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Can I get a charger for my obsolete 2008 MacBook Pro

How do I get a new charger for my old MacBook

MacBook, OS X 10.11

Posted on Mar 14, 2023 12:37 PM

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Question marked as Top-ranking reply

Posted on Mar 14, 2023 3:26 PM

Maybe not directly from Apple but you can surely get one online.

The 2008 Mac Book Pro uses a Magsafe connector, aka magsafe 1.

It does not matter it if is the T or L style, either will work.

It also does not matter what the wattage is with one important caveat.

  • One that is lower wattage than the one that came with the computer may take longer to charge the computer.
  • Also, one with a very low wattage compared to the original may not be able to charge or even operate the computer when it is powered on, you will need to turn it off and wait, maybe for a long time, for it to charge.

Therefore, imho, you should get the highest wattage you can find as long as you have room for the larger one in your bag. You can always use a higher wattage one as the computer will only draw what it needs and may even charge faster. A bonus is that if it is higher wattage than needed it will not have to work as hard and may last a little longer.


There are small adaptors sold my Apple that will allow an old MagSafe 1 connector to be adapted to the slightly different physical size of a Mag Safe 2 (there are no electrical differences) and be used on a newer computer.

But I am not aware of any adaptor that will allow a Mag Safe 2 connector to fit on an older Mag Sage 1.

3 replies
Question marked as Top-ranking reply

Mar 14, 2023 3:26 PM in response to Patbea11

Maybe not directly from Apple but you can surely get one online.

The 2008 Mac Book Pro uses a Magsafe connector, aka magsafe 1.

It does not matter it if is the T or L style, either will work.

It also does not matter what the wattage is with one important caveat.

  • One that is lower wattage than the one that came with the computer may take longer to charge the computer.
  • Also, one with a very low wattage compared to the original may not be able to charge or even operate the computer when it is powered on, you will need to turn it off and wait, maybe for a long time, for it to charge.

Therefore, imho, you should get the highest wattage you can find as long as you have room for the larger one in your bag. You can always use a higher wattage one as the computer will only draw what it needs and may even charge faster. A bonus is that if it is higher wattage than needed it will not have to work as hard and may last a little longer.


There are small adaptors sold my Apple that will allow an old MagSafe 1 connector to be adapted to the slightly different physical size of a Mag Safe 2 (there are no electrical differences) and be used on a newer computer.

But I am not aware of any adaptor that will allow a Mag Safe 2 connector to fit on an older Mag Sage 1.

Mar 20, 2023 2:59 PM in response to Patbea11

Hi Bob

I got my new charger (in fact I have gotten 4 different ones of different sizes and T and L tips) but none seem to work? Plug in the charger and plug in the tip but the amber/green light on the charger side never lights up. Can you help with this?

Battery was pretty old but would hold a charge for 15 minutes before charger broke so I always used the charger when using the machine.

thanks for any help

Mar 20, 2023 3:00 PM in response to Bob Allison

Hi Bob

I got my new charger (in fact I have gotten 4 different ones of different sizes and T and L tips) but none seem to work? Plug in the charger and plug in the tip but the amber/green light on the charger side never lights up. Can you help with this?

Battery was pretty old but would hold a charge for 15 minutes before charger broke so I always used the charger when using the machine.

thanks for any help

Can I get a charger for my obsolete 2008 MacBook Pro

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