5 Fixes for Your MacBook Battery Charging Issues

Basic Fixes

• Check your charger connection with the power source: If the adapter is loose or the wall socket doesn’t have proper grounding, we recommend you to plug the charger into a different power source.
• Check battery cycle count: A Cycle Count on your Mac is when you use 100% of its battery’s power, regardless of the number of times you charge your MacBook.
• Clean the charging cable port end: You can use cotton buds and alcohol to clean the end of your charging cable.
• Use a higher-voltage charger: A higher-voltage charger will charge your MacBook at a faster speed.
• Update macOS: Open Settings > General > Software Update.
• Visit Apple Store: You can get help from the official Apple support teams regarding the battery of your MacBook.

Why Isn’t Your MacBook Charging

• Enabling Low Power Mode can prevent your MacBook from charging.
• Optimized Battery Charging can take a lot more time than usual to fully charge your Mac.
• Reset SMC if you have a Mac running on Intel chipset.
• Reset NVRAM to prevent its corruption that can stop the charging process stop altogether.
• Check the Battery Health of your MacBook. It might need a replacement.

Fix 1: Disable Low Power Mode

Enabling it reduces energy consumption since it lowers screen brightness and reduces the processor’s clock speed.

Open Settings > Battery > Disable Low Power Mode.

Fix 2: Disable Optimized Battery Charging

This works exactly like how it works for iPhones. But then you can face the same issue of reduced charging speeds after 80%.

Open Settings > Battery > Info icon > Turn off Optimized Battery Charging.

Fix 3: Check Battery Health

The battery inside your MacBook has a specific life cycle. It will eventually end up losing its charging capabilities with time. If you have been using your system for two to three years or more, you must check the Battery Health Status.

Open Settings > General > About > System Report > Power > Check the battery health.

Fix 4: Reset SMC

The System Management Controller or SMC is a chip that controls different hardware functions on Intel-based Macs. These functions include cooling fans, system performance, and power supply. The battery charging process will be affected if the SMC somehow has incorrect data about the charger or the battery. Do note that this step applies only to Intel Mac users.

Step 1: Shut down your Mac.

Step 2: Press and hold the right Shift + left Option + left Control key. Then press and hold the Power button as well.

Step 3: Keep pressing all the four keys together for another 7 seconds. If your MacBook has turned on, it will turn off again while you hold the keys.

Step 4: Release all four keys and restart your system again.

Fix 5: Reset NVRAM

Non-Volatile Random Access Memory or NVRAM stores settings related to sound volume, startup disk selection, and time zone. If this data gets corrupted, the charging process might work slowly or stop altogether.

You can try resetting NVRAM to avoid charging issues on your MacBook. After following this process, you will have to adjust these settings again on your MacBook Air by opening System Preferences.

Step 1: Shut Down your Mac.

Step 2: Turn it on again.

Step 3: Press and hold Option + Command + P + R for 20 seconds when it switches on.

Step 4: Release the keys after the Apple logo appears and then disappears for the second time.

Tip: Refer to our post if your MacBook battery drains even after closing it.