase this portable gadget solely for gaming purposes.

The Switch boasts a superb screen for a mobile device and wireless joysticks that can be customized. It also has a large gaming catalog, which includes numerous exclusive AAA titles. The Nintendo Dock, however, was indeed a crucial factor in its success. NS Dock makes it easy to carry and enjoy your Nintendo Switch on the move.

When you're at home, though, you can use The Dock to link your Switch to your TV or Monitor and comfortably play games on a bigger screen. However, for a larger screen, some of us may just have a laptop. So, how do we hook up a Nintendo Switch to a laptop?

How To Connect Nintendo Switch to a Laptop With HDMI

In general, you'd want to hook your Nintendo Switch Console to your television so you can play games on a big screen. However, there may be times when you're traveling and want to unwind at the end of the day by playing Smash Bros before going to bed.

The fact is that you cannot hook your Nintendo Switch to your laptop and use it as a monitor. This is because laptops aren't meant to receive video input from other devices, so connecting it with an HDMI connection isn't an option. The only method to broadcast your Nintendo Switch screen to a laptop is to use a device known as a capture card. Simply explained, it's a little gadget that allows your laptop to accept video input.

Once you have a capture card, you may configure it to stream to your laptop by following these steps:

• Check that your Nintendo Switch is plugged into the Nintendo Switch Dock.
• Using an HDMI cable, link the Nintendo Switch Dock to the capture card.
• Turn on your laptop and launch the capture card program before turning on your Nintendo Switch.
• Verify that your capture card is properly attached to your laptop.
• All done. Now you can start playing your Nintendo Switch on your laptop.

How To Display Nintendo Switch On a Laptop

When Nintendo announced the Switch in 2017, it was clear that it was intended to be portable and allow users to play games on the move. The same may be said of a laptop. If you're going on a trip and want to bring a gaming setup with you, these two gadgets are perfect together.

If you want to display your Switch on your laptop, likely, it won't let you. You'll need to have a laptop with an HDMI input port to accomplish this. Most laptops, unfortunately, only have a built-in HDMI output connector. This indicates that you can link your laptop to a TV and use the TV as a monitor, but not vice versa. Sadly, the same could be said with a Switch.

Fortunately, there is a workaround. The ideal approach to use your laptop as a display for your Switch is by using a capture card. It's a piece of technology that lets you capture gameplay footage from a console and stream it to your laptop. Because your laptop is unlikely to have an HDMI input connector, the capture card will function as an adaptor to achieve the same result.

To start displaying your Switch to your laptop, you'll need:

• Nintendo Dock
• A capture card
• HMD cables

After you've assembled all of your equipment, hooking your Switch to your laptop via a capture card is a breeze:

• Plug one end of the HDMI cable to the NS Dock's HDMI port.
• Hook the other end of the HDMI cable to your capture card's HDMI input port.
• Connect a second HDMI wire to your capture card's HDMI output port.
• Plug the other end of the second HDMI wire into the HDMI input port on your laptop.
• Hook up the Nintendo Switch to the Nintendo Dock.
• Load up the software for the capture card on your laptop.
• All done. Now you have the pleasure of playing your Switch on your laptop screen for many hours.

How To Display Nintendo Switch On a Laptop Without Capture Card

With the Nintendo Switch, you can play games on your console as well as connect it to your TV. However, unlike gaming consoles such as the Xbox or PlayStation 4, you cannot stream your gameplay experience on a laptop. To play your Switch games on your laptop, you'll need a capture card. But what happens if you don't have any capture cards?

With the help of an Xbox One, you could connect your Nintendo Switch to a laptop without requiring a capture card:

• Check that both the HDMI and AC wires are inserted into the rear of your Nintendo Switch.
• Plug the opposite end of the HDMI wire into your Xbox.
• Attach another HDMI cable to your TV, and the other end of the HDMI wire should be hooked into another port on your Xbox.
• Now, turn on your laptop.
• Make sure that your Xbox is linked to the same Wi-Fi network as your laptop.
• Navigate to Windows and look for "Console Companion."
• On the left, click "Connection."
• Select the "Stream" option.
• Click "Continue," then select "OneGuide."
• A new window will open.  Select "Set up your cable or satellite box."
• Power on your Nintendo Switch. Now you'll see that your Switch is showing on your laptop but the window is too small.
• Disconnect the Switch from the dock and turn it off.
• Restart the Switch and hook it back to the dock. Now you'll see your Switch display onto your laptop's full screen.

How To Play Nintendo Switch On a Laptop

You can play your Nintendo Switch on your laptop using a capture card and an HDMI cable. You essentially use your laptop's screen as a monitor and play just like you would on a console or TV. Simply follow the steps we've shown you above so you can start playing your Switch games on your laptop. Another alternative is to use your laptop to play PC versions of your fave Switch games. Except for first-party titles such as Super Mario, Animal Crossing, and Pokemon, several of the games available on the Switch are also accessible on Windows 10 via the Microsoft Store app store.

If you want to enjoy your Switch games on a much larger screen while on the go, linking it to your laptop is the best way to do it. The steps are pretty straightforward so simply follow them and start your awesome Switch-to-laptop gameplay experience.