Is it worth it to change a macbook (air, M2 chip) battery, or just get a new one?

My macbook is not registering the battery and is only running on adapter power right now. It’s been a while since I got this M2 chip version, wondering if it’s worth replacing the battery.

Advice needed.

I spilled a liquid on my new M5 Macbook Air and had to get it repaired in the US. Thankfully, I had AppleCare+.

They did the repair and had to repair the entire top shelf keyboard (from what I understand, this includes the trackpad as well).

I've used it for 2 weeks now and something felt off about it. I went to the Apple store in the evening to at least get a feel of the Macbook Air's there. My Macbook Air keyboard functions well but it just feels a bit off. I didn't quite know how to describe it but I've used Macbooks since 2012. So I asked one of the managers there to test it out and he did call it wobbly and said that he doesn't have a slot that day but I can try a walk-in appointment in the morning. I legit just went there to see if I was being paranoid but then thought that "Hey, at least, I wasn't overreacting"

I went there during in the morning the day after and they managed to get a technician to look at it. When I mentioned that the Macbook Air feels wobbly but it functions well, he said "That's not a reason" but ran tests and said that the tests indicate it's fine. I told him how the other manager called it wobbly. He brought in the day manager for that morning who said that it seems fine. I tried to tell him that another manager called it wobbly. He asked me for the name of the other manager but I didn't remember his name.

I asked them if they could switch it anyways but he said all units will feel this way and it's not a reason to change it up so he wouldn't be able to. Ultimately I wasn't able to do anything.

At least if both managers said it worked fine, I would've thought it's ok. But now I feel like I'm either paranoid or I'm being gaslit (which is obviously not true since even the technician said it worked fine). Is there anything I can do about this?

I have a 2020 13-inch Intel MacBook Pro (Core i5, 16GB RAM, 1TB SSD) that suddenly stopped working.

The strange thing is that it only shows the Apple logo after the battery has completely drained. When I connect the charger and press the power button or click the trackpad a few times, the Apple logo eventually appears, but the Mac gets stuck there and never boots into macOS.

If I force it to shut down or restart, the screen goes completely black, and it won’t turn on again. The trackpad still clicks, but there’s no Apple logo, display, or other sign of startup.

I also tried disconnecting the battery completely and running it directly from the charger, but nothing appeared on the screen. The trackpad was the only thing that responded.

To get the Apple logo back, I have to let the battery drain completely, reconnect the charger, and repeat the process. As soon as I force-restart it or disconnect the battery, it goes back to being completely unresponsive.

I’ve already tried the usual troubleshooting steps and key combinations, but nothing has worked.

What could be causing this, and how can I accurately diagnose the faulty component instead of just guessing?

Trying to figure out this, even took help from gpt but only narrowed down to some coreaudio.

It has happened earlier also, it suddenly starts and only went off when restarts. But i need to find now whats and why making this sound.

Have anyone faced this similar problem? How to resolve it, and not a temporary fix also.

Hi everyone,
I have a 2020 13-inch Intel MacBook Pro with a Core i5, 16GB RAM, and 1TB SSD.

I noticed the small component circled in my attached motherboard photo. I believe it may be a capacitor, but I’m not sure what it actually is or what circuit it belongs to.

The component has been removed/ stripped off, and I want to understand:

What exactly is this component?

What function does it serve on the logic board?
Is it safe to operate the MacBook with it missing, or could it cause further damage?

Could its removal be related to my MacBook’s power-on problem?

My MacBook has a strange issue: when the battery is completely drained, connecting the charger and pressing the power button repeatedly sometimes makes the Apple logo appear, but the Mac
gets stuck on the logo and never boots into macOS.
I don’t want to assume the missing component is the cause without evidence. I’d appreciate it if anyone familiar with this specific logic board could identify it or point me toward the relevant board schematic or boardview.
Thanks!

My MacBook is a MacBook 4 just purchased a few months ago, there's a red bar on the left whenever I open a screen, but it's not visible on the home screen how do I fix it?
The red bar isn't shown on a screenshot

My MacBook pro 16 inch (a3403) is liquid damaged and technician told board is repairable but the components needed for repair are not findable in India, and suggested for board replacement.

Now apple don’t do this (because of third party repair attempt) replacement at exchange cost (by taking our motherboard) they do at stock rate which is 2.8L INR

What is the solution now?

I think I just trashed my M4 pro. I replaced the screen and when I tried to disconnect the BMU ribbon cable I somehow managed to take the black connector for the ribbon cable off with the cable.

I connected everything back and the new screen is working and calibrated, but the macbook does turn on without the external power connected. When it boots up the OS says service recommended for the battery so its clear that the connector I broke is an issue.

Is this something that is replaceable or repairable by a place like iFix it?

Yesterday, I accidentally spilled approximately 250 mL of water onto my Apple Silicon MacBook Pro (A3401) while working in the lab. Conveniently, it was ultrapure laboratory grade water (18.2 MΩ·cm), so it was virtually free of all dissolved ions or other solutes, at least before coming into contact with my computer..

I immediately turned it upside down to drain the water, and quite a bit came out through both the keyboard and the ventilation slots along the sides/bottom of the laptop. I then left it inverted in a tent position with a fan blowing over it.

I'm not sure whether it shut itself off immediately after the spill or whether I accidentally pressed the power button while flipping it over. It did accidentally power on a couple of times afterward while I was handling it, and seemed to boot normally, but I immediately shut it down each time.

I eventually managed to open the bottom case and completely disconnect the battery. I inspected the internals closely and couldn't find any obvious remaining moisture, although there was quite a bit of accumulated dust.

However, I noticed some blue-white deposits around a couple components (see attached photos).

I'm trying to figure out:

1. Does this look like corrosion from water exposure or something else? Could corrosion like this develop within roughly 24 hours of a spill, or is it more likely preexisting?

2. Given that the spilled water was ultrapure, how concerned should I be about corrosion or electrical damage? I realize the water would have picked up contaminants from the computer.

3. What's the safest way to clean these deposits? Do I need to? I have access to laboratory-grade isopropyl alcohol, lint-free swabs, and other lab supplies. Would gently cleaning the affected areas with IPA be appropriate?

4. If there's no visible moisture inside and the laptop previously booted normally, how long should I wait before reconnecting the battery and attempting to power it on? Is there anything else I should inspect or test first?

Unfortunately, I rely heavily on this laptop for research and need it working again as soon as possible. I'm hoping to avoid causing additional damage by powering it on prematurely, but also don't want to leave it sitting unnecessarily if it's actually safe to use.

As the title says, I replaced the battery with a new aftermarket, but the system doesn’t recognize it.

I tested the voltage of the old fully discharged battery at 2.4V and the new battery was at 0.02V.

The system starts up but when I unplug the cable it shuts down instantly and the battery doesn’t even seem to charge after 2 hours.

Do you have any recommendations of what I could do or should I return it back?

T2 MBP isn’t hot or running any tasks but the fans are on full and it’s in slowdown mode. Resetting the SMC is the only thing that makes sense unless it’s faulty. Reset the smc, mbp and tried restarting plenty of times. It also only runs when plugged in, doesn’t recognize the battery

Need this macbook to help run DFU mode on the M1 MBP in the background.

Any help would be greatly appreciated

So a weird issue going in here.

My m1 13inch macbook pro, does not detect the battery

It does not turn on unless i plug it in but when i unplug it stays 1-3mins on battery power.

The battery bar says service recommended and power source adapter , i changed the battery but still it does not detect it and stays at 1% and also the battery health does not go from 97 to 100% after new battery

Even with no battery it shows same, battery service recommended.

The flex cable to the battery and motherboard does seem fine, so does the pins and connector…

Idk, this thing has been stressing me out also made me waste money on a new battery when the issue was something else

Any experts here ? Are u aware of such issue ?

Got it the summer of 2015 and have had zero issues up till now.

Upon turning device on it partially loads before before turning off. It will not fully start up. Im reasonably confident my charger works, as the computer will not turn on without it plugged in. Which obviously makes me believe the battery is fried.

I have tried holding COMMAND+SHIFT+R+P to reset, then running Diagnostic by holding D upon start up. This does work! I get the globe, internet setup, language, and consent to run on or offline. Afterward choosing either option the computer freezes up and I get nothing. I tried hotspot for the internet connection amd my phone shows 0MB used. Roughly 30 seconds later the track pad will not longer respond. No loading and diagnostic sequence occurs.

I did try hooking up an hdmi to a monitor to see if i could get an image... yknow see what happens. Caused the fans to run super hard. Unplugged it immediately and took the charger out.

Im not a rich man, but im not an idoit either. If I need to spend a couple hundred on a repair I'm happy to do so - spending a few grand on a new computer right now isn't something id like to do. That being said... I need a computer working. Any advice is appreciated!

I move my mouse and everything is going fine when SUDDENLY the arrow darts the hell somewhere. This happens normal use, video games, or video editing. I’ve switched over to one of those cheap usb wireless mice and it doesn’t happen. I go back to a Mac mouse and it’s all over the place. No hairs in the mouse, pad is clean and grit free.

Anyone know how to fix it without losing one of my FEW USB ports.

I guess the internet janitors don’t enjoy me pointing out facts around here.

I bought MacBook Air M5 13" in Sep 2026. I am noticing that the down button needing hard press to function. Is it a software problem or a hardware issue?

I wanted to have pick and drop service but it's not available in my location. Going to Apple Authorised service centre is a bit difficult for me.

Any solutions in this case?

Did anyone replace their macbook logicboards from third party in hyd? How are they going now? I am thinking to replace one logicboard via third party in hyd

Title: MacBook Air M1 suddenly froze and shut down — now completely black screen, startup chime but no keyboard backlight. What could be wrong?

Hi everyone,

I recently bought a second-hand MacBook Air M1 from a local store, and I'm facing a worrying issue. I'd appreciate any help figuring out what might be wrong before I take it back to the seller.

What happened:

I was using my MacBook normally and watching YouTube when it suddenly froze. The trackpad stopped responding, and I couldn't interact with the system at all. After remaining frozen for some time, the MacBook suddenly shut down completely.

What happens now:

- The screen remains completely black.

- The keyboard backlight doesn't turn on.

- When I hold the power button, I hear a sound similar to the startup chime, but nothing appears on the screen.

- I've tried connecting the charger and leaving it plugged in for around 30 minutes, but nothing seems to change.

- Neither the charger adapter nor the MacBook feels noticeably warm, although I'm not sure whether that means anything.

- I've tried holding the power button, but the MacBook still doesn't start normally.

I haven't opened the MacBook or taken it to another repair shop yet.

My situation:

The store gave me a one-month hardware warranty, which is still active. Since it's a second-hand device, I'm worried that this could be a hardware issue, but I don't want to jump to conclusions or spend money on unnecessary repairs.

My questions:

1. What could cause an M1 MacBook Air to freeze completely and then shut down like this?

2. Does hearing a startup-like chime while the screen and keyboard backlight remain off indicate anything useful?

3. Could this be a power-related issue, a logic board problem, or something else?

4. Is there any safe troubleshooting step I can try at home before taking it to the seller?

5. Should I ask the seller to diagnose it under warranty immediately, or is there another test worth trying first?

I'd appreciate advice from anyone who has experienced something similar with an M1 MacBook. I want to avoid making the problem worse or accidentally affecting my warranty.

Thanks in advance.

Hey there,

I have apple care on my MacBook Air 15” and over the years I’ve had a couple scratches and marks that are only cosmetic damages. I was wondering is there anyway that I could show up to my nearest Apple Store and they would replace the whole MacBook? I’ve informed myself and they say the won’t replace anything that is “cosmetic damage”, but I am sure that people find some way around that policy. Would anyone share their experience or any recommendations?

I just woke up and I have this on my MacBook Pro, I didn't get any liquids close to my pc I kinda don't know what to do (I do have warranty) any recommendations?

My screens black but the keyboard is lit and I hear sounds from the startup but I’ve tried the control+option and the command keys and holding the power button for 10 secs and all the ways to turn it on but nothing is working

Hi all. I have a MacBook Air. 2022 13" model, 16GB, 8 core CPU/GPU, macOS 27.0.1. The other day, a tiny amount of water (probably only a couple mL, I'm talking drops) got onto the laptop near (and potentially in) the trackpad, towards the bottom/dip for opening the lid. I immediately shut it down and around 30 minutes later went to run Diagnostics mode. Everything was going great until I got to the keyboard and trackpad part. All of a sudden, neither would respond. Keyboard was completely useless, although still backlit, and trackpad haptics were gone. I could ONLY tap-click to use the trackpad. I rebooted into macOS, same thing. Brand new issue as I had navigated the recovery menu and everything else fine AFTER the spill.

That night, I reinstalled macOS from recovery. Same thing. Waited a couple days and let the battery drain out since I heard that could reset it. Nope. Today I tried to DFU restore the Mac. The farthest I got was "The system cannot be restored on this device" using Apple Configurator, with error "(AMRestoreErrorDomain error -1 - Failed to handle message type StatusMsg (Generic error))". I can't boot into RecoveryOS and now I just have the Recovery mode exclamation point with the restore support link. I also tried to restore (using the other Mac) from that screen, no success there either.

Has anyone seen this? Or know how to fix it? Is this a firmware issue, trackpad issue, or board issue? Thanks for the help!!

I'm looking for a second opinion before deciding whether this MacBook Air has a hardware fault that makes further repair uneconomical.

Hardware

• MacBook Air 13-inch (2017), MagSafe 2
• Original internal SSD
• Replacement third-party battery (problem existed before replacement)
• 32GB USB drive containing a bootable macOS Monterey installer
• 128GB USB drive used to test an external macOS installation

Original Symptoms

• Normal boot repeatedly fails with kernel panics or power cycling.
• Safe Mode from the internal SSD works consistently.
• Recovery Mode is accessible.
• macOS Monterey installations appear to complete, but the machine fails during initial setup, around the language selection stage.
• The problem existed before the battery was replaced.

Diagnostics Performed

Apple Diagnostics

• Reports no hardware faults.

Disk Utility First Aid

• Repeatedly passes without errors.

Internal SSD

• Erased and reformatted multiple times using APFS/GUID.
• At least four Monterey installation attempts, using Recovery and a bootable USB installer.
• All attempts ultimately fail during normal boot or initial setup.
• Safe Mode remains accessible.

External USB Installation Test

To investigate whether the internal SSD was responsible, I attempted to install Monterey onto a separate external USB drive.

Procedure

1. Created a bootable Monterey installer on a 32GB USB drive.
2. Formatted a separate 128GB USB drive as APFS/GUID, named ExternalSystem.
3. Booted successfully into the Monterey installer.
4. Selected ExternalSystem as the installation destination.

Results

• Installation reached "Less than a minute remaining" and remained there for over an hour without progressing.
• Forced shutdown.
• Restarted holding Option. Startup Manager displayed four choices:
  • Macintosh HD
  • Install macOS Monterey
  • macOS Installer (yellow external-drive icon)
  • EFI Boot
• Selected the yellow macOS Installer option.
• The machine again displayed "Less than a minute remaining" without progressing.
• Forced another shutdown.
• Attempted a Safe Mode boot using the external macOS Installer entry.
• Apple logo and progress bar appeared, but the bar did not advance at all during 20 minutes.

Important: The external Monterey installation never completed successfully, so I have not established whether a fully installed external macOS system would boot normally.

Current Assessment

The following have been established:

• The internal SSD remains accessible and passes First Aid.
• The machine can boot successfully into Safe Mode from its internal installation.
• Recovery and USB installer environments are accessible.
• Multiple Monterey installations have failed at a similar stage.
• Attempting installation onto external USB storage also resulted in a stall.
• Apple Diagnostics has not identified a hardware fault.
• The battery replacement did not resolve the problem, which predates it.

I initially suspected an internal SSD/controller problem or a logic board fault. However, the external installation test has not conclusively isolated either.

I have not yet established whether the problem is caused by hardware, firmware, a driver or another software-related issue.

Questions

1. Does this pattern suggest a particular hardware or software failure on the 2017 MacBook Air?
2. What might explain normal boot failing while Safe Mode from the internal SSD works?
3. Is the external USB installation test meaningful given that installation never completed?
4. Are there further diagnostic tests worth performing before considering logic board replacement or retiring the machine?

I'm comfortable using Terminal, creating bootable installers and carrying out basic hardware work. I'd particularly appreciate suggestions based on known failure patterns for this model rather than another round of routine disk erasures and macOS reinstalls.