How to Stop Tingling and Electrical Feeling from MacBook Pro
Whether your MacBook Pro is new or old, it’s possible that when plugged into a power outlet, you may feel an electrical tingling sensation in your hands. This means that the MacBook device is not properly grounded, and electricity is using you as a route to the ground. While this isn’t always dangerous, it can be extremely uncomfortable when working on your device.
Many people experience this problem out of the box as a result of a problem with their wire or outlet, while others may experience it after a longer period of time using the laptop. There are multiple ways to solve the problem as it can be caused by a multitude of things.
Take a look at the following method, which involves checking the kind of plug you use – and if that doesn’t work, move on to the following method.
Method 1: Swap the Duck Head Plug
One of the most common reasons why a user might experience this grounding problem is that they are using the wrong kind of AC plug. To resolve it, do the following.
- Check the plug that connects to your power outlet. In North America, the duck head AC plug with two prongs isn’t grounded. If you are using a duck head plug, then this could be the source of the problem.
- Remove the duck head plug and replace it with a three prong plug that should come as standard from Apple. You can do this by removing connector attached to the power adapter.
If this method does not work, move on to method 2. #
Method 2: Remove Protective Plastic
Another potential cause of this problem is that there is a piece of protective plastic placed by the manufacturer over the 10mm stainless steel stuff that grounds the device. This is most likely if your machine is brand new.
If your device is older, then it is possible that there is dirt over this connection that is causing the problem.
- Locate your power adapter (your white power supply block), and detach the power lead from it.
- In the connector, you should see a 2 pin connection for neutral and live connections. There should also be a 10mm stainless steel stud within this connector, too.
- If you see a piece of protective plastic over this plug, remove it. If not, try wiping it with a dry cloth (while it is not plugged into a socket) and replacing it.
I too had this problem, and began to think maybe I had a problem with my off grid power system.
This little problem is most annoying, especially when just barely touching the computer with my wrists.
Through my palms it feels like a vibration, or a buzz, but with a light touch, it feels more irritating like a sting.
After doing a search, reading a few answers, then finally confirming it here, I switched my computers power supply to the three prong cord, and the problem is gone.