The one on the left will charge your computer. If you look very closely you can see the Thunderbolt symbol on one side of the connector of the Thunderbolt cable. But one is a ‘Charge Cable’ and one is a ‘Thunderbolt Cable’. (That refers to the shape of the connector on the end). Have a look at these 2 items in the Apple Store: This cable will charge your computer, but not transfer data. The cable looks the same shape, but the Thunderbolt cables made by apple have a thunderbolt symbol on one side.

Some of Apple’s cables USB-C cables are Thunderbolt and some are not. It’s very similar to a thunderbolt cable. Read on and I’ll explain the differences. Apple saved themselves some $$$ by throwing in a cheaper cable that you can only use to charge. The USB-C cable that is supplied with new MacBook Pro is NOT a thunderbolt cable. The next day I tried again, this time with a different cable, and it worked. I used the USB-C cable that came with my new MacBook Pro to connect the two computers together. For some reason it did not recognise my old MacBook Air. When I unboxed my new MacBook Pro I booted it up and followed the prompts to connect my old MacBook Air to transfer my old files across.

Macbook pro usb c charger not working