Macbook Pro 2022 only charges when it has battery, refuses to charge when battery is dead

Hello! My Macbook Pro only charges when the battery is charged (laptop can be turned on and used, etc). When the battery is dead, however, the laptop does not charge.


It will briefly make the charging sound and the screen will display that it is charging for 1-3 seconds, then goes black. If I then hold the power button, it will display as not charging. Changing my cord or outlet does not help.

MacBook Pro 13″, macOS 14.6

Posted on Aug 15, 2025 06:15 AM

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1 reply

Aug 15, 2025 08:28 AM in response to 5000objects

Sometimes you must wait 15 minutes or longer to allow the battery to charge enough so that the laptop can be powered on. It is best to not let the battery reach 0% charge in the first place...every battery is unique....some may be Ok with being at 0% charge for several minutes while others may develop some problems. The longer the Lithium battery is at 0% charge, the more likely the battery will be damaged or have problems charging & powering on the laptop.


With the M-series laptops, if the battery is not working, then the laptop will not power on unlike older Intel Macs where some of them could power on without a battery (and sometimes even boot although some may have performance issues without a battery).


If the Magsafe charging cable is not working, then you can try using a USB-C charging cable instead. If using the Magsafe charging cable, what color is the charging LED on it & is it steady or blinking?


FYI, Do NOT disconnect the power adapter until the battery is charged to at least 10% or you can permanently damage the battery. So it is best to let the battery charge for at least 30 minutes or more (longer is safer) before disconnecting the power adapter & trying a different cable.


Here is an Apple article with some charging troubleshooting tips (many similar items, but a few specific differences between the two types of charging):

If your MagSafe cable or power adapter isn't working - Apple Support


If your USB-C power adapter isn't charging your Mac laptop - Apple Support



Macbook Pro 2022 only charges when it has battery, refuses to charge when battery is dead

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