A MacBook that sits on the charger without charging is often working as designed. macOS stops charging to protect the battery, and the status in the battery menu points to the reason. Start there, then work down the list.
Check the battery menu first
Click the battery icon in the menu bar. The status line points to the cause:
- "Charged to [%] Limit": a Charge Limit is on.
- "Charging On Hold": Optimized Battery Charging is waiting.
- "Not Charging": macOS paused charging, or the power source cannot keep up.
How to tell them apart
| Cause | What you see | What to try |
|---|---|---|
| At the charge limit | "Charged to [%] Limit" | Charge to Full Now, or raise the limit |
| Optimized Battery Charging | "Charging On Hold" | Charge to Full Now, or turn it off |
| Paused to protect the battery | "Not Charging" at 93% or higher | Wait. Charging starts again lower down |
| Too hot | Stops at 80% with Optimized Battery Charging off | A cool, open spot |
| Charger too small | "Not Charging" on a low-wattage adapter | A higher-wattage adapter |
| Heavy work | The charge falls while plugged in | Quit heavy apps, or use a bigger adapter |
| Cable, port or outlet | No charging at all | Another cable, a clean port, another outlet |
| The software | No other cause fits | Restart, then update macOS |
The usual causes
You are at your charge limit
With a Charge Limit on (macOS 26.4 or later, Apple silicon), the Mac charges to within a few points of the limit and stops. That is the setting working. To fill up once, choose Charge to Full Now from the battery menu. The charge limit guide has the steps to change it.
Optimized Battery Charging is waiting
It can delay charging past 80% when it predicts the Mac will stay plugged in for a while, even after hours on the charger. Choose Charge to Full Now, or turn it off in System Settings > Battery.
macOS paused charging to protect the battery
Apple’s guide says the Mac may pause charging to extend battery life, and the battery may drain to 93% or lower before charging starts again.
The battery is too hot
Apple says Mac laptops work best at 50° to 95° F (10° to 35° C) room temperature, and charging may stop at 80% when the battery runs hot. If Optimized Battery Charging is off and the Mac still stops at 80%, move it to a cool, open spot. On a blanket or thick carpet, the adapter may turn off to prevent overheating.
The charger is too small
A low-wattage adapter can give the Mac enough power to run but not enough to charge. The Mac keeps working without draining, but the battery does not fill, even asleep or shut down.
The Mac is working hard
Video editing apps and games can draw more power than the adapter supplies, so the battery drains even on the charger.
The cable, port or outlet
Not every cable can charge. Try the cable that came with your Mac, clean the port with a soft, dry, lint-free cloth, and try another adapter and another outlet. Apple also suggests unplugging the adapter from the wall for 60 seconds to clear line noise, which can come from a fridge or lights on the same circuit.
The software
On a Mac with Apple silicon, a restart resets the system management controller, which controls how the Mac manages power. A macOS update can also improve how the Mac talks to the adapter.
And the opposite: charging past your limit
Apple says that with Charge Limit or Optimized Battery Charging, the Mac will occasionally charge to 100% to keep its battery estimates accurate. A full charge now and then is normal.
How Amply reports these
Amply writes a plain sentence for every charging state, so there are no codes to look up. At the limit it reads "Your Mac runs on the charger and the battery rests." A switch in Settings shows the watts and the mAh behind each sentence.
Its charger report card says, in plain words, whether the charger you plugged in is enough for this Mac. It alerts you when the battery gets hot while plugged in, and when the limit gets switched off.
If the battery charges past your limit, Amply sends a notification and lists 3 possible causes: macOS may be recalibrating the battery, the limit may have changed in System Settings, or another battery tool may be fighting it.