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Battery drains while power is plugged in

Hi there,


I am using a MacBook Pro (16-inch, 2019) with 32GB DDR4 RAM and a 2,6 GHz 6-Core Intel Core i7 together with the originally shipped power adapter which came with my MBP. I don't have much external gear attached; 2 Monitors (via USB input of the Monitor) and a TimeMachine USB Storage (connected via an USB Hub which has it's own power).


When I am executing Load-Intense tasks like building bigger C++ Code, rendering Movies in DaVinci Resolve or recording using OBS, I notice the Battery is draining slowly. I already read that some experience this as part of that new "MacOS Battery Health" - Feature, but in those cases, the battery only drains as low as 90% before it starts charging again.

In my case, it gets drained down to 1% and at some point, shuts down the machine.

Again: This happens even though the original power chord is plugged in!



Even though, the Battery Preferences say "Charging" here, it in fact is not charging. As soon as the High-Load-situation settles (Movie is done rendering, build is complete, etc. ...), the Menu Bar Icon switches to that "Charging" Icon with the flash and the battery starts charging again.

As you can see: My Battery is in perfect condition.


This is my 3rd MBP of the same series in the past 2 years now and all had the same behaviour on this.

I tried to reset the SMC multiple times without any change to this situation.


Does anyone know why I am facing this while tons of YouTube-Creators out there not seem to have this issue while working on their Movie-Editing on a daily basis?


Best regards, Marc

MacBook Pro 16″, macOS 12.1

Posted on Jan 4, 2022 8:40 AM

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Question marked as Top-ranking reply

Posted on Jan 4, 2022 8:25 PM

Have you used the correct procedure for the SMC Reset? The procedure has changed with the 2018+ models:

How to reset the SMC of your Mac - Apple Support


Is the charger connected directly to the laptop? Multi-port adapters, docks, and hubs can prevent the full power of the charger from reaching the laptop.


Have you disabled the new Battery Management features so that macOS won't "exercise"/drain the battery? Uncheck the "Optimize battery charging".

Get help with your Mac notebook battery - Apple Support


Try unplugging the charger from the electrical outlet for a minute to reset the charger's internal circuitry.


Have you tried connecting the charger to another USB-C port especially on the other side of the laptop? Also try rotating the connector of the charging cable 180 degrees upside down in case the USB-C port is half bad.


Maybe your powered hub is not working correctly. See how the laptop runs if you disconnect the powered USB hub and external drive.

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Question marked as Top-ranking reply

Jan 4, 2022 8:25 PM in response to DerJudge

Have you used the correct procedure for the SMC Reset? The procedure has changed with the 2018+ models:

How to reset the SMC of your Mac - Apple Support


Is the charger connected directly to the laptop? Multi-port adapters, docks, and hubs can prevent the full power of the charger from reaching the laptop.


Have you disabled the new Battery Management features so that macOS won't "exercise"/drain the battery? Uncheck the "Optimize battery charging".

Get help with your Mac notebook battery - Apple Support


Try unplugging the charger from the electrical outlet for a minute to reset the charger's internal circuitry.


Have you tried connecting the charger to another USB-C port especially on the other side of the laptop? Also try rotating the connector of the charging cable 180 degrees upside down in case the USB-C port is half bad.


Maybe your powered hub is not working correctly. See how the laptop runs if you disconnect the powered USB hub and external drive.

Battery drains while power is plugged in

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