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Reply To: [Solved] How to fix MagSafe 3 Blinking Amber LED and Refusing to Charge caused by SMC Power Delivery controller handshake fault on MacBook Pro 16″ M3 Max

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Home › Forums › Battery, Charging & Thermal Care › [Solved] How to fix MagSafe 3 Blinking Amber LED and Refusing to Charge caused by SMC Power Delivery controller handshake fault on MacBook Pro 16″ M3 Max › Reply To: [Solved] How to fix MagSafe 3 Blinking Amber LED and Refusing to Charge caused by SMC Power Delivery controller handshake fault on MacBook Pro 16″ M3 Max

November 14, 2026 at 10:45 pm #13794
Chloe Carter
Community Contributor
Apple Recommended / Verified Community Solution
This canonical solution was verified and marked as solved in the Apple Support Community archive.

Completely discharging GaN brick capacitors, cleaning pogo pins with 99% IPA, and triggering PMU cold reset.

Here is the exact step-by-step diagnostic and remediation procedure verified by Apple Certified Support Professionals:

  1. Unplug power brick from the wall and disconnect MagSafe cable. Wait 2 full minutes for capacitors to discharge.
  2. Clean the 5 gold spring-loaded pins with 99% isopropyl alcohol and a lint-free swab.
  3. Plug adapter directly to wall, connect MagSafe to Mac, and power on. The LED will illuminate steady amber.

Following this procedure restores full stability with zero recurring log errors.

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