My macbook air has difficulty charging, I’ll have to insert the charger over and over again and it’ll still shift between charging and not charging if I even move or touch it. The battery life is at 98% and nothing in either port seems to bending. Could it be debris? if it’s something truly wrong with the port how much would it be to fix I really need this laptop.
iPhone 15 Pro Max, iOS 18
This may not be a relevant answer but, when I had a similar problem with my iPhone, debris was the cause. When it was left on a kitchen table, a small crumb had found its way into the charging port. A magnifying glass and a good light behind was needed to see that. A compressed air aerosol solved it. I notice that, with the M1 Macbook Air, there is an audible click when the charging lead is inserted and, if you don't hear it, something may be wrong. Is this the same for both ports? People here have no connection with Apple, so would not be able to suggest the cost of a repair if that were necessary. If it is not debris, an Apple Authorized Service Provider will suggest a solution and indicate the cost without charging for the advice.
This may not be a relevant answer but, when I had a similar problem with my iPhone, debris was the cause. When it was left on a kitchen table, a small crumb had found its way into the charging port. A magnifying glass and a good light behind was needed to see that. A compressed air aerosol solved it. I notice that, with the M1 Macbook Air, there is an audible click when the charging lead is inserted and, if you don't hear it, something may be wrong. Is this the same for both ports? People here have no connection with Apple, so would not be able to suggest the cost of a repair if that were necessary. If it is not debris, an Apple Authorized Service Provider will suggest a solution and indicate the cost without charging for the advice.
Colbaltmagnumray wrote:
Okay, thank you! i’ll try it.
If there is an Apple Store around, they’ll usually clean out a port as part of evaluating an issue.
I’d use a non-rigid and non-conductive tool, if you’re going to try this yourself. A thin plastic strip cut from a clear-plastic rigid-sided take-out food container or from a plastic soda bottle will probably work here, for instance.
Colbaltmagnumray wrote:
Yes there is actually at a mall near me they have a large center in the back, I’ll ask and see. Do you know if it’ll cost?
Ask Apple.
Folks at the Apple Genius Bar have been known to resolve some of these cases at no cost; for free.
And if it is not debris lodged in the socket, they’ll provide an estimate for a repair.
To be honest, I had no compressed air when I solved the problem. I used a very small optical screwdriver to poke out the offending debris, very warily, but this was a lightning port, so not the same shape. My guess is that a plastic flosser would not harm a metal port, but I cannot reliably confirm that. The magnifying glass was the biggest help in identifying the problem. Checking the appearance of one Thunderbolt/USB port against another (wherever) can point us in the right direction.
Yes! there is a click when I insert it into the port, so hopefully nothing is wrong. I did what you did with the camera and there is quite a lot of debris in there. I’ll see if i can get my hands on some compressed air, do you have any other suggestions besides that. I’ve seen some people use the sharp part of a plastic flosser and gently pull it out. Would you suggest i do that?
Okay, thank you! i’ll try it.
Yes there is actually at a mall near me they have a large center in the back, I’ll ask and see. Do you know if it’ll cost?
Okay thank you!
Why isn’t my macbook air (2020) charging correctly.
