Charge Your MacBook with the Right Power Adapter

chicago, IL, USA, Sept, 13, 2023, Futuristic USB-C iPhone charging: A sleek device connected via USB-C cable, symbolizing cutting-edge technology and efficient power delivery

If you lose or break the power adapter that came with your MacBook Air or MacBook Pro, make sure to replace it with a charger that meets or exceeds the machine’s required wattage. A charger with too low a wattage may result in little or no charging (or even battery drain while working), and it certainly won’t enable fast charging. You can check the adapter’s wattage by reading the fine print on the charger itself, or by opening the System Information app (in the Applications/Utilities folder) and checking the AC Charger section in the Power screen. It’s safe to use an adapter with a higher wattage than required, but we don’t recommend going below the wattages of Apple’s included adapters:

  • 13-inch MacBook Air: 30 or 35 watts standard, 67 watts for fast charging
  • 15-inch MacBook Air: 35 watts standard, 70 watts for fast charging
  • 14-inch MacBook Pro: 67 or 70 watts standard, or 96 watts for the Pro and Max chips, 96 watts for fast charging
  • 16-inch MacBook Pro: 140 watts for both standard and fast charging

(Featured image by iStock.com/Isaac Lee)


Social Media: Lost your MacBook charger? Don’t grab just any USB power adapter—using one that’s too weak can result in no charging, glacial charging, or battery drain while you work. Here’s the minimum wattage you need for each MacBook model.

More Insights

Tech Tip

Check Your Input Source If Your Mac Types Unexpected Characters

If your Mac starts typing unexpected characters—or rejects a password you know is correct—check to see if the Input Source menu appears in the upper-right corner of the screen, indicating that your Mac has more than one keyboard layout available for writing in other languages. Accidentally switching from the standard U.S. keyboard (or whatever you […]

Read More »
Tech Article

Understanding New MacBook Battery Charging Features

The just-released macOS 26.4 Tahoe introduced two battery-related features for MacBook users, helping them understand and control MacBook charging. A Slow Charger indicator now appears in the battery status menu and in Battery settings when your Mac is connected to a charger that isn’t delivering the minimum recommended wattage. More significantly, a new Charge Limit […]

Read More »
Tech Article

View Suspicious Documents Safely with Dangerzone

A standard piece of advice for staying safe online is to avoid opening attachments from people you don’t know or attachments that seem suspicious. It’s good advice, since PDFs and office documents can contain JavaScript and macros that present a security risk, or they could be maliciously crafted to take advantage of vulnerabilities in common […]

Read More »
Tech Tip

Create AI-Powered Playlists with iOS 26.4’s Playlist Playground

Apple Music subscribers running iOS 26.4 can use the new Playlist Playground feature to create AI-generated playlists tailored to any mood, genre, activity, or era. To try it on your iPhone, open the Music app, tap the Library tab, tap the + button, then tap Create New Playlist. Instead of manually adding songs, tap the […]

Read More »
Tech Article

Two iPhone Exploit Kits Mean You Should Update iOS Now

The discovery of two sophisticated iPhone exploit kits—DarkSword and Coruna—within weeks of each other signals a troubling shift. Unlike previous spyware attacks that targeted high-profile users, these exploit kits have been deployed via compromised legitimate websites, so anyone who visits an infected site could fall victim, with no additional clicks or downloads required. This suggests […]

Read More »
Tech Tip

Intel-Based Apps Will Stop Working in macOS 28

Yes, we know we’re still on macOS 26. In 2025, Apple announced macOS 27 would be the last version to support Rosetta for most Intel-based apps. (Beyond that, Apple will maintain a subset of Rosetta functionality for older, unmaintained gaming titles.) This fact has become relevant because in the just-released macOS 26.4, when you launch […]

Read More »

If you are here and not sure how to proceed, please call us at 626-286-2350, and we would be happy to help you find a solution to your needs.