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Left my apple charger in London yesterday and wont be going back for a couple of weeks. Ive tried loads of different USB Cables and various plugs but the macbook (2020 Air) says its not charging. Argh. battery about to die.
Whats a cheap fix til i get my proper one back?
Does the charging icon show up when you plug the cable in and are you trying to use it while charging?
Try closing all applications and turn the screen brightness down and see if the icon shows up then.
Some aftermarket USB C cables will charge, but veeeeery slowly. Close the lid, leave it on charge and see where it is after an hour.
Mine has a 30W charger so need at least a USB C PD charger that delivers at least that much. Most ones for phones etc will be lower rated.
Assuming you've already got a USB C cable handy this will do: https://www.amazon.co.uk/UGREEN-Charger-Foldable-Compatible-Macbook/dp/B0B7B71Y5V/ref=sr_1_14?crid=19PBMND83I7OR&keywords=usb+c+pd+charger&qid=1701877311&sprefix=usb+c+pd+charger%2Caps%2C78&sr=8-14
Or for a bit more I like these for travel, can charge up plenty of things at once including the MacBook: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Anker-Charger-4-Port-MacBook-Laptops-Black/dp/B098X7X251/ref=sr_1_14?crid=33NGNEAESB48M&keywords=usb+c+pd+charger+anker&qid=1701877406&sprefix=usb+c+pd+charger+anker%2Caps%2C88&sr=8-14
As has been said, it needs more grunt than phone charger.
A lower capacity one will charge it if you close it down, but it will be a slow process.
You need a charger rated at 30w or above.
The chargers that @simong linked to above will do the job perfectly.
I find my USC C phone charger will charge my (big) MacBook Pro with the lid closed. Or power it just fine, but not charge it, while in full use. Not both at the same time. Don't take my laptop charger out with me anymore.
Just looked, and the phone charger is 20W... guess that's your my minimum.
So with my laptop closed it does indeed charge very slowly. So will just overnight charge it until i get the proper charger back. Thanks for your help everyone.
Some aftermarket USB C cables will charge, but veeeeery slowly. Close the lid, leave it on charge and see where it is after an hour.
Mine has a 30W charger so need at least a USB-C PD charger that delivers at least that much. Most ones for phones etc will be lower rated.
These things are true, the iPhone 15 Pro Max really needs around a 30w charger brick, preferably higher for a fast charge - not far off a full size laptop. And it’s certainly true that a decent USB-C cable is necessary, cheap junk from the phone repair shop just won’t cut it.
Seems to me it would be sensible to buy another Apple charger as an essential spare to keep at home.
Sit around people that use those mini 30w chargers and cheap cables for MacBooks. They all moan that they have charging issues. Those with older Intel CPU’s also don’t perform well with larger 3rd party chargers.
If using 3rd party UGreen / Anker go 65W+.
I use a dell hybrid laptop charger as my spare. It's a 45w charger with a removable power bank so I can charge my phone as well and at a pinch it will charger the MacBook even when not plugged in. You can pick them up on eBay for around £25
Low powered chargers will often work at a low rate when the machine is shut or perhaps better shut down completely.
Anker 45w+ is all you need for a fast(enough) charge. They used to make an excellent slim charger that had 20, 45 and two usbs on it so you could do laptop, phone and anything else off the same little brick. Not sure they make it anymore though. They do a little wall plug one that has a couple of ports and plenty of grunt for not much money. I use green cables never any issues.
I have one of these and use it all the time in favour of the one that came with my Macbook Pro. Great for travelling as you can charge multiple things at once, high speed power delivery thingummy for fast charging, and uses a standard figure-8 cable to the wall socket so if I'm going abroad I just take a different cable.
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/403779580891
Seems to me it would be sensible to buy another Apple charger as an essential spare to keep at home.
I have the smallest charger that is physically capable of charging my work laptop in my bag for work.
I have one monster connected to the dock in the office and another one on my desk at home, not cheap and very heavy. And i'm not carrying it back and forth to work every day.
The little one will fit in my pocket, gets a bit warm and thinks that it will take 8+ hours to fully charge the laptop when i'm using it.
TLDR, by the smallest charger that will keep your battery ticking over as a spare.
Do you have a proper monitor at home? Some of these can supply sufficient power to charge a laptop via usbc.