MacBook Pro M1 2021 not charging and stuck at 3% battery

Creator_needs_help wrote:

5. On the screen that shows before the login screen (Home Screen?) it shows the battery fully charged with a lighting bolt. When the login is completed however, it goes back to showing 3%

Ignore the battery information shown on the login screen since more often than not the information is incorrect. Wait until you log in to get the battery information & charge level & condition.

I imagine the next step is to run diagnostics...but wanted to ask you, the Pro's about it first.

Always a good idea since if it reports a problem, then you know you have a hardware issue of some sort.

Use Apple Diagnostics to test your Mac - Apple Support

Just to see if there is anything else I should do,

Try using a USB-C charging cable instead of the MagSafe charging cable. If the USB-C cable charges the battery, then you have narrowed down the problem to the MagSafe charging cable, the DC-In MagSafe Board, or the Logic Board. In my own personal experience supporting my organization's Macs, if the MagSafe cable doesn't charge the laptop, but the USB-C cable does, then it is usually due to a bad Logic Board.

Disconnect all other external devices in case one of them is causing a problem.

I also have a 2021 MacBook Pro and when I see that, I immediately unplug it, then plug it back in. 🔌

I don’t have an explanation on why charging is "paused", but that’s the solution I discovered years ago. 👌🏼

Good luck! 👋🏼😉

If your Mac battery status is "Not Charging" - Apple Support

Fully charged with a lightning bolt is ok, that just means it's connected to power. However, it seems as though that Mac's battery is refusing to charge because it thinks it's fully charged already. In that case proceed with the following:

If your Mac battery won’t charge - Apple Support

You already accomplished most of those steps so finish the rest of them.

Once you reach the end,

"Get your Mac serviced."

Creator_needs_help wrote:

Since the MagSafe cable for the 1st (problem) Macbook charges the 2nd Macbook perfectly and the MagSafe cable for the 2nd Macbook has no affect on the 1st Macbook I think we can safely rule out the cables as the problem, right?

Yes.

I understand about the USB-C cable instead of the MagSafe cable - it makes me a little nervous to do but I believe you are telling me if it does end up charging the problem Macbook we are in to looking at the problem being in the DC-In MagSafe Board or even the Logic Board itself (or are they one and the same?). That makes me a little green just thinking about.

Correct. In my own personal experience supporting my organization's M-series Macs, the Logic Board has been the problem when USB-C charging worked, but MagSafe3 charging did not.

There is no need to be concerned about using the USB-C ports to charge the laptop. All of the Apple laptops equipped with USB-C ports can be charged using USB-C. Apple only went back to the MagSafe option after great consumer backlash at abandoning the MagSafe port from 2016-2020.

Also, will any old USB-C type charger work here?

You can still use the exact same Apple Power Adapter as you are now, but just swap out the MagSafe3 charging cable with a USB-C to USB-C cable.

Here is an Apple branded USB-C charging cable, but keep in mind if you use it for transferring data that it will only transfer at very slow USB2 speeds with a maximum data transfer rate of about 45MB/s which is extremely slow. This cable does not have any markings on the USB-C connectors which is how you can distinguish it from actual high speed USB3+/Thunderbolt3+ data transfer cables.

240W USB-C Charge Cable (2 m) - Apple

Here is a Satechi USB-C Charging cable that also supports USB3 data transfers up to 20Gb/s and is the better option and is sold through the Apple online store. Notice the one side of the USB-C connector on the Satechi cable clearly mentions its supported charging rate as well as the data transfer protocol supported which is very important.

Satechi USB-C to USB-C Data and Charge Cable (1m) - Black - Apple

I personally would choose the Satechi cable here since it is a much better value.

Buying directly from Satechi gives you an even better options:

Similar cable to the Satechi cable available on the Apple Store, but with USB4 support that doubles the cable's maximum USB data transfer rates to 40Gb/s for nearly the same price (an extra $5US):

https://satechi.net/products/usb4-pro-cable-1-2m

Or a Thunderbolt4 cable which does everything the USB4 cable does, but also provides Thunderbolt 4/3/2/1 support as well for an extra $10US over the USB4 version. This one is not necessary unless you plan to have Thunderbolt accessories, but even then it may not be worthwhile except to have a spare Thunderbolt4 cable since most people just have accessories that support the USB3/4 protocol:

https://satechi.net/products/thunderbolt-4-pro-cable-1m

Try plugging the charging cord into another outlet and check the fuse box for a tripped circuit.

If that didn’t work, then click ▶︎ Apple Service.

Good luck! 👋🏼😉

Try disconnecting all external devices except for the power adapter while using the USB-C cable.

If that doesn't allow the battery to charge, then you will need to get the laptop repaired. The three most likely parts are the DC-In/MagSafe Board, Logic Board, and Battery. It is hard to say which one will be the problem.

Make sure you have a good backup now while you still can. Hopefully you already have frequent & regular backups. There are a lot more new ways to permanently lose access to the data stored on the internal SSD of the recent Macs due to all of the hardware, software, and security changes.

Have you checked for a swelling battery? Symptoms:

•Unexpected trackpad and/or keyboard behavior.

•The gap between the display and the deck is not even when the display is closed.

•The gap between the bottom plate and chassis is uneven in places.

•Some of the screws that hold the bottom plate have popped out.

•The trackpad surface is higher than the surrounding deck surface.

•The computer "rocks" a bit on a known-flat surface.

I find solid-surface and granite countertops very effective flat test surfaces.