[Updated 2020/05/06 with latest power supply info for Surface Book 3]

Some folks on Reddit and SurfaceForums.net were interested in the various power supply options for Microsoft Surface products. Here is a list of power supply specs and product links for all generations of Surface tablets/laptops followed by a list of frequently asked questions.

Skip to the bottom for the FAQ

MS Surface power supply specs and product links:

199 Watt Dock 2 P/S:

15.35V @ 12.96 amps

Model: 1931

Connectors: barrel (7.4mm outer ring, 5mm inner ring, and 0.5mm center-pin)

Detachable IEC 7 AC/Mains power cable (1m long)

Originally shipped with: Surface Dock 2

Notes: Up to 120 watts (15V @ 8 amps) power delivery to Surface Book 3 15″ devices only (95W, 60W, 39W, or 24W for other devices) ~79 watts reserved for Dock power and USB ports: 30 watts for 2 front USB-C downstream ports (5V @ 3A each) 15 watts for 2 rear USB-C ports (5V @ 1.5A each) 15 watts for 2 rear USB A ports (5V @ 1.5A each) 19 watts for remaining dock operations (Ethernet, Audio, USB hub logic, DisplayPort MST hub logic, etc.) Works with older Surface Dock but not recommended



127 Watt P/S:

15V@8amps (120 watts) + 5V@1.5amp

Model: 1932

Connectors: proprietary Surface Connector (12-pin) and USB A

Detachable IEC 7 AC/Mains power cable (1m long)

Originally Shipped with: Surface Book 3 15″ Other models will work OK

Notes: cable is 6″ longer than older power supply models Will not provide more than ~95 watts to Surface Book 2.

Amazon purchase link



102 Watt P/S:

15V@6.33amps (95 watts) + 5V@1.5amp

Model: 1798

Connectors: proprietary Surface Connector (12-pin) and USB A

Detachable IEC 7 AC/Mains power cable (0.5m long)

Originally Shipped with: Surface Book 1 (with Performance Base) Surface Book 2 (Core i7 models 13.5″ and 15″) Surface Book 3 13.5″ Core i7 with NVIDIA Other models will work OK

Notes: The cable and connector are ~25% thicker than those from less powerful chargers. [~7.5mm vs ~6mm for the connector and ~4.25mm vs ~3.5mm for the cable.]

MS retail store link

Amazon purchase link



90 Watt Dock P/S:

15V@6amps

Model: 1749

Connectors: barrel (7.4mm outer ring, 5mm inner ring, and 0.5mm center-pin)

Detachable IEC 7 AC/Mains power cable (0.5m long)

Originally Shipped with: 2nd-gen Surface Dock (brick style for Surface Pro 2017, Surface Pro 4, Surface Pro 3, Surface Book 1, Surface Book 2, Surface Laptop)

Notes Genuine OEM part not available from MS store – only available via warranty replacement or via 3rd-parties The Dock supplies ~60 watts to the Surface device with ~30 watts reserved for the dock electronics and USB port power. 20 watts for 4 USB A downstream ports with 5W power delivery each 10 watts for remaining Dock features (Ethernet, Audio, USB hub logic, DisplayPort MST logic, etc.) Devices that shipped with the 102 watt power supply may experience battery drain while in use since the dock may not be able to supply enough power to keep the battery charged AND run the system at full load. The power receptacle on the dock looks odd but is just a 3-conductor barrel-connection with an outer ring for ground, inner ring for 15 volts, and an inner pin for a 3.3v “sense” signal similar to many laptop power supplies. 3rd-party Optimum Orbis/KFD brand power supplies have a low-voltage cable that is ~8″ longer than the OEM cable and us a 3-prong class 1 power supply design so there is no “touch current”. Works with Dock 2 but not recommended

Amazon purchase link



65 Watt P/S:

44 Watt P/S:

15V@2.58amps (~39 watts) + 5V@1amp

Model: 1800

Connectors: proprietary Surface Connector and USB A

Detachable IEC 7 AC/Mains power cable

Originally Shipped with: Surface Pro 6 Surface Pro 2017 (except Core m3) Surface Laptop Surface Laptop 2 Surface Book 2 (Core i5 model) Other models will work OK

MS retail store link

Amazon purchase link



24 Watt P/S:

15V@1.6amps

Model: 1735

Connectors: proprietary Surface Connector

Integrated right-angle flip-up 2-prong AC/Mains power for USA market

Originally Shipped with: Surface Go 2 Surface Go Surface Pro 2017 (Core m3 model) Surface Pro 4 (Core m3 model) Other models will work OK for charging when the device is switched off but battery drain may continue if the device is switched on. Some customers have reported intermittent charging on Pro 3, Pro 4, and Surface Book 1 devices.

Notes: Genuine OEM part not available from MS store – only available via warranty replacement or via 3rd-parties. The inclusion of this smaller power supply is mainly a cost-saving measure for cheaper devices. Using a 36W or larger power supply may charge the devices quicker.

Amazon purchase link



Discontinued Surface Power supplies

All 12V and lower Surface power supplies have been discontinued by Microsoft but are still available from 3rd-party vendors.

48 Watt SP1/SP2/SP3 Dock P/S:

12V@4amps

Model: 1627

Connectors: barrel connector (4.5mm outer ring, 3.0mm inner ring, 0.5mm central pin similar to some HP/Dell power supplies)

Detachable IEC 7 AC/Mains power cable

Originally Shipped with: clamp style Surface Docking Stations for Surface Pro 1, Pro 2, and Pro 3

Notes: Genuine OEM part not available from MS store – only available via warranty replacement or via 3rd-parties The Dock supplies ~31 watts to the Surface device with ~17 watts reserved for the dock electronics and USB port power.

Amazon purchase link

48 Watt SP1/SP2 P/S:

12V@3.6amps (~43 watts) + 5V@1amp

Model: 1512/1516

Connectors: proprietary 5-pin Surface connector and USB A

Detachable IEC 7 AC/Mains power cable

Originally Shipped with: Surface Pro 1 Surface Pro 2

Notes: Surface RT and Surface 2 will work OK but will not charge faster Genuine OEM part no longer available from MS store – only available via warranty replacement or via 3rd-parties

Amazon purchase link

36 Watt SP3 P/S:

12V@2.58amps (~31 watts) + 5V@1amp

Model: 1625

Connectors: proprietary Surface Connector and USB A

Detachable IEC 7 AC/Mains power cable

Originally Shipped with: Surface Book 1 (Core i5 model) Surface Pro 4 (except Core m3 model) Surface Pro 3

Notes: Genuine OEM part no longer available from MS store – only available via 3rd-parties Most Surface Pro 4 and later devices are designed with 15V power in mind, but will work OK with 12V power supplies

Amazon purchase link for OEM style power supply

YGJ single cable compact style power supply



24 Watt Surface RT/Surface 2 P/S:

12V@2amps

Model: 1536

Connectors: proprietary 5-pin Surface connector

Integrated right-angle flip-up 2-prong AC/Mains power for USA market

Originally Shipped with: Surface RT Surface 2

Notes: Surface Pro 1/Pro 2 will work OK but may charge slowly Genuine OEM part no longer available from MS store – only available via 3rd-parties

Amazon purchase link

13 Watt Surface 3 P/S:

5.2V@2.5amps

Model 1623

Connectors: USB A

Integrated right-angle flip-up 2-prong AC/Mains power for USA market

Detachable USB A -> micro USB cable (right-angle)

Originally Shipped with: Surface 3

Notes: Genuine OEM part no longer available from MS store – only available via 3rd-parties. Most generic micro-USB phone chargers will charge the Surface 3, but will do slow slowly at a maximum of 7.5 watts. Some chargers will refuse to work if the Surface 3 is switched on. Surface 3 devices with broken micro-USB ports can still charge using the OEM Microsoft docking station which powers the Surface 3 via the mini-DisplayPort connection using the DockPort protocol. Unlike Pro docking stations, this model includes an internal power supply and separate IEC7 AC/Mains power cable.

Amazon purchase link



FAQ

Fast Charging?

Surface Pro 7, Pro X and Laptop 3 support “Fast charging” when used with a 60W or higher power supply. Fast charging is only enabled under certain batter level and temperature conditions. See https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/help/4521747

Which USB type-C chargers work best with the Surface Book 2/Surface Go/Surface Pro 7, Surface Laptop 3 and Surface Pro X?

Any charger that is USB Power Delivery 2.x/3.x compliant and provides 60 watts or more will work best. A list of preferred USB-C chargers is available in a separate USB-C power supply post.

5-18 watt phone/tablet chargers are not recommended and may only work for trickle charging overnight.

How can I connect my Surface to battery packs or chargers that don’t have a Surface connector?



Any battery pack or charger that outputs between 11V and 16V at >1.5 amps will work with Surface Pro 3 and later devices. Any higher voltage risks ruining the Surface device.

All-in-one battery-packs like LiZone and BatPower work well. But any battery pack or power supply with a barrel connector output can be made to work with a Surface-specific adapter cable. (Note that some older adapter cables will not work with Surface Pro 2017 and later devices due to tighter enforcement of the resistor value on the HPD pin, so make sure to read the reviews to ensure it will work with your device: 5.5mm x 2.5mm barrel adapter 5.5mm x 2.1mm barrel adapter

USB-C based chargers and battery packs can work with many Surface devices using a USB-C -> MS cable. See the USB-C power FAQ for more info.

When evaluating the overall capacity of a battery pack to understand how long it will keep your device running on the road, compare the watt-hour rating of the device vs the battery pack. Here is a list of Surface device watt-hour ratings. So if your battery pack lists 100 watt-hour capacity, it will be able to charge a Surface Pro 2017 device approximately 2 times over.

Portable battery packs which output 5V via USB can be made to work with Surface devices using a separate DC-DC voltage converter, but this approach is not recommended due to durability/reliability concerns.

USB type-C battery packs that conform to the USB power deliver 2.x/3.x standard will work with Book 2 models. Most readily available USB-C power banks only output 30-watts and will charge the Book 2 quite slowly. However a few are available that supply 60-watts or more.

Are car chargers available?

Instead of 3rd-party car chargers which may not perform well and may not have high quality power system filtering, I recommend using the OEM AC/mains adapter and a universal automotive inverter. A benefit of this approach is that many other devices can use the inverter too. One drawback is that inverters tend to be bulky. Most automobiles will work fine with 100-300 watt inverters and the standard interior 12v jack.

Which power supplies are compatible with which devices? What about 12V vs 15V?

Power supplies using the proprietary 12-pin Microsoft Surface Connector intended for Surface Pro 3/4/2017/6/7/X, Surface Go, Surface Book 1/2, and Surface Laptop 1/2/3 are all interchangeable.

All devices since Surface Pro 3 accept between 11V -> 16V on the proprietary charge port and intelligently limit the current drawn and delivered to the system. Some devices come with 12V power supplies, others come with 15V power supplies.

The Surface Book 2 with USB type-C accepts up to 20V via the USB power delivery 2.x/3.x standard.

Will a more powerful (higher wattage) power supply damage my device?

No, the Surface tablet device limits the power drawn from the power supply. If a 3rd-party power supply that outputs more than 16V on the Microsoft proprietary connector is used, then it is possible to damage the Surface device. Similarly an uncertified USB type-C charger outputting more than 22V may damage the Surface device.

Will a more powerful (higher wattage) power supply charge my device faster?

Probably not. Most devices already come close to hitting the battery’s thermal limit when charging so a more powerful supply will typically not accelerate charging. Be aware that charging Li-ion batteries faster, and under hotter conditions such as when a device is in use, generally lowers their overall lifespan due to thermal stresses.

Some models that shipped with 24-watt or 36-watt power supplies may get charge speed improvements when using a 44-watt or higher charger.

get charge speed improvements when using a 44-watt or higher charger. When the device is in use and USB accessories are plugged in or the GPU is under heavy load, you may see an increase in charge speed with a more powerful power supply connected.

Will a less powerful supply work with my more powerful device?

Yes, but it may not perform the same as the OEM rated supply. When the device is switched off, low-power supplies will work OK to charge the battery at a slower rate than the OEM supply. If the device is in use, the battery may continue to drain even when plugged in or simply remain at steady-state charge. In some cases, smaller power supplies will simply be ignored while the device is in use and will only charge the battery when the device is switched off.

Can I get a longer or shorter cable for my power supply? Can I swap the cable for US vs EU vs UK AC/Mains plugs?



Yes. You can swap out the mains/wall-plug cable for a longer “figure-8” aka IEC C7 cable like these. Or a right-angle model like this. Longer cables are not available for the side that plugs into the Surface tablet.

All Surface power supplies are universal and will accept 110-240 volts at 50-60Hz so you can freely swap out the AC/Mains IEC cable for a different cable to match your AC/Mains wall socket.

Most USB type-C power supplies have interchangeable cables. Replacement cables should be certified for power delivery and meet or exceed the wattage required like these.

To shorten the mains/wall-plug cable you can get a straight IEC C7 plug or a right-angle plug.

The YGJ brand power supply is a single cable design and may be more convenient for some users.

Is 90 watts from the OEM MS Dock power supply enough to power the Surface Book with Performance Base or Surface Book 2 Core i7 models that ship with a 102-watt power supply?

Yes, but there is a caveat. Only ~60 watts is supplied from the Dock to the Surface with the remaining power reserved for the Dock electronics and USB ports. 60-watts is sufficient for most use cases however the battery will charge slower than with the dedicated 102-watt supply. When in use, the battery may remain at steady-state charge or slowly discharge depending on the system load.

For gaming workloads, the battery may drain quick enough to affect performance after ~4 hours. Once the battery charge gets low enough, the GPU and CPU will be throttled to reduce power consumption and allow the battery to recover.

I heard that the Surface Book 2 15″ has battery drain issues. Can you explain?

Some gaming workloads stress the Intel Core i7 CPU and NVIDIA GPU on these systems at close to 100% peak load and 100% duty cycle. Under these conditions, the system uses slightly more power than what the 102-watt power brick delivers so the battery drains gradually over 5-12 hours. Once the battery reaches ~10%, the CPU/GPU performance is throttled limiting game performance. If you are a hardcore gamer who routinely games for 4+ hours straight, this is not the right laptop for you.

Battery drain is typically a non-issue for heavy creative workloads. Tools such as 3DS Max, Fusion 360, SolidWorks, Maya, Photoshop, After Effects, Premiere, ProTools, etc. come nowhere near 100% duty cycle except for non-interactive batch rendering loads. If you are performing non-interactive batch rendering all day under tight deadlines rather than interacting with the software via trackpad/dial/mouse/keyboard, this is not the right laptop for you.

Can I plug in a USB-type-C charger along with the MS charger to charge the Surface Book 2 faster?

No. You can physically plug in both, but the MS charger will always take precedence and the USB-C charger will be ignored.

Can I use my MS Dock without a power supply? Can the Surface power the Dock?

No. You need to use the dock’s power brick to use the dock.

Where can I buy older MS OEM power supplies?

Unfortunately, Microsoft does not make all power supply models readily available at retail. Product links for 3rd-party power supplies are provided below. Different size OEM power supplies such as the 36-watt or 65-watt will work just fine on devices that came with 24-watt or 44-watt power supplies.

Why are Microsoft OEM power supplies expensive?

There is certainly a high profit margin on accessories like power supplies. The Microsoft OEM power supplies do have some advanced features not typical in generic designs including the proprietary zero-insertion force Surface connector, output stage filtering optimized for the touch/pen digitizer, and an arc suppression feedback loop to ramp up the current delivery on initial connection. These features help performance and long-term durability and may not be present on 3rd-party designs.

My power supply cable frayed…

Cables don’t last forever. Some customers feel that Surface power supply cables are particularly fragile and end up fraying without much use. Other customers’ power supplies last 5+ years. To ensure a long-lasting power supply cable, do not wrap the cable too tightly around the power brick and don’t kink the cable. When placing the power brick in a backpack or luggage, it is best to place it inside its own Ziploc bag or sleeve to prevent the cables from snagging on anything.

Several open-source 3D-printed designs can be used to optimize the process of wrapping the cables around the brick.

I heard about a power supply cable recall from Microsoft…

The recall was limited to certain Surface Pro/Pro2/Pro3 power supplies sold prior to March 15, 2015 and was for the cable that goes from the AC/mains outlet to the power brick – not from the power brick to the tablet. To learn more, see: https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/help/4040585/surface-microsoft-ac-power-cord-recall-for-surface-pro–surface-pro-2

My charger or tablet charge port stopped working…

Inspect the tablet charge port with a magnifying glass to see if any debris is lodged between the pins or if any pins are bent. Flush out the port with compressed air and/or carefully clean with an alcohol wipe. If the tablet still won’t charge, try an alternate power supply. Conversely, you can try using the supposedly broken power supply on another tablet to isolate the issue.

Can I sync data via the USB A port on the power brick?

No. The USB A port can only be used for charging, not data.

USB port on power brick does not work with my large cellphone

On many Surface power supplies, there is a built-in USB port that provides 5V@1amp. Many low-power USB devices will charge OK with this port, however some customers have reported issues charging larger cell phones that are capable of quick-charging. Typical symptoms are the phone not charging at all, charging intermittently, or the LED on the power supply cable flashing indicating a fault. Swapping to a different USB charge cable may help but it is better to use a different charger for a large cellphone or plug the cellphone into the Surface.

My Surface 3 (non-Pro) power port died…

Surface 3 devices with broken micro-USB ports can still charge using the OEM Microsoft docking station which powers the Surface 3 via the mini-DisplayPort connection using the DockPort protocol. Unlike Pro docking stations, this model includes an internal power supply and separate IEC7 AC/Mains power cable.

Why do I sometimes feel a slight tingling or “zap” when my device is plugged into AC/mains?

Statement from Microsoft:

What is touch current? Touch current, or “tingle current,” may be detected by some device users when a minute, non-hazardous amount of residual electrical current passes through the user when touching a device. The sensation caused by touch current can range from a sensation of vibration, to a slight tingle or mild pinpricks. Touch current may be detected when a device is plugged into wall (mains) power. Normally, electricity runs from the wall outlet, through the device, and back to the wall outlet in a short, closed-loop system. Touch current may be noticed if a tiny fraction of the electrical current passes through a user rather than returning to the wall outlet. Good device design and electrical safety hazard tests ensure that any touch current passing through a person is insignificant and non-hazardous. Touch current does not occur when operating a device on battery power because the device’s power source (the battery) and its power system are contained completely inside the device. Microsoft’s internal standards for touch current, which are stricter than the applicable regulatory standards, are designed to minimize the perception for touch current.

Additional notes:

This is typically a side effect of the EMI suppression capacitors in 2-prong (Class 2) switching power supply designs which effectively couple the input side of the power supply to the output side.

Reversing the AC/mains cable 180 degrees may reduce the effect but likely won’t eliminate it.

To meet UL and IEC 60950 safety regulations there is a 250 micro-amp leakage current limit so you’re not going to get electrocuted. Rest assured that the Surface OEM supplies meet the regulations but under certain conditions, some customers may notice this small leakage current. Similar symptoms can happen on Apple. Dell, HP, Lenovo, etc. on models that use similar power supply designs.

Switching power supply designs with three prongs (Class 1) typically don’t have this effect, but they tend to be bulkier. A generic 12 volt @ 3 amp power supply with a barrel-end and suitable F-to-F barrel adapter and barrel->Surface adapter cables will work.

More info on stackexchange.

Why does the 102-watt power supply stop working when plugged into an airplane outlet?

Most aircraft outlets are limited to ~75 watts. Get the 65-watt charger instead. More details.

References: