Why Does My Mac Charger Get Hot?

A charger overheating for Macbook isn’t as rare as you may think! Although MacBooks are famous for their excellent thermal processing, Mac charger is yet to make the cut. But why does a MacBook charger get hot to begin with?

Your Macbook could get hot for plenty of reasons. One of them is using faulty wires or circuits inside the charger. Besides, where you place the charger and how you use it often affects the overheating issue.

However, these aren’t the only point of interest. So if you are looking for the causes and the right solutions for overheating Mac chargers, you are in the right place. In this article, we will be covering everything that you would need to know to prevent the heated adapter.

Key Takeaways:

• Chargers get rid of excess energy through heat transfer. If the temperature rises too much, there are thermal issues within the charger.
• Always use the charger in a well-ventilated area; away from sunlight or any major heat sources.
• Water can cause the charger to malfunction if it seeps inside the charger.
• Using counterfeit MacBook chargers can cause the battery to burn or even explode.

Is It Normal For A Macbook Charger To Get Hot?

If you find your adapter to have a high temperature all of a sudden, you might be thinking, why is the MacBook charger so hot? Well, it is quite normal for Macbook chargers to get hot, although it is not as common.

In typical cases, using the wrong charger with the wrong wattage output is the prime culprit. Besides, broken components or physical damages can also cause the charger to heat up. So you should know how many watts a laptop charger use. Then you may know which one to choose.  

Even if your charger heats, no need to panic. The heat is how the charger gets rid of the excess energy that is produced during charging a laptop. Most of the time, this is just harmless waste energy being disposed to the surroundings.

Why Does My Mac Charger Get Hot?

If you find your MacBook charger getting very hot, don’t be alarmed. Although this is not a common occurrence, that doesn’t mean you’re the only one facing it.

Due to the high energy consumption, the charger can heat up while the components inside are not up to the best standards.

Below, I have pointed out some of the common issues that could cause your charging adapter to heat up. Do note that the ones we have included are only common causes and not anything highly technical you can’t fix.

Poor Choice Of Environment

One of the most common problem is that people tend to neglect where the charger is placed while charging a laptop.

A highly non-conducive environment can cause the charger to heat up even if the energy is transported properly.

If you keep using the charger in such a place, it will get damaged in the long run. Months later, it won’t work anymore as it has been damaged beyond repair.

Not The Correct Charger

Different laptops, even if all of them are MacBooks, will have different wattage requirements. As such, you should never use a 35W charger for a laptop that requires a 50W energy supply.

This is a common occurrence since many people tend to use MacBook air chargers for MacBook Pro.

A macBook air charger may get burning hot to meet the voltage output that of MacBook Pro. Eventually, the fuse will blow out and stop the charger to function at all.

Correct Power Management Settings

If your laptop is running a highly power-consuming application or software such as Adobe Premiere Pro, it is obvious that it will drain a lot of battery quickly compared to regular software.

Even if the laptop is connected to the charger for a constant power supply, the excess drainage might cause the heating elements inside to heat up faster than regular.

It is advised that you enter the performance management settings and monitor to keep the performance and battery levels under the standard rate. Also, check for a solution to stop the battery from draining fast. This will improve the laptop’s performance better.

Internal Damages

Let’s assume that your charger has no physical damage. Not a single tear or wear on any parts of its body and wires. Even then, the chances of internal or circuit damage remain.

For instance, if certain compartments of sensors inside the adapter turn faulty, they can cause the voltage inside to become turmoil.

This is another common issue that could cause your MacBook charger to heat up without any prior warning. I advised that you use a new charger if you face this problem since the old one has become a liability.

How Do I Stop My Mac Charger From Overheating?

While you can’t completely stop the charger from overheating, you can take certain measures and precautions to minimize the damage.

Below, we have come up with certain measures that you can take depending on the scenario that you are facing. Do remember that these countermeasures are not a hundred percent fail-safe.

Check For the Right Charger

If you do not have an existing charging adapter for your MacBook, look for one that meets the wattage requirement for your laptop. Additionally, make sure to buy the right type of original chargers.

There are plenty of counterfeit chargers in the market with the same logo as Apple. You can avoid such scams if you it buy from an exclusive Apple store.

Check The Environment And Plug

The sockets and the environment can have a large effect on the charger.

Make sure that the plug where you will be connecting the charger is situated in a well-ventilated area that is not directly exposed to the sun.

Too much heat from the surrounding will cause the charger to retain the heat and increase the temperature of its internal components.

Check The Status Of The Charger

In case the adapter, wire, or any internal part is torn or broken, your laptop won’t get the required power input.

Instead, the power will gather around the damaged part, causing heat to build up, and the fuse to blow out in the worst case scenario. There are no remedies for this issue other than buying a new one and using it.

Taking Care Of Your Mac Charger

Now that we are done with several of the measures you can take for safe charging, we can give you a few tips that you can follow.

Of course, that doesn’t mean that you need to follow all of them. You can choose to go through some of them based on the scenario that you or your power adapter are facing.

Here’s how to maintain a MacBook charger.

• Always make sure to connect the adapter to a well-ventilated area.
• Never expose your MacBook charger directly to the sunlight.
• Use the right kind of charger with the right wattages. For instance, the MacBook Air has a 45 w requirement, whereas the MacBook Pro 13 has a 60 w requirement.
• Try to avoid keeping the charger connected to the laptop with it’s power ON.
• Do not keep the charger plugged in for a long time when the charge is full.
• Use the right performance and charging settings when using power-hungry apps.
• Try to avoid charging your MacBook overnight.

Frequently Asked Questions

By now, there might be several questions hanging over your head. While I can not answer all of them, I will try to fill up the gap as much as I can.

Here’s some of the most commonly asked questions (with answers) about why does your Mac charger get hot.

Can A Hot Charger Catch Fire?

While it is almost impossible for an original MacBook charger to catch fire, a counterfeit one with no fuse can catch fire very easily.

Of course, other than counterfeit chargers, using faulty chargers or using the charger in the wrong environment can also cause similar problems that could lead to a fire.

Is It Bad if Your Charger Gets Hot?

If your charger gets hot, understand that there might be some problems with how the adapter is handling the thermals.

While it doesn’t necessarily have to be an issue, it can cause several potential ones. Only when your charger gets tremendously hot, you need to understand that something bad might be happening.

Can Laptop Charger Explode?

While most MacBook chargers are built to withstand explosions, that doesn’t mean that it is impossible for them to explode. Usually, if the battery catches fire and the adapter can not stop it, it may result in an explosion.

Do note that explosions are usually linked to counterfeit products. So if you use counterfeit chargers for the MacBook, it is in danger of explosions albeit the probability is low.

Why Does My Computer Charger Get so Hot?

Typically using the wrong kind of charger with the wrong wattage spec that doesn’t match what your laptop requires can cause the charger to heat up exponentially.

Additionally, running graphics-heavy applications or software on the laptop while connected to the charger can also cause it to get very hot.

Conclusion

If you are looking for a new MacBook charger, you will find quite an exquisite selection to choose from. Even if the seller says that the products are real, there is no proof that are not counterfeit.

That’s why, I advise you to buy the charger from an authentic licensed dealer or the exclusive Mac stores. While the real ones might be more expensive, they are completely worth the service that you would be getting. 

Not only is it much safer, but it also offers higher longevity than fake products.