How To Play Your Nintendo Switch On A TV Without The Dock - Mashable

The Mashable 101 Creator Hub Tech Science Life Social Good Entertainment Deals Shopping Games Search Cancel

• Search Result

The Mashable 101 Creator Hub Tech Apps & Software Artificial Intelligence Cybersecurity Cryptocurrency Mobile Smart Home Social Media Tech Industry Transportation All Tech Science Space Climate Change Environment All Science Life Family & Parenting Health & Wellness Sex, Dating & Relationships Sleep Careers Mental Health All Life Social Good Activism Gender LGBTQ Racial Justice Sustainability Politics All Social Good Entertainment Games Movies Podcasts TV Shows Watch Guides All Entertainment SHOP THE BEST Laptops Budget Laptops Dating Apps Sexting Apps Hookup Apps VPNs Robot Vaccuums Robot Vaccum & Mop Headphones Speakers Kindles Gift Guides Mashable Choice Mashable Selects All Sex, Dating & Relationships All Laptops All Headphones All Robot Vacuums All VPN All Shopping Games Product Reviews Adult Friend Finder Bumble Premium Tinder Platinum Kindle Paperwhite PS5 vs PS5 Slim All Reviews All Shopping Deals Newsletters VIDEOS Mashable Shows All Videos Watch Next Lily Allen teasing 'West End Girl' as a play is almost too much Michelle Pfeiffer and 'Oh. What. Fun.' cast play 'Does It Ring Christmas?' 5:02 The 'Percy Jackson and the Olympians' cast drafts the ultimate capture-the-flag teams 5:33 'In Your Dreams' director Alex Woo teaches us how to draw Baloney Tony 5:12

Some Nintendo Switch owners have reported that their consoles received scratches from the dock that allows the Switch to be played on TVs. It's unclear how widespread a problem this is -- Nintendo seems doubtful -- but, luckily, there's a way to play in docked mode without actually putting the console in the dock at all.

YouTuber Switch It Up explains that with a USB-C extension cable, you can plug the Switch through to the dock from a distance by putting the female end into the dock connection (and pressing the spring-loaded button down) and the male end into the bottom of the Switch. This will bring power to the Switch and send the Switch's display to the TV -- just make sure the HDMI and power cables are plugged into the back of the dock.

Unfortunately the plug being at the bottom of the Switch makes it impossible to stand alone with its own kickstand, and laying it down flat will block the vents in the back that keep it form overheating. Switch It Up suggests using a licensed stand to set your Switch on, although a DIY stand shouldn't be too difficult to figure out if you don't want to drop extra money on a stand.

Topics Gaming Nintendo Nintendo Switch

Kellen Beck

Kellen is a science reporter at Mashable, covering space, environmentalism, sustainability, and future tech. Previously, Kellen has covered entertainment, gaming, esports, and consumer tech at Mashable. Follow him on Twitter @Kellenbeck

Latest Videos Watch MrBeast make celebrities fight it out for $1 million Yes, of course, Kevin Hart is there. 15 hours ago By Tim Marcin 'Good Luck, Have Fun, Don't Die' trailer: Sam Rockwell recruits a wacky team to save the world Director Gore Verbinski helms this sci-fi adventure. 16 hours ago By Belen Edwards 'The Daily Show' reacts to Trump threatening to take over Greenland "Trump is the dominant predator in the Western hemisphere..." 18 hours ago By Sam Haysom Watch Sophie Turner dominate Jimmy Fallon in a thumb war "Do you want this smoke?" 19 hours ago By Sam Haysom Jimmy Kimmel responds to Trump saying he's 'blinking' not sleeping during meetings The evidence appears to speak for itself. 20 hours ago By Sam Haysom A24's 'undertone' trailer teases a podcast turning into a nightmare Looks, and sounds, pretty creepy. 22 hours ago By Sam Haysom 'Heated Rivalry's Hudson Williams teases Season 2, explains 'c*ck sock' to Fallon The actor gave a detailed description of his 'intimacy garments.' The actor was not asked for a detailed description of his 'intimacy garments.' 01/08/2026 By Amanda Yeo MrBeast Talks 'Beast Games' Season 2 and how he built his YouTube empire "I'm going to do this for another 30 years." 01/07/2026 By Mark Stetson 'The dominATE Experience' trailer proves Stray Kids were built for the big screen A Stray Kids concert is the kind that lingers long after the final encore, and now it’s getting the cinematic treatment it deserves. 01/07/2026 By Crystal Bell Jimmy Kimmel recaps Trump's latest unhinged speech with 57-second montage There are no words. 01/07/2026 By Sam Haysom Show more The biggest stories of the day delivered to your inbox. Loading... Sign Me Up Use this instead These newsletters may contain advertising, deals, or affiliate links. By clicking Subscribe, you confirm you are 16+ and agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. Thanks for signing up. See you at your inbox!