If you’re looking for a DeWalt battery adapter that lets you run DeWalt batteries on Milwaukee, RYOBI, Makita, or another brand’s tools, the short answer is: DeWalt does not make one. The company’s own Adapters landing page lists exactly two adapter products, and both keep you entirely inside the DeWalt ecosystem.
What DeWalt actually sells
DeWalt’s official Adapters page comes down to just two SKUs:
- DCA1820 — the 18V-to-20V Adapter
- DCAFVPS — the FLEXVOLT to POWERSHIFT Adapter
Neither bridges to another tool brand. Neither bridges 20V MAX to 60V MAX. The 20V-to-60V question is handled by FlexVolt’s own auto-switching battery design, not by an adapter — something this site’s DeWalt FlexVolt guide left open, but which DeWalt’s adapter lineup now settles.
DCA1820: new batteries in older tools
The 18V-to-20V Adapter (DCA1820) is for anyone still running DeWalt’s older 18V tool lineup who wants to use current 20V MAX* lithium ion batteries. DeWalt says it “Allows for use of 20V MAX* lithium ion batteries in most 18V DEWALT* tools” — that’s new batteries powering older tools, not the other way around.
The fine print matters. DeWalt states it “Requires use of 20V MAX* DEWALT* charger,” and warns “Do not use with premium DEWALT* batteries in dc970 or dc759 tools.” It also won’t accept FlexVolt: “This adapter will not work with 20V/60V flexvolt* batteries.” Capacity is limited to XR batteries at 1.5 Ah, 2.0 Ah, 3.0 Ah, 4.0 Ah and 5.0 Ah. If you were hoping to drop a big FlexVolt pack onto an old 18V drill, this isn’t the product.
DCAFVPS: FlexVolt for outdoor equipment
The FLEXVOLT to POWERSHIFT Adapter (DCAFVPS) is a different animal. It’s “Compatible with all DEWALT FLEXVOLT® batteries (sold separately)” to power the “DEWALT POWERSHIFT™ Cordless Equipment System.” The housing is “drop resistant up to 2 meters, dust, water, and oil resistant.” For peak performance and runtime, DeWalt “Recommended” the DCB615 FlexVolt 15Ah battery, and the adapter carries a 2-Year Limited Warranty.
This is a purpose-built bridge between DeWalt’s high-voltage battery line and its dedicated outdoor power equipment platform — useful if you’re already in the FlexVolt/POWERSHIFT world, irrelevant if you’re trying to mix tool brands.
Where DeWalt sits in the adapter landscape
DeWalt is firmly in the “no cross-brand or cross-platform adapter” camp alongside Milwaukee, Craftsman and RIDGID. By contrast, this site’s other adapter guides show that RYOBI, Makita and Bosch do sell real cross-platform bridges: RYOBI’s dual 18V/40V charger, Makita’s dedicated ADP10 adapter, and Bosch’s native tri-voltage charger — the most capable of the bunch. DeWalt’s two adapters solve narrower, DeWalt-internal problems, not the “will this battery run that tool” problem across brands.
The warranty question
That brings up third-party adapters. They exist on the general market — adapters that physically let you put a DeWalt battery on a non-DeWalt tool, or vice versa. But DeWalt’s own warranty terms exclude “Damage resulting from the installation or use of any accessory or part not approved by DEWALT® for use with the Product.” That’s not legal advice; it’s a practical tradeoff. If something goes wrong, DeWalt can point to that language. This guide doesn’t recommend them and can’t vouch for them.
The practical takeaway
DeWalt does not sell, and this review found no DeWalt page describing, any adapter that bridges to a different tool brand or connects 20V MAX directly to 60V-MAX-only tools. That cross-platform compatibility is instead handled by FlexVolt’s own auto-switching battery design, which this site covers separately. If you’re hoping for an official DeWalt-to-other-brand bridge, it doesn’t exist. The two adapters DeWalt does sell solve narrower, DeWalt-internal problems: powering older 18V tools with newer batteries, and powering POWERSHIFT outdoor equipment with FlexVolt batteries. Third-party adapters are out there, but DeWalt’s warranty excludes damage from unapproved accessories — so that’s a real tradeoff to weigh, not something this guide can vouch for.
How this was checked
Facts on this page are drawn from DeWalt’s own Adapters landing page, 18V to 20V Adapter (DCA1820), FLEXVOLT to POWERSHIFT Adapter (DCAFVPS), and warranty terms pages.
Sources checked: 2026-08-11. A new review date will only be set after the linked pages are re-checked.