One USB-C port dead on a MacBook: what it means

A MacBook with one working port and one dead one is a specific, common fault with a specific shape: each USB-C port has its own power-delivery controller on the board, and that controller (not the connector) is usually what died. Here is how to confirm it and what the repair involves.

Confirm it in five minutes

1. Swap charger and cable across both ports. Same port dead with two known-good chargers: it is the machine.
2. Test data, not just power. A port that charges but drops drives (or vice versa) still points at the port circuit. The USB data lines and the power lines share that hardware neighbourhood.
3. Inspect the connector. Bent pins, debris, corrosion or a loose feel are physical damage; still board work, because the port is soldered to the board.
4. Ask about liquid. A spill that entered one port is one of the most common histories, and if liquid is involved, the honest job is a clean-up and circuit check, not just a connector.

Why it is board work, every time

On a MacBook the port is not a part you replace like a cable. It is soldered onto the logic board, and the controller chip handling power negotiation sits immediately behind it. A dead port means one of: the connector's joints or pins, the controller, or the rails between them. Proper repair means removing and replacing the connector and rebuilding its pads cleanly where needed, and testing the controller and rails either way. Bolting a new port onto a dead controller is a comeback with extra steps, and it is the failure mode this bench exists to fix.

One port or two: pricing is the same

Port repairs are covered by the fixed £120 + VAT laptop logic board repair (post both ways included, 12-month warranty) with the priority slot at £180 + VAT. Diagnosis at £35 + VAT is waived when the repair goes ahead. And if the port is fine but something deeper is cutting the rail that feeds it, that is exactly what the diagnosis catches before anyone pays for a repair.