Ports · 3 minutes
Does every socket still work?
The most expensive fault nobody checks. On these machines the ports sit on the logic board, so a dead one is a board replacement — and a Mac with one failed port looks and behaves perfectly until the day you need it. Bring the charger and one USB-C drive or display, and work through every socket in turn.
Checked
0 / 2
Charging now
Safari hides this
External display
Not reported
Safari removed the battery API, so this page cannot watch the charge state change as you move the cable. Use the battery icon in the menu bar instead — it switches to a plug the moment a port takes power.
MacBook Air 13" (M1, 2020) — 2 sockets
USB-C / Thunderbolt port 1
Plug the charger in and confirm it charges, then plug in a drive or display and confirm data works. A port can charge and still have failed data lines.
USB-C / Thunderbolt port 2
Plug the charger in and confirm it charges, then plug in a drive or display and confirm data works. A port can charge and still have failed data lines.
What to watch for
A port that charges but carries no data
Power and data run on different pins, so half a port can fail. Test both on every socket — plug the charger in for one, then a drive or display for the other. A seller who only ever demonstrates charging may not know.
A port that only works one way up
USB-C is reversible, and a socket that works in one orientation and not the other has damaged pins. Try each plug both ways round.
A loose or wobbly socket
The connector should hold firmly with no play. Movement means the socket has been stressed, and it is the beginning of the failure rather than the end of it.
Debris in the socket
Pocket lint compacts into a solid plug at the bottom of a USB-C port and stops anything seating properly. Shine a light in before assuming a fault — this one is free to fix.
Worth buying alongside it
Warranty-backed alternatives and the accessories most Macs arrive missing
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