Macbook Air says its charging when not plugged in, but then loses battery when plugged in anyway.

Hi there Zach_Suddon,

Are you seeing 'Not Charging' as the status for your MacBook Pro battery? If so, have a look at this information:

The Battery Status menu on your Mac notebook computer might say “Not Charging,” even if it’s connected to power. This can happen for a few reasons:

- Your computer temporarily paused charging to extend the life of your battery. Your battery may drain to 90% or lower before it begins charging again. If you have an Intel-based Mac, you can turn off battery health management in Energy Saver preferences to immediately resume charging. See the Apple Support article About battery health management in Mac notebooks.

- Your computer is connected to a power source that gives it enough power to run, but not enough power to charge the battery. For example, your Mac might not charge when it’s connected to a low wattage adapter. You can still use your Mac without draining its battery, but the battery won’t charge, even if you turn off your Mac or put it to sleep.

- Your computer is running at a very high performance level that uses more power than the power source provides. For example, some apps—such as video editing software and video games—can require more power and drain the battery more quickly.

You'll find this information here: If your Mac battery status is “Not Charging” - Apple Support

If that's not the issue and doesn't seem to help, work though the suggestions here to see if they resolve the issue: If your USB-C power adapter isn't charging your Mac laptop - Apple Support

Cheers!

Hi Zach_Suddon,

Thanks for providing that additional info. At this time, we'd recommend that you run a diagnostic on your Mac to see if any hardware issues are found. You can see how to do so here: Use Apple Diagnostics to test your Mac

Start Apple Diagnostics

Determine whether you're using a Mac with Apple silicon, then follow the appropriate steps:

Apple silicon

1. Turn on your Mac and continue to press and hold the power button as your Mac starts up.

2. Release when you see the startup options window, which includes a gear icon labeled Options.

3. Press Command (⌘)-D on your keyboard.

Intel processor

1. Turn on your Mac, then immediately press and hold the D key on your keyboard as your Mac starts up. 

2. Release when you see a progress bar or you're asked to choose a language.

Keep us posted on the results.

Kind regards.

Hey Zach_Suddon,

Since Apple Diagnostics wasn’t able to detect an issue, we’d like for you to contact Apple Support directly: Get Support

All the best.