Macbook Pro AC Charger Not Charging, Wattage only 12W

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Level 1

8 points

Macbook Pro AC Charger Not Charging, Wattage only 12W

I have been having many issues with the Apple AC Charger for my 2017 Macbook Pro. 13", no touch bar.

Last week I noticed that the battery was not charging when I had the AC Charger connected.

Looking at the System Report, the AC Charger was reported as Connected, Wattage at 12W, and that it was not charging.

I replaced the USB-C cable, which did not resolve the issue. In fact, that cable seemed to perform worse than my original, in that when it was plugged in, it did not always registered as connected to the machine. I performed an SMC reset and updated all software, which seemed to solve the problem.

When I unplugged the machine this morning, the battery symbol indicated that it was charging for several more hours despite not being connected to power. The computer did not register when I plugged power back in, and I had to reboot the machine to get a proper reading.

I have also cleaned out both USB-C ports on the machine with compressed air, but the System Report continues to state the AC Charger is connected, but only providing 12W.

MacBook Pro

Posted on Aug 5, 2019 11:03 AM

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Answer 1

y_p_w

Level 6

17,762 points

Aug 6, 2019 12:37 PM in response to Khanir

Khanir wrote:

There I was able to test the machine with another Power Adapter and USB-C Cable and finally diagnose that the issue was my own Power Adapter. Got a new one, and I'm charging faster than ever.

Out of curiosity, what were you using? Was it from Apple or was it an aftermarket USB-PD power adapter?

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Answer 2

sterling r

Community Specialist

Aug 6, 2019 12:10 PM in response to Khanir

Hello Khanir,

Thank you for using Apple Support Communities! I see that you're encountering a few different issues charging your MacBook Pro. It's important that you're able to charge and use your Mac battery for as long as possible. I would be happy to help point you towards a resolution.

All rechargeable batteries are consumable parts that have a limited lifespan. As your battery chemically ages it can cause changes in performance, so I'd like to start by having you take a look at the battery cycle count for your Mac following the steps here:

Determine battery cycle count for Mac notebooks - Apple Support

If your Mac has not yet exceeded the battery cycle count, here are some troubleshooting steps to take next:

About Mac notebook batteries - Apple Support

Keep us posted on the results.

Cheers!

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Answer 3

y_p_w

Level 6

17,762 points

Aug 6, 2019 1:05 PM in response to Khanir

Khanir wrote:

It was the original Apple 61W Power Adapter that came with the computer.

Sounds like it was defective.

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Answer 4

Khanir Author

Level 1

8 points

Aug 6, 2019 12:51 PM in response to y_p_w

It was the original Apple 61W Power Adapter that came with the computer.

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Answer 5

rose_10

Community Specialist

Aug 6, 2019 2:56 PM in response to Khanir

Hi Khanir,

Glad to hear that everything is working as expected again after replacing the power adapter. Thanks for sharing the solution with us, and please reach out if you need help in the future.

Take care.

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Answer 6

Khanir Author

Level 1

8 points

Aug 6, 2019 12:34 PM in response to sterling r

Hi Sterling,

Thanks for your reply. The battery cycle is in the low 400's.

I ended up troubleshooting over chat with Apple Support (Thank you so much, Warren!), where we tried to see if the problem was isolated to the User, which it was not.

After that we tried resetting the SMC, Safe Booting, and resetting the NVRAM, all of which also didn't resolve the issue, so I headed to the Apple Store.

There I was able to test the machine with another Power Adapter and USB-C Cable and finally diagnose that the issue was my own Power Adapter. Got a new one, and I'm charging faster than ever.

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Macbook Pro AC Charger Not Charging, Wattage only 12W

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