So you were working with your almost brand new Macbook Pro and suddenly you see the battery getting lower and lower and the charger not charging it. It is not the end of the world, but is an annoying situation to go through.
I have learned some things today, after my charger went sky high, and I’m sharing here all the info learned.
Symptons:
- Battery wont charge
- Light on the charger is off
Possible issues:
- Battery is bad
- Charger is bad
- Motherboard is dead
Troubleshooting (do this before you run out of battery):
- Try changing to another plug
- Try changing the extension cord to the normal plug or vice-versa
- If both above didn’t work (don’t be surprised), follow the next steps
- Go to the Apple Menu and hit about this Mac
- Take note of the version
- Click on the version label; it will show the macbook serial number: take note
- Shut down the Mac (power off)
- After it is powered off, hold left control + left shift + left option
- When the 3 keys above are pressed down, hold the power button for 1 second (it will not power on the Mac – it is supposed to be like this)
- Release all and Power on the Mac
- Time to check if it is the battery
- Go to the Apple Menu and About this Mac
- Click on More Options
- Locate the power option and check for:
- Full charge capacity
- Cycle count
- Condition
Take note on the 3 last items. If the condition is normal and the Full Charge Capacity is high, this means that the battery is ok, so the problem is really the charger (good news, worst case scenario, cheap fix).
Handling things with Apple goes from one to one, but in my case calling Apple Support and confirming all of this above got me a free brand new charger (newer model too).
Just a note for all folks out there that, like me, don’t have a Apple Care and the Warranty is about to expire: get one! It is cheaper than getting some new parts.
Note: If your Macbook Pro get’s to 180F -> it is normal. Your Mac will shut down whenever the temperature get’s too hot. Meanwhile you can get a cooler or burn your leg 🙂