Hi! I am wondering if charging my MacBook Pro 15 2018 with a 61watt Power adapter can cause any long term harm to my battery. Apple technicians seem to differ on that question. Thank you.
MacBook Pro 15″, macOS 15.2
That computer is a battery-CAPABLE device. It is not optimized as a battery-operated device. (It is NOT an iPhone.)
Your computer performs best when connected to AC power, such as the power adapter. It can use the full output of the Power Adapter AND when doing especially challenging work will also freely "borrow" power from the battery. In some cases, even with the power adapter connected, the charged state may decline during very stressful work.
if you use a power adapter that is too small, and the battery has some charge to borrow, your Mac may borrow additional power from the battery. If this goes on too long, even with the power adapter connected, your Mac could go into low-power sleep due to power shortfall.
if you try to charge while sleeping using too small a power adapter, charging may be slower than expected because the power adapter may not be able to run the computer and fully charge at the same time.
if you run it with a too small power adapter for a long time, you could continually under-charge the battery and THAT could shorten battery lifetime.
So too small a power adapter is not recommended, but the path to real damage is a round-about one.
Too Large a power adapter hurts NOTHING. It's just a little heavier to carry.
That computer is a battery-CAPABLE device. It is not optimized as a battery-operated device. (It is NOT an iPhone.)
Your computer performs best when connected to AC power, such as the power adapter. It can use the full output of the Power Adapter AND when doing especially challenging work will also freely "borrow" power from the battery. In some cases, even with the power adapter connected, the charged state may decline during very stressful work.
if you use a power adapter that is too small, and the battery has some charge to borrow, your Mac may borrow additional power from the battery. If this goes on too long, even with the power adapter connected, your Mac could go into low-power sleep due to power shortfall.
if you try to charge while sleeping using too small a power adapter, charging may be slower than expected because the power adapter may not be able to run the computer and fully charge at the same time.
if you run it with a too small power adapter for a long time, you could continually under-charge the battery and THAT could shorten battery lifetime.
So too small a power adapter is not recommended, but the path to real damage is a round-about one.
Too Large a power adapter hurts NOTHING. It's just a little heavier to carry.
No, it won't cause any harm, short or long term notwithstanding. They ought to have known that.
MacBook Pro 15 inch 2018 Power adaptor
