MacBook Pro won't charge while in use

Question

MacBook Pro won't charge while in use

Symptom: while plugged into a charger with plenty of available power, the MacBook battery menu bar icon shows the "plug" symbol and will not charge the battery. The MacBook will simply run until the battery dies, even if plugged in. I note that the chargers involved don't get warm, they are not delivering power to the MacBook.

If the battery icon in the menu bar is observed, one can see that it momentarily shows the lightning bolt (charging) symbol, then reverts to not charging (plug symbol). This happens every few seconds.

Workaround: put the MacBook to sleep. It will charge during sleep, but will revert to bad behavior once in use and drain the battery again.

Upshot: there is no way to use the laptop for extended periods while connected to power.

What has been done:

Reset SMC and NVRAM (no change)
Reinstall macOS Sonoma (no change)
Try different chargers and cables (original Apple 60w, Anker 60w, 87w CalDigit TS3+ ThunderBolt hub, no change)

Notes: if booted into Recovery Mode, battery charging works normally.

This is my wife's 2019 MacBook Pro 13". It has an Intel I5 CPU and 16GB RAM running macOS 14.2, and has been working fine until now. She does not strain this Mac at all, and just runs Mail, Calendar and Microsoft Word all day.

Is this familiar to anyone?

I'm stumped and about to call Apple for a repair.

MacBook Pro (2017 – 2020)

Posted on Dec 19, 2023 12:21 PM

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Answer 1

Top-ranking reply

Bradley Price1 Author

Level 1

69 points

Jan 12, 2024 12:24 PM in response to Bradley Price1

OP here. This issue has been solved, but not as I expected.

I found that the primary charging source used on this MacBook Pro - the CalDigit TS3+ Thunderbolt hub - was acting strangely. The CalDigit utilities wouldn't always find it, and sometimes Time Machine backups would run really, really slow. I also noted that when booted into Recovery mode, charging worked - which meant that regular battery management was OFF and this helped.

I restarted the TS3+ and disabled all battery management settings on the Mac, no luck. Then tried one crucial thing: I replaced the Thunderbolt 3 cable that connects from the MacBook to the TS3+ with a different one.

BOOM! The charge problem went away. Just like that. When I then connected the MacBook to other chargers, they all worked, too.

I tossed the old Thunderbolt 3 cable and got a new one, it works fine with the TS3+.

So, what the heck happened? I can't be sure, but my theory is that the funky Thunderbolt cable interacting with the TS3+ caused the battery management settings on the MacBook to and get into a weird state. Once the cable was replaced and the settings reset, all was well.

I'm marking this case closed, and my wife is very happy to have her MacBook Pro working again!

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Answer 2

Jan 12, 2024 1:01 PM in response to Bradley Price1

Bradley Price1 wrote:

OP here. This issue has been solved, but not as I expected.

the CalDigit TS3+ Thunderbolt hub - was acting strangely. The CalDigit utilities wouldn't always find it,

So, what the heck happened? I can't be sure, but my theory is that the funky Thunderbolt cable interacting with the TS3+ caused the battery management settings on the MacBook to and get into a weird state. Once the cable was replaced and the settings reset, all was well.

Not all cables are the same...

cables can develop faults like any other piece of hardware...

Good computing Bradley Price1

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Answer 3

Dec 19, 2023 1:21 PM in response to Bradley Price1

Bradley Price1 wrote:

Thanks, Leroy. I did run Apple Diagnostics, and it found nothing wrong.

I also note that while booted into Diagnostics mode, the battery charges normally.

Get help with your Mac notebook battery

Learn how to optimize the life of the battery in your Mac notebook, fix battery issues, and get service.

If you see Service Recommended on your MacBook Air or MacBook Pro - Apple Support

Get your mac repaired and how much will it cost

Mac Repair & Service - Apple Support

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Answer 4

Dec 19, 2023 12:30 PM in response to Bradley Price1

Bradley Price1 wrote:

1. Symptom: while plugged into a charger with plenty of available power, the MacBook battery menu bar icon shows the "plug" symbol and will not charge the battery. The MacBook will simply run until the battery dies, even if plugged in. I note that the chargers involved don't get warm, they are not delivering power to the MacBook.

If the battery icon in the menu bar is observed, one can see that it momentarily shows the lightning bolt (charging) symbol, then reverts to not charging (plug symbol). This happens every few seconds.

Workaround: put the MacBook to sleep. It will charge during sleep, but will revert to bad behavior once in use and drain the battery again.

Upshot: there is no way to use the laptop for extended periods while connected to power.

What has been done:

Reset SMC and NVRAM (no change)

2. Reinstall macOS Sonoma (no change)

3. Try different chargers and cables (original Apple 60w, Anker 60w, 87w CalDigit TS3+ ThunderBolt hub, no change)

Notes: if booted into Recovery Mode, battery charging works normally.

This is my wife's 2019 MacBook Pro 13". It has an Intel I5 CPU and 16GB RAM running macOS 14.2, and has been working fine until now. She does not strain this Mac at all, and just runs Mail, Calendar and Microsoft Word all day.

Is this familiar to anyone?

I'm stumped and about to call Apple for a repair.

Can you run the user Diagnostic...not as definitive as Apple's own AST2 (Apple Service Toolkit) back bench diagnostic, but may kick out an error code.

Use Apple Diagnostics to test your Mac

Use Apple Diagnostics to test your Mac - Apple Support

ref

https://getsupport.apple.com

In or out of warranty you can get a free over the counter 'Apple Service Diagnostics' test /assessment

Make an appointment for a "hardware issue"

Genius Bar Reservation and Apple Support Options - Apple

Outside the USA

Contact Apple for support and service - Apple Support

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