Affiliate Disclosure
If you buy through our links, we may get a commission. Read our ethics policy.

MagSafe clamshell & other charging issues fixed in macOS 12.1

macOS 12.1 fixes several problems found with the new MacBook Pros

The macOS 12.1 Release Candidate beta fixes issues with the latest MacBook Pros including MagSafe charging errors, monitors not waking in clamshell mode, YouTube HDR playback crashes, and more.

Apple has addressed several user-facing issues found in the new 14-inch MacBook Pro and 16-inch MacBook Pro in the latest macOS 12.1 beta. The new beta is the first Release Candidate, so customers can expect a public release in the coming weeks.

There are several fixes listed in the release notes for macOS 12.1, including a fix for MagSafe charging problems. Users had complained that their MacBook Pro would not charge using MagSafe when the system was totally shut down.

Apple also addressed the problem with external displays not charging a MacBook Pro or MacBook Air when connected using Thunderbolt or USB-C. This single cable connection is meant to provide data and power and will be fixed with the update.

Other fixes in the beta include HDR video playback on YouTube causing 2021 MacBook Pros to panic, Menu Bar items being obscured by the notch, and unresponsive trackpad clicks.



2 Comments

planetary paul 10 Years · 143 comments

My 13" M1 MBP has problems waking up with the lid closed and a TB-monitor attached. Sometimes it does, sometimes it doesn't.  We'll see if this update resolves this.

bostmaguy 3 Years · 1 comment

My mid-2012 MacBook Pro (which I plan to keep as long as possible) has this ongoing issue. With the MBP lid closed and connected to an Apple LCD 27" monitor, if there's a power outage and regardless of how long it is and with a full battery, nothing will show up on the monitor (even if the monitor was in sleep mode or I was using it). The only fix I found was to zap the PRAM. Doing it twice fixes the problem. The only software updates I get are security releases as the cut-off point for new versions of OS X are 2013 (some late 2012 models). So I'm stuck using Catalina. Who wants to buy a computer they can't even update with the latest software? And I know there are ways to get around this, but that requires some base-level hacking and I don't want to mess things up completely.