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I have a 2011 15" MBP, that uses a 85W power supply. My old 2008 MBP 15" also has a 85W power supply, but I cannot get it to work. Shouldnt it? Its the same watt power, and the adapter fits.

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  • What are the models of the chargers? (But I think it should work either way)
    – Hassan
    Aug 6, 2012 at 14:54
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    Maybe the power supply is dead? Did you try it on another computer, and did you try another supply?
    – Gerry
    Aug 6, 2012 at 14:56
  • They are both "85W MagSafe Power Adapter" 2008: Model no.: A1222, Input 100-240V - 1.5A. Output: 16.5-18.5V 4.6A max. 2011: Model no.: A1343, Input 100-240V - 1.5A. Output: 18.5V 4.6A. So they should be compatible. I tried the old one on my girlfriends MBA 2011, and it dit NOT work.
    – William
    Aug 6, 2012 at 15:44
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    Then it seems the power adapter is dead.
    – Gerry
    Aug 6, 2012 at 18:22
  • Does the old power adapter show any lights at all when connected to either MBP? Have you tried doing a SMC reset on the MBP that isn't charging?
    – da4
    Apr 9, 2013 at 20:07

4 Answers 4

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The way Apple power adapters are designed is that you can use any charger on any laptop that has the same, or lower, power rating. For example, you can safely use an 85W power adapter (for MacBook Pro) on a MacBook Air (which requires only 45W) or MacBook (which requires 65W).

However this does not work the other way around, you cannot use a MacBook Air (45W) adapter to power a MacBook Pro.

A 2008 MacBook Pro adapter rated at 85W should power a 2011 MacBook Pro with no problem. If this is not the case, then the adapter is faulty.

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    What happens if you use a charger on a mac with a higher power rating? I've always heard (and experienced) that it works fine, except that charging may take longer, and you may not be able to get a net charge increase if the computer is operating at maximum power usage.
    – octern
    Nov 11, 2012 at 18:45
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    @octern That's pretty much what happens - I've experienced it too. My Mac is aware of my adapter's wattage (it's shown in System Profiler under Power) and while they don't recommend it, they've obviously designed the power supply to avoid overloading the adapter. I believe it will even draw extra power from the battery if the adapter can't provide enough.
    – gabedwrds
    Nov 11, 2012 at 19:51
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    Yes, you would impact the health of your battery doing that for prolonged periods so that is not recommended. Nov 11, 2012 at 23:36
  • I think I ruined some MBP 13 and MBA adaptors by using them on MBP 15's. The other way around never did hurt.
    – EDP
    Jan 29, 2017 at 10:29
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Yes.

Apple sells and markets the Cinema Display with an 85 watt adapter and it's an accessory for all MacBook whether your portable shipped with an adapter of 45 watts, 60 watts or 85 watts.

Using your higher rated adapter with a Mac that draws less power is safe to do. Going the other way is also safe - but the Mac will either not charge, charge slowly or work fine depending on how much power it needs from moment to moment.

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After 2 years my Macbook Pro battery life has seen better days. It will only last 2 hours max. However, I recently visited friends and forgot my 85W power supply. Instead I charged up with the 13" Macbook 60W adapter. Yes, it took longer to charge all the way. However, I found a seemingly rejuvenated battery - with life extended to 4-6 hours depending on what applications I'm running.

To test this phenomenon, I have since tried multiple charge cycles with both a 60W and 85W adapter. Sure enough, every time I used the 60W charger I had a much longer battery life. And when I switch back to my brand new 85W power supply, I'm back to about 90 minutes battery life.

I've discussed this with several physicist and engineer friends, who can't offer an explanation. I assumed that the battery life was running down with time (even though I maintain proper battery training protocol) but I can't argue against the reality that using a 65W adapter has yielded a bigger charge and longer life. Go figure?

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I have only just found out that adaptors are universal. I saw the new shape attachment on my MacBook Pro and thought it would not fit my old Macbook. The old 65W adaptor works well on my upgraded 2011 Macbook Pro and vice versa. The battery life is good. I'm so happy to discover this.

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