Keep your MacBook Pro fully charged with the Apple 85W Magsafe power adapter. It includes a magnetic DC connector, which disconnects the power cable if it.
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Question:
How do I know which MagSafe power adapter to buy for my MacBook Pro?
Answer:
MacBook Power Adapters exist in seven different wattages - 29W USB-C, 30W USB-C, 45W, 60W, 61W, 85W, and 87W. There are a few straightforward rules to determine which wattage your computer requires.
The 12-inch MacBook (first introduced in March 2015) originally used a 29W USB-C adapter until Apple released the 30W USB-C adapter in 2018. As of this writing, these adapters can only be used with the 12-inch MacBook.
The MacBook Pro 13 inch released in 2016 (and later) use a 61W USB-C adapter while the MacBook Pro 15 inch released in 2016 (and later) use a 87W USB-C adapter.
The MacBook Air uses a 45W MagSafe Power Adapter. Since 2012 it has used the MagSafe 2 style adapter. Prior to that the MacBook Air used the 'L' style connector.
The MacBook (pre-2011 version), every MacBook Pro 13 inch, and the 2.53 GHz MacBook Pro 15 inch (mid 2009) use the 60W MagSafe Power Adapter. MacBooks from late 2009 to mid 2012 used the 'L' style connector while earlier models had the 'T' style connector.
Other than the one MacBook Pro 15 inch model listed above, every other MacBook Pro 15 inch BEFORE 2016 and every MacBook Pro 17 inch uses the 85W MagSafe Power Adapter. The switch to the 'L' style connector started in mid 2010 to 2012 but before that the 'T' style connector was used.
You can charge using a higher wattage than is permitted, but you should not use a lower wattage.
For instance, the MacBook Pro 13 inch uses a 60W MagSafe, but you can use an 85W MagSafe to charge or power it (although it will not charge any faster). You should not use a 45W with the MacBook Pro 13 since that is lower than its 60W requirement.
USB-C power adapters cannot be used with Macs that require a MagSafe or MagSafe 2 adapters and vice-versa.
If you are in the market for a new power adapter, beware of non-Apple / third-party power adapters. These power adapters vary in quality and may or may not work well with your MacBook.
When possible buy an official MagSafe or USB-C adapter manufactured by Apple as this will always be the safest option.
Filed Under:MacBook Pro, MacBook Air, MacBook, Power Adapter, MagSafe
Related Answers:
Active9 months ago
I've got a 2017 MacBook Pro which comes stock with an 87W USB C Power Adapter.
I want to purchase an additional power adapter, but I don't require an official Apple one. I notice that Anker make one with 60 W power output over USB C.
Other than charging my laptop at about 2/3rds the speed of the Apple Power Adapter, (2/3rds = ca. 60/87 w), would there be any effect / damage on my machine?
samsam1,3141313 gold badges4141 silver badges7474 bronze badges
5 Answers
The USB-C plug is not the problem, but the charger is.
It is underrated, so it will never manage to completely charge your battery while the Mac is in use, or supply enough when needed.
With that said, you can use it to charge battery overnight to use it during the day.
To verify it is best to take occasional look at the battery charge condition in About this Mac.
- This indicated value will be negative if charger is not plugged in or not sufficient.
- It will be positive if charger is sufficient.
No damage to your Mac will occur in any case.
RuskesRuskes39k55 gold badges4646 silver badges123123 bronze badges
Imagine a water reservoir (battery) with water gushing out of a sluice (CPU usage), and a bucket (low-rated charger). You're putting water into the reservoir with the bucket, but it may not be equal to the rate of water coming out of the sluice.
The reservoir level will fall, but at a slower rate than if you weren't filling it with the bucket.
The Apple-supplied 87W charger has enough power to supply your laptop's power needs, even at max CPU, AND to charge the battery at the same time.
A lower-rated charger cannot always supply enough power at the maximum rate that the laptop needs, and also charge the battery at the same time. It will recharge the battery fully when the lid is closed, and you're not using the laptop.
benwiggybenwiggy
I have a 13' MacBook Pro which has a 61W Power Adapter supplied by default. For this I have bought an Anker 30W rated charger with which I never ever had any issues charging the notebook (even when doing CPU intensive stuff), and I also have a cheap 15W (5Vx3A) charger in my car as well, which still slightly charges the notebook, unless I'm doing something CPU intensive. I sometimes also use my mobile phone charger rated 10W (5Vx2A) as well to charge my notebook, in that case it always discharges, but at a much slower rate than if I hadn't plugged it in at all. It can still charge the notebook if I leave it on overnight though.
Although your notebook does have a higher power consumption by default, as it's the 15' variant, based on my experience with the smaller version I don't imagine using it with only a 60W charger will cause too many issues, even when you are really trying to push the computer to the limits. However please note that the one in your post (which is exactly the same as I have) is actually only 30W on the USB-C port - the other 30W is shared on the 4 plain USB ports. You might try to check the values in the About your Mac section as Buscar said to see your notebook's power consumption, especially if you do heavy CPU/GPU intensive tasks.
Note: I've been using this setup for more than a year now without seeing any performance degradation of the batteries.
SztupYSztupY
Your Mac will be fine. It will charge slower. While it is working hard, the battery might even discharge slowly if 60 watt isn’t enough, but without the charger it would discharge a lot quicker.
The only problem is that the charger may not be built to run at 100% for long times. Anker has a good reputation, just don’t push that charger too hard.
gnasher729gnasher729
Sure. But using an Apple adapter is always recommended over 3rd party ones. Yes, Apple's adapters are expensive but they are of high quality and are the best for your MacBook.
VillyamVillyam
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