Is it a problem to use 10W adapter on MacBook Pro touch bar

Is it problematic or dangerous to use a 10W adapter on the 13" MacBook Pro touch bar?


Currently I have access to various 10W adapters and also USB sockets on outlets that only give 10W. When I hook the laptop to the 10W sockets/adapters, I notice that the battery only really charges when the laptop is not in use. When in use, the battery drains (which is expected).

MacBook Pro TouchBar and Touch ID, macOS High Sierra (10.13.3), 13" model

Posted on Feb 15, 2018 8:11 AM

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Posted on Feb 15, 2018 8:34 AM

Well, unless you have 10 or 12 hours to spare without using the computer, using the 10watt charger will not likely produce any relevant charge on the computer anyway. So while it may in a pinch help to give it some charge. In most cases it will take so long, it may not be useful anyway.


Either way, no, there is no danger in supplying less power.

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Feb 15, 2018 8:34 AM in response to thauxley

Well, unless you have 10 or 12 hours to spare without using the computer, using the 10watt charger will not likely produce any relevant charge on the computer anyway. So while it may in a pinch help to give it some charge. In most cases it will take so long, it may not be useful anyway.


Either way, no, there is no danger in supplying less power.

Feb 15, 2018 8:39 AM in response to Phil0124

From measurements we took onstage during a show the average power required to charge an 'in-use' MBP turned out to be 13 watts, the Macs were running light tasks and no email clients were active. Peak power required was 42 watts per machine. We built our own rack power supplies that could be and usually had their power envelopes monitored by circuitry in the rack.


Of course 'in-use' varies a lot.

Feb 15, 2018 8:34 AM in response to Phil0124

Phil0124, in my experience, it doesn't take that long to charge, actually, provided as long as the computer is not in use or in light use. For example, I got in the office today at 8am and the laptop was at 77% or so. I plugged it into the 10W outlet. The computer kept draining as I was running VMWare Fusion. After a while, I was done with the laptop and just closed the lid. I just checked and the battery level is up to 96% charged and it's 11:30am. It hasn't taken it long.


So long as doing this isn't dangerous to the computer and its power circuitry, it seems this is OK then.


Thanks for your clarification!

Feb 15, 2018 8:35 AM in response to Phil0124

At work, my two surge protectors have regular USB ports which give off 10watts each. I also have an extra iPad adapter at the office. Rather than having to lug around the 61watt adapter, if it's not a problem to plug in to the 10watt outlet/adapter, I may just go that route. Yes, it is slow.


However, there's another reason for this question. Imagine that you're at the airport or hotel and forgot your charger. Many airports and hotels these days have 10W outlets. It would be good to know if it is dangerous to plug the MacBook Pro into this 10W outlet for charging.

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Is it a problem to use 10W adapter on MacBook Pro touch bar

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