Use a dental floss pick to clean the USB-C port. Alternatively, use any other thin, pointed object, as long as it isn’t metal.Ī lot of people recommend using the sharp end of a disposable floss pick. We recommend a wooden toothpick for this task, although you might need to split it down the middle so it’s narrow enough to fit in the port. You need to be extra careful when doing this so you don’t damage the metal connectors. Use a toothpickĬompressed air is the safest way to clean your USB-C port, but if the dirt is wedged in tightly, you might need to pick it out instead. Compressed air is the safest way to clean USB-C ports. Even if the gunk inside is particularly stubborn, try cleaning it with compressed air a few times before giving up. You might need to spray the air using a thin nozzle to get the angle just right. Spray a couple of bursts into your USB-C port to get rid of loose dust and debris. Use compressed airĪ canister of compressed air is the best tool for cleaning most of your electronic goods. Use the tools below to clean your USB-C port as safely as possible. That way you’re less likely to cause short circuits by using metal objects or inserting water into the port-not that we recommend doing either of those things! In fact, before you do anything else, you should power off your device. But don’t go jamming anything in there yet because you might damage the delicate connectors. You can normally see a build-up of dirt in your USB-C port when you need to clean it.
How to clean the USB-C port on your MacBook, iPad, or smartphone Cables click into place with a clean USB-C port. This same issue often results in a spongy feeling when you plug cables into the port.Īfter you learn how to clean the USB-C charging port on your iPad, MacBook, or other devices, you’ll be delighted to learn cables click into place just like they used to. Lots of people believe this is the result of their USB-C port wearing down over time, but that isn’t true.
The last telltale sign of a dirty USB-C port is that cables don’t click into place like they used to. Cables don’t click into place in the USB-C port And that often happens when you need to clean it out. Whatever it is, it won’t work properly if your USB-C port can’t transfer any data. That might be an external storage drive, a keyboard, or a monitor connected to your MacBook. You’ll notice this problem the next time you try to use your device with an accessory. This happens because a build-up of dirt inside the port tricks it into believing a cable is connected. A dirty USB-C port can’t charge your devices.Īnother similar problem might occur when your device believes it’s already charging, but you don’t have anything plugged in. When this happens, you’ll probably be racing to fix it before your battery runs out. The first problem you’re likely to notice when your USB-C port is dirty is that it doesn’t charge anymore. We’ve detailed each of them below, so you can be certain that cleaning the port will fix your problems before fiddling around with the insides of your device.Īny of the following issues can come as the result of dust, dirt, or fluff building up at the bottom of your USB-C port. There are plenty of telltale signs that you need to clean a USB-C port. How to tell if you need to clean a USB-C port