Your MacBook could be the backbone of your work and personal life. And, when it starts showing signs of a swollen battery, you may not immediately realize it. A swollen battery does not appear overnight, in almost many cases. To find answers to if your MacBook battery is swollen, we have to look for signs.
Signs Of A Macbook Swollen Battery
A swollen Mac battery is a safety hazard. You need to look for signs to prevent the much-awaited fate of your battery. If you detect the signs early on, you can prevent a catastrophe. The first few signs of a damaged battery includes:
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Overheating Mac
An overheating MacBook can be both a cause or a symptom of a swollen battery. Excessive overheating can accelerate the chemical degradation inside the lithium-ion battery cells. It can cause flammable gases to build up and your battery expands gradually.
You can consider excessive heat to be a major contributor. To prevent your MacBook from overheating, you can try to use it on soft surfaces like a bed or in a hot car can raise its temperature and speed up damaging reactions.
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Trackpad Issues
A swollen battery pushes your MacBook up on the underside of the trackpad. It makes the trackpad feel stiff, unresponsive, and sometimes even impossible to click. A swollen battery causes the trackpad to bulge upwards, the keyboard to lift, and the case to bow.
You should never ignore this sign as it is a serious fire hazard. Whenever you notice such a sign, you should immediately shut the laptop down, unplug it, and get a MacBook battery replacement in Henderson.
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Difficulty Closing MacBook Lid
When there is a swollen battery, trackpad, or a bulging case, it will inevitably make it difficult for you to close the MacBook lid. If you see an uneven lid gap, where the screen does not flush with the body which leaves the uneven gap, consider a safety hazard.
You should never ignore this sign as you must prevent thermal runaway and data loss.
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Physical Deformation
Yet another important and visible sign to demonstrate your MacBook battery swollen. It occurs due to gas buildup and forces your battery to expand beyond the designated space. It exerts pressure on surrounding hardware, causing your MacBook to deform.
So, whenever you observe that your chassis is bulging and the bottom aluminum plate may warp. It prevents the MacBook from sitting flat on surfaces and causes it to wobble or rock like a seesaw.
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Keyboard Malfunction
All this internal pressure will cause the keyboard to bulge. One of the signs of a swollen MacBook battery is making the keys feel mushy, rise unevenly, and stick together.
How to Help Prevent Battery Swelling
You can significantly reduce the risk of swelling by managing how you charge and use your MacBook. Let’s find out what you can do to prevent your MacBook battery from damaging:
1. Optimize Your Charging Routine
If you have a Mac with an M1 chip or newer, you can enable the built-in Optimized Battery Charging feature. All you need to do is head to the “System Settings” and select “Battery” and enable the system. If you have an older MacBook model, you can use a trusted third-party app to limit the maximum charge to 80-90% for daily use.
2. Manage Heat and Environment
It is important for Henderson residents to regulate the temperature of their MacBooks to prevent their batteries from getting swollen. You can use your laptop in a cool, well-ventilated environment.
You can manage your device’s temperature by simply not leaving it in direct sunlight or in a hot car. Also, you should use your MacBook on hard, flat surfaces to prevent overheating. Experts at MacBook repair store in Henderson advise using only genuine Apple power adapters, as unofficial chargers may not regulate voltage correctly.
3. Maintain Your System
The smartest way to prevent battery issues from occurring is by keeping your macOS updated. Apple includes improved battery management algorithms in software updates, so every time you update your operating system you are preventing a calamity. And, if you are planning to store your MacBook long-term, power it down with the battery around 50% charge.
How To Detect A Swollen Battery Signs Before It Gets Serious?
A swollen battery is not only dangerous for your device, but it can also cause a fire eruption. You can catch swelling early and try to prevent further battery damage by taking prompt action. Early inspection helps in preventing more costly repairs.
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Physical Warning Signs
You need to observe your MacBook battery’s physical changes. If your trackpad clicks differently, feels stiff, or appears raised, your battery is the problem. If your keyboard seems uneven, check your battery. And if your bottom case does not sit flat on a table, you got it right your battery is the problem. Your MacBook may also feel unstable or wobble when typed on. All these signs point to a swollen battery and call for a professional inspection.
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Digital Health Indicators
You can check your battery’s health on your MacBook itself. You can go to “Apple menu” and select “About This Mac”, navigate to the “System Report” and select “Power”. In this section, you can see your battery’s cycle count and condition.
You may also receive a “Service Battery” warning as a clear indicator. If your MacBook has significantly reduced battery life, such as running out of power in under four hours from a full charge, you can consider it another early sign of a failing battery.
Immediate Steps for a Swollen Battery: What to Do Right Now
What To Do To Fix A Swollen MacBook Battery?
Once all signs point towards the swollen MacBook battery, you should immediately follow these steps to prevent any fire hazard:
1. Stop Use Immediately
You need to power the MacBook down. Then you should unplug the charger. And make sure you do not attempt to charge it again. Also avoid placing your MacBook in a confined space like a bag.
2. Do Not Attempt DIY Repair
You cannot attempt any DIY repair. Try to not try to puncture, bend, or disassemble the battery yourself, as this can cause a hazardous chemical fire.
3. Call MacBook Repair Technicians In Henderson
First, back up your data if possible. You can use an external drive or cloud service from another computer. Then, you can try to contact Apple Support or call us for a professional MacBook battery replacement in Henderson. If your MacBook is still under Apple’s one-year limited warranty or an AppleCare+ plan, the battery replacement may be covered.
Finding Professional Repair in Henderson!
Noticing the uneven chassis indicates that something is wrong with your MacBook battery, you should just look for professional replacement. The best thing you can do for your Mac is to find an Apple Authorized Service Provider in Henderson to get a battery replacement.
You need to seek a replacement not just when your MacBook battery is swollen, but also when it has aged significantly or you see physical damage around the battery. Remember, the sooner you remove the swollen battery, the better. Call us now to get a professional technician for MacBook battery replacement in Henderson.