I have a few standard MagSafe 2 chargers left and want to use it with my new MacBook 12.
Are there any adapters I can use to convert these Magsafe chargers into USB-C chargers that work with the MacBook 12" or 2016 Macbook Pro?
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5 Answers
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Many marketers will ship and are shipping MagSafe to USB-C Adapter on the market:
http://forums.macrumors.com/threads/how-about-a-magsafe-to-usb-c-converter.1877907/
I bought two Magsafe to USB-C Adapter on Aliexpress but neither works.
The powering light on Magsafe-Connector is on and in the apple menu the battery loading symbol is active for a few seconds but the battery is actually not loading. The merchant gave me a refund after i showed him a video of the attempt.
Be sure you understand the return policy if you aren't willing to eat the cost for testing aftermarket chargers.
bmike
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StandardNerd
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So, how was it? – mvmn Oct 27 '16 at 19:09
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This type of product appears to be very unreliable! Many people say it doesn't work, I would stay away. – owlswipe Dec 15 '16 at 22:21
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Great answer! It's easy to connect the wires, actually engineering a charging system takes more cost than will likely be worth it. – bmike Dec 16 '16 at 12:40
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Not to be contrarian, but you would come out better if you sold your existing MagSafe adapters and bought USB-C PD adapters. There are some really great ones like:
- Anker 60W - $40 on Amazon
- Apple's 29/61/87W models
I expect battery units within a few months that also provide appropriate current connectors so you can avoid needing wall power in the first place. Since this is a standard, more and more displays, power strips and third party chargers will be hitting the market since you initially bought your MacBook "One".
Better being:
- better in cost
- more efficient and higher charging voltage with less current
- less need to remember a connector
- lighter and/or more compact
- better reuse of your older adapters (people will pay good money for working MagSafe and also working MacSafe parts for their needs since Apple doesn't sell them directly)
- newer power adapters for your MacBook
See http://www.anandtech.com/show/8539/usb-power-delivery-v20-and-billboard-device-class-v10-specifications-finalized for a nice consumer overview of why USB PD 2.0 is a good standard for charging going forward.
bmike
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1hi! it was me adding the bounty, not OP. And i'm specifically looking for using my thunderbolt display's charging cable for my new mbp (see the bounty descr.) – user Dec 10 '16 at 11:07
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@user I have a great way to charge your MBP directly from your Thunderbolt Display, see my answer. – owlswipe Dec 15 '16 at 22:22
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bmike, downvoted because this is so not what the OP or bountier is asking for – owlswipe Dec 15 '16 at 22:30
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@owlswipe Be sure to mention that not all USB-C cables support power delivery in your answer. If you want to -1 this post, that's fine. The 29 w MacBook does ok on 1A USB, but the pro (esp 15) need much more power delivered in my experience. Over time, you might even come around to my views that using an old charger with the new hardware is just silly for almost every case. – bmike Dec 16 '16 at 12:37
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@bmike Is the USB port on the back of the monitor not 2.1 Amps? If not, why wouldn't it be? And added your tip to my answer, thanks. – owlswipe Dec 17 '16 at 17:58
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@owlswipe Let's assume the display does 2.1A - that's barely 10w of power. Compare to that's 1/3 or 1/6 or 1/9 of what is needed for the new lineup. – bmike Dec 17 '16 at 19:01
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@bmike Looks to me from this that the new MBP's 61 Watt power adapter only supplies 3 amps, not all that much more than 2.1 amps. – owlswipe Dec 17 '16 at 19:19
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@owlswipe PD 2.0 bumps the voltage, not the current for more wattage. The cable you list is woefully underpowered and stuck at 5V. – bmike Dec 18 '16 at 02:21
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Such a product can not exist: Apple has patented MagSafe technology and thus such a product would be illegal. Even if it were made, your MacBook would likely detect it as a fake charger and stop itself from charging like iOS devices do.
However, you can easily plug an inexpensive USB to USB-C cable into a standard USB port on the back of your Thunderbolt Display and charge your USB-C MacBook from there. Here's one such cable on Amazon for $11.
This is a safer, simpler, more reliable, and less warranty-voiding way to charge your 2016 MacBook Pro directly from a monitor (like the Apple Cinema or Thunderbolt displays) without using up another outlet for your laptop power supply (or spending nearly $100 on a new power adapter and cable from Apple).
I have personally used the linked cable; it works just fine charging my usb-c devices.
Note: Just about any USB to USB-C cable will work here, just look for one with a Benson seal of approval like the one I linked.
Note 2: User bmike adds that you should be sure to get a USB-C cable that supports power delivery; the one I linked to does.
owlswipe
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8Charging a MacBook through a standard USB-Port sounds very ineffective (and even impossible when the MacBook is running) because of the max 2.1A output of USB-Ports. – StandardNerd Dec 16 '16 at 08:54
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@StandardNerd That's why you'd use a wall plug. But the MacBook Pro 2016 usually charges at 3 Amps (according to this) so 2.1 amps is less than a one-third reduction in power. The Mac will still charge relatively quickly plugged in with USB, unlike a MagSafe which just can't charge the new Macbook Pro at all. – owlswipe Dec 17 '16 at 17:55
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5This cable only charges at 5V and is woefully under powered for MacBook and MacBook Pro power delivery. Read up on it at The jump from 7.5 watts to 100 watts of the new specification is a huge increase, and one that cannot be done with just an amperage increase on the system as was done in the previous versions of USB. Version 3.1 now supports 5 V, 12 V, and 20 V on the pins to allow the higher power output without excessive current.... – bmike Dec 18 '16 at 02:24
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@bmike I agree that this USB solution isn't that good, but is there any other way other than plugging into the wall? – owlswipe Dec 18 '16 at 11:17
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5@owlswipe the Macbook Pro 2016 charges at 4.2 @ 20.2V, the USB port is 2.1A @ 5V. Those aren't even in the same ballpark as far as power delivery is concerned. I strongly suggest you remove this answer as it's really bad. The Mac will barely charge at all with the standard USB port and the displays USB port won't produce near enough power for the machine to stay charged while running let alone charge the battery. – Todd Dabney Feb 17 '17 at 04:09
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1Just a clarification re: "Such a product can not exist". Such a product could exist if Apple manufactured it, or if Apple licensed the technology to a 3rd party. So it's not exactly accurate that it can not exist. It's true that those things haven't happened and it doesn't exist. – Gal May 23 '17 at 19:28
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@Gal Theoretically yes, I agree, but such a product would be unavoidably blatantly against USB-C spec, and Apple's policy so far had been to (wisely) make all their USB-C chargers and adapters to spec. – owlswipe May 24 '17 at 02:49
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This is just a bad suggestion. The power provided by the USB is way too low to be useful to the mac. – DragonFax Jul 21 '17 at 03:14
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2This answer is just wrong in several ways:
This seems to exist and work: https://elecjet.com/products/anywatt
A standard USB port on the back of the monitor is going to max out at MAYBE 10-11W. A modern 15" MBP uses probably 20W at just idle, up to at least 70-80W when running hard. Using the USB cable on the back will NOT charge a running Macbook.
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The Apple MagSafe connector is proprietary to Apple. This is why you are having difficulty finding any: There are no 3rd party solutions here.
That Apple would not consider this to be a scenario work resolving is to me a bit of a mystery: nearly every Thunderbolt Display customer would require such an adapter for their new macbook. I presume they figure customers would rather buy a new monitor?
2 suggested solutions:
1) Fortunately for you, the Magsafe power cable from the Thunderbolt display is Single Purpose: it only supplies power. Replacing it loses no other function. Therefore, you can simply add a USB-C power adapter (plugged into the wall/mains) and run the cable alongside your Thunderbolt cable from the monitor. Simply hideaway the Magsafe cable.
Yes this might be a bit more unsightly than your current two cables, but should be simple to accomplish, and can be as easily well hidden as your current setup.
2) I have found great success in using a Thunderbolt (now UBS-C) docking port, hidden away under my desk. My monitor, external hard drive, network, etc all connect to the dock, and I have a single Thunderbolt (USB-C) cable from the Dock. I have a small USB hub attached behind my monitor to replace the convenient USB ports I would get from an Apple Display.
cmason
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UPDATE: Allegedly Snapinator is a scam
I'm not deleting this answer so that people *don't keep buying it*.
It is not clear if the connector from Snapnator will be able to accept an actual MagSafe cable, but even if it does not it might still be an interesting option.
Snapnator on Kickstarter: a Magnetic Power Connector for all USB-C laptops
ccpizza
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The Snapnator connector is a scam. I ordered one 2 months ago, and paid for it, and it never arrived. Emailed several times to ask and never got a response. Then did more research online and found that the same guy has apparently been up to the same tricks before: https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/snapnator-is-a-scam.2025812/ – Ker Wells Mar 08 '17 at 21:59
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@Ker Wells: Sorry to hear that, if you used PayPal you have 60 days to claim a refund. I ordered one but realized it's not compatible with Apple's magsafe so asked the vendor for a refund the next day and got the money back. – ccpizza Mar 09 '17 at 07:10