I have issues with my 2020 macbook air.

It think that it is always closed. I can't get it out of sleep for more than 2 seconds (if plugged in) and keyboard and trackpad don't work.

It works great with external monitor and peripherals.

I tried : new keyboard/trackpad flex cable, new trackpad, unpluggin the screen, le left speaker and microphone array (i saw that the lid sensorS are on the mics / right speaker), tried unplugging every board i could, nothing change.

What can i test now ? Maybe the soundcard board ? Can the lid sensor management be bad ?

I'm a bit lost.

Thank you very much !

Here is a video of the problem. https://1drv.ms/v/s!An9H4f-cLtmDjLNAqSAh...

Hello @danj ,

Thank you for your help

Here is a screenshot of the app (with external peripherals plugged in)

found it!

⟐ Answer edited April 23, 2026 at 3:40 MST

⟐ Answered April 22, 2026 at 19:21 MST

⟐ Answered April 22, 2026 at 7:14 MST

⟐ Answered April 22, 2026 at 6:59 MST

⟐ Answer accepted April 21, 2026 at 23:47 MST

⟐ Commented April 21, 2026 at 18:21 MST

There may be an issue with the fan ppf003

There may be an issue with the camera ndc001

The fan is running flat out, using Mac fan control app I can see the computer is reading the RPM correctly as it fluctuates up and down in RPM slightly and all temperature sensors appear to be working. Using photo booth I can confirm the camera is working perfectly too.

I have done nvram and pram reset but still same two errors. I read online that if the camera is not seated correctly it will cause the fan to run flat out so I double checked the connector for it and it's in nice and snug. I've removed it and reinserted it 3 times, same error but still camera works perfectly in MacOS.

How can I tell the Mac the camera is working fine and to dismiss this error?

On the slight chance I have somehow damaged the fan I have ordered another one although it seems to be fine from everything I can see. I have tried to reseat the fan cable multiple times too.

⟐ Answer edited April 21, 2026 at 21:39 MST

The computer works great — as long as it’s plugged in. The battery always shows 80% but the indicator says “battery is not charging”, and the “Power source: Power adapter”. The light will flash green for a second then stay at orange.

I ran the coconut battery app…

I had spilled water on my laptop keyboard and it was working perfectly fine it was charging slower than normal but it was working then today I had went to unplug my laptop and it turned of and wouldn’t turn on but as soon as I plugged it in it turned on idk what to do

⟐ Commented April 18, 2026 at 21:19 MST

I boot it up to what I believe was an SSD with Monterey on it and I get either a no entry sign OR I get this.....

This suggests to me that the keyboard or Track Pad or both isn't detected, Yet the power button is working to turn it on and off, but it won't do a PRAM reset..... So I swapped over a new cable and it is the same. All I can do is connect a USB mouse and I get language option OR start up disc.... I checked the start up disc and I get this!

(10.10.5 Yosemite is NOT even supported on a 2017 model as they were originally shipped with Sierra 10.12).

I swapped out the SSD to a KNOWN SSD with Big Sur (Supported) and it is the same, telling me the OS on the SSD is Yosemite!. I thne put another SSD with Monterey pre installed and left at set-up and guess what, it STILL is the same telling me it is Yosemite! I can only think to just put the board into another case with a new keyboard and see if then I can wipe it clean and then to install fresh starting from High Sierra to Catalina, to Monterey (Safest way to get the correct boot ROM firmware installed.... I have NEVER used Yosemite OS and I am absolutely 1000% certain this had either Big Sur or Monterey installed on it's SSD which had not been removed or replaced or anything. Very odd, never seen something like this before. The board is clean, no water damage or anything obvious. Can anyone tell me what and why etc is going on here?

I swapped over the KB case and got into recovery and tried to install Monterey but all I get is a no entry sign..... PRAM was reset. Then tried with Catalina, the progress bar completed and so far so good.....I got into disc utility, selected show all devices and the internal SSD (KNOWN to be good) is not shown. Apple disk image & OS base system only appears, together with the external installer drive. YAY. I put back the 'Yosemite' SSD and it is recognized.... Attempting to install Catalina.... It is seemingly much slower than normal. It gets to disc utility and the internal SSD is NOT detected, again just the base system. I am running diagnostics and the report says SMC error codes

PPF004 (Fan) PPF003 (Fan)

VFD004 & VFD 005 (There may be an issue with the display or graphics processor.)

NDC001 (There may be an issue with the camera.)

PPN001 (There may be an issue with the power-management system.)

VDH002 (There may be an issue with a storage device.).

Everything is connected up fine. I then run the Paul Daniels SMC Tools and successfully updated the SMC. Booted up again and it went back to this screen showing a mouse to connect!. Only option was to select start up disk (Listed were 4 compatible systems from my multi OS bootable drive, I selected Catalina, restarted and I get the screen your computer has a problem. Yes I know LOL

Firmware password protection is turned OFF. Help!

UPDATE: We have put a new SMC chip & programmed it with SMC tools. We have swapped the BIOS chip from a 2017 donor board (But we are looking for a BIOS file to program it fresh if need be).... We swap out SSD's with compatible OS (Monterey) but are always greeted with a flashing folder and a high spinning fan. @oldturkey03

⟐ Commented April 17, 2026 at 3:43 MST

⟐ Answered April 16, 2026 at 7:14 MST

We removed the RAM, Cleaned up, No corrosion found, Re-Balled and installed again. Now all we get is an orange / green light on the charger. It appears that all the power rails are intact with no shorts. Q is why isn't it giving us 3 beeps when RAM isn't being detected / failed RAM chip. What are we looking for to check if each RAM chip is functioning or getting power? @oldturkey03 any insight please?

We initially used this video to diagnose.

⟐ Edited by author April 15, 2026 at 17:59 MST

⟐ Answer edited April 15, 2026 at 15:47 MST

⟐ Answered April 15, 2026 at 13:04 MST

The following is pretty much, but I did.

I replaced the old battery for a brand new battery.

Replaced the double sided tape on everything that had tape on originally.

Connected everything back up.

And closed it back up.

When I turned it back on, it wasn’t registering the battery or whatever else(X on battery icon).

I tried restarting the computer 2x.

Nothing, no changes.

Shut it off and turned it back on. $@$*.

At this point I just opened this thing back up to see what the problem could be.

Checked everything meticulously once again. Nothing looked odd.

I checked to see if the battery was properly connected, it was.

I still unplugged it and plugged it back on real quick. Closed it back up. Done, so I thought.

I turned this thing back on. Same freaking thing! So I restarted again, nothing.

I was trying to figure out what the hell could be the problem here and the only thing that comes to mind is that this probably has something to do with the software itself and it can probably be fixed via terminal, but wth do I know? I am hoping somebody has a better idea than I do, honestly.

At this point, I am between trying to get a refund and scrapping this pos or asking for some help here. So I am here.

What I almost forgot to mention is that after a little while of thinking about this, I just unplugged it from the charger to see what would happen. I actually thought that it’d die right away, but It didn’t do that. It stayed on, I even went online and used it for a little bit(like 20 minutes) until I snapped out of it and I was like -“I should probably plug this thing back up just in case and I should also ask about this situation here”-. Now, I am just waiting to see what happens.

I’d consider any suggestions if you so wish to help me out here.

Thank you kindly,

Guillermo.

⟐ Commented April 14, 2026 at 20:04 MST

⟐ Answer accepted April 12, 2026 at 6:53 MST

The new logic board arrived and I have installed it in the mac. Everything ok until this point.

Where I started to have problems ....

As the built-in display is cracked I can't do anything, but I knew that from the start. So, I connected the macbook air to the external display and the problems started to happend here.

I set up the macbook the following way:

- I connected the external power adapter, connected an external keyboard and mouse and connected the external monitor.

1 - I can close the lid plug/un-plug the monitor, do a million of different combinations, but it didn't wotk work. The clamshell mode is never activated.

2 - I tried several shortcuts to extend the monitor and nothing.

3 - I shut down the mac, closed the lid, removed the power and put it back.

The mac started automatically and I have image on the external monitor, but it's extended instead of mirrored, so when I press "D", it won't show the menu.

Opening the lid reveals the LCD black. It's, basically, off. Removing the cable of the external monitor does nothing, the built-in display continues off until I reboot again.

I don't mind this, since it will be a headless computer.

Question: how can I force the external display to be the main one, so I can configure the computer?

The previous owner formatted the ssd , so I get "?"and cannot go any further regarding booting the system.

Kins regards,

Pedro

⟐ Commented April 10, 2026 at 2:35 MST

⟐ Answered April 06, 2026 at 0:07 MST

I’m troubleshooting a MacBook Air A1932 (2018, EMC 3184) that suffered water damage. I’ve done extensive testing and want to get some expert opinions before proceeding with repairs.

Behaviour:

1. Internal display works on cold boot, but after closing the lid and reopening:
   • Keyboard lights come on, sound works
   • Screen remains completely black
   • Flashlight test shows nothing on display
2. External display tests:
   • Using a USB-C hub to pass power + HDMI → external video does NOT work
   • Removing power from the hub → HDMI video works normally (without sound passing)
   • After closing the lid, the external display continues to work while the internal display never comes back

Fixes:

• From the water damage and inspection to the original components, I already replaced the audio board (due to signs of corrosion), which fixed the not-booting problem resulting from the spill.
• Now, with these "new" problems, I'm thinking of buying a replacement A1932 logic board (820-01521) with a matching Touch ID/power button.

Am I correct in thinking this is the way forward, or are there any other tests I can do? Maybe other parts that I should replace first?

Thanks

⟐ Commented March 31, 2026 at 13:41 MST

⟐ Answer accepted March 31, 2026 at 6:32 MST

Apple refuses to repair this MacBook so it will power on even though AppleCare still covers it.*

Apple says they will replace this MacBook Air, but Apple says to replace it I must send them the MacBook Air intact, with the SSD intact. This would be great except the SSD hasn't been erased, the SSD isn't encryped, and the SSD contains very valuable information. (All the information has been backed up to an encrypted external SSD.)

The problem is I am not comfortable returning the computer to Apple without erasing the SSD because it contains all sorts of valuable information, including passwords to important financial accounts and various personal identifiers for me and for others. Because the computer won't power on, I don't know a way to erase the SSD.

The Apple phone advisors I spoke with say that I have spoken to send the computer back with an intact SSD. I have offered to remove the SSD myself and pay Apple for the SSD and/or to send the smashed pieces of the SSD with the Macbook when I return the MacBook. The Apple Advisors have said that Apple won't make an exception to receiving the Macbook intact with SSD, saying this Apple policy.

One of the Apple phone advisors stated I should see if the Apple Store would erase the SSD even though I told the Advisor the "geniuses" at the Apple Store have already said they can't erase the disk because the machine is "vintage" (more than 5 years old) and Apple doesn't sevice "vintage" machines. This Apple phone advisor also refused to send any of this advice in writing via text or email. This advisor also would not provide information on how to escalate my complaint.

Bottomline:

I want to erase the erase the SSD on this MacBook Air that won't power up so I can feel comfortable in returning it to Apple to get a replacement computer. Is there a way I can erase the MacBook's SSD?

Thanks in advance.

*I tried to get the power issues diagnosed and repaired in 2023 when they first appeared. The "geniuses" at the Apple Store said power issues weren't covered under AppleCare and that it would cost a minimum of $450 to dagnose and fix the problem. Oddly,in March of 2026 the "geniuses" at the same Apple Store said the problem was covered by AppleCare but they couldn't work on the MacBook because it was "vintage" (more than 5 years old).

⟐ Commented March 29, 2026 at 18:32 MST