Potential Problems for MacBook not Charging
- Faulty Power Outlet
- Physical Flaws with Power Cable
- Hardware Issues
- Cool Down/ Over-Heating
This post provides basic troubleshooting techniques. For a complete step by step guide to fix the MacBook not charging issues, please refer to this “How to fix MacBook battery not charging issue?“
Troubleshooting
Step 1
Ensure that the power outlet is functioning correctly. The best way to examine whether or not the outlet is working correctly is by plugging in another appliance such as a phone charger or lamp to ensure that it is working.
Step 2
Next, make sure to inspect the power cable, start at one end and work your way through until the other end, make sure to look out for any fraying or tears in the cable. If there are any flaws similar to the ones mentioned, this is likely to be the problem and the cable should be replaced immediately. During this step also make sure to inspect the charging port for debris. If debris is found in the charging port, ensure there is no power source connected to the laptop and use a wooden object like a toothpick to pry it from the port.
Step 3
The hardware on your Macbook can malfunction and sometimes a reboot of the laptop resets the hardware and may fix the problem. You can do this by clicking on the Apple logo in the top left corner of your screen and then clicking restart.
Step 4
After verifying that the power cable is connected properly to the laptop and all physical components are intact, the next step is to try resetting the System Management Controller (SMC). The SMC is responsible for battery management and status indicator lights. The process for resetting your SMC differs, depending on whether or not you have a Macbook with a removable battery or a Macbook with a non-removable battery.
Macbooks that have non-removable batteries include,
- MacBook Pro (Early 2009 and later)
- All models of MacBook Air
- MacBook (Late 2009)
- MacBook (Retina 12” 2015 and later)
To reset the SMC on non-removable battery MacBooks follows these steps:
- Shut down your MacBook
- Hold Shift-Control-Option of the left side keyboard and the power button simultaneously for 10 seconds
- Release the keys
- Press the power button to turn on your Mac
To reset the SMC on removable battery MacBooks click on the following link to follow Apple’s guided instructions.
https://support.apple.com/en-au/HT201295
Step 5
If none of the previous steps has worked, unplug the power cable from the laptop and the power outlet, ensure that the laptop is ventilated adequately, and wait. Let the laptop cool down if overheating. If the thermal sensors within the laptop identify a quick heat rise, access to the battery will be blocked as a safety measure.
Wait for about 10 minutes and then attempt to charge the MacBook.
If the MacBook is still not charging, if you can, try to use another power cable. If this is not possible or the same result occurs you may have to look into MacBook repair, contact us at IT Tech Online.