Charging your Apple Pencil (1st Generation) is easy enough, but it does come with a few quirks. There's no power button or charging indicator on it, so you'll need to keep an eye on when it might need charging. Once you know how, though, it's straightforward.
You've got two main ways to charge it. The simplest is just plugging it into your iPad. Just pop off the cap to uncover the Lightning connector, then stick it into your iPad’s Lightning port. According to our research, this method is pretty quick and handy, especially if you're juggling a bunch of tasks and don't want to hassle with extra chargers.
The other option is using the USB-C adapter that comes with the Pencil, which lets you charge it via a Lightning cable and power adapter. You'll need to have these cables and adapters on hand because they aren't included with the Pencil.
One thing to watch out for: people sometimes lose that small cap you remove to charge it. So, keep track of it while you're charging. We've found that charging directly from the iPad can be a bit awkward if you need to move around a lot or continue working, so maybe take it as a cue to give your hand a rest.
Even with those little annoyances, the Apple Pencil is usually well-regarded for its precision and how responsive it is in terms of pressure and tilt. If you're into drawing or you use it a ton for taking notes, the Pencil's abilities are likely to be worth any minor charging fuss.
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How we researched this
Where this comes from: this answer draws on the product's published specifications and the reviews ShopSavvy collected for it, alongside prices from 1 retailer in ShopSavvy's price data, most recently seen Jan 18, 2025.
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