MacBooks are made with intelligent lithium-ion batteries that are different from older nickel-based cells designed to be drained to 0%. This article will precisely explain how often you should empty your MacBook battery to keep it nice and healthy.
Daily drain your MacBook battery to 30-40% to keep the lithium-ion battery healthy. Don’t completely discharge your battery to 0%
Don’t regularly drain your Mac’s battery to 0%. It is best to let it get to 30%-40% and then recharge. Keep reading to know how often you should drain the battery, what percentage you should charge your MacBook to, and if leaving the Mac plugged in harms the battery.
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How Do I Keep My MacBook Pro Battery Healthy?
Avoid fully charging or fully discharging your Mac’s battery regularly and instead charge it to around 50%. Also, avoid further battery use by putting your Mac To sleep and ensure that it is always in a cool place with less than 32° C (90° F).
That’s not all. You can also go ahead and try the following tips, and you’ll undoubtedly thank me later:
1. Ensure That Your MacBook Pro Has The Latest Software
You must update your Mac to the newest version of macOS. Since every time you’re connected to the internet, macOS will automatically look for software updates, ensure that you complete the installation part. But how do you know your MacBook Pro has the latest software? Click on the Apple menu and select software update to see.
2.Optimize Your Settings
By adjusting things like brightness, energy and Wi-Fi can be a great move. At the energy saver preference window, you’ll find many settings that determine your Mac’s power levels. Based on standard settings, your MacBook Pro should be able to tell when it is plugged in and running. As a result, it reduces screen light whenever the battery power is being used and uses other components sparingly.
I recommend that you don’t change this setting because your battery will drain a lot faster if you do. When it comes to brightness, you should dim the screen to the lowest level that you’re comfortable with as a way of maximizing battery life. For example, you can switch off the lights to watch a video since you don’t need full brightness.
Another setting that you might want to take care of is the Wi-Fi, as it consumes a lot of power even when not connected to any network. If you’re not sure where you can turn it off, go to network preferences or the Wi-Fi status menu.
Most importantly, consider disconnecting peripherals and quit any application that you are not using. Therefore, if you have got an SD card not in use, eject it for the sake of your battery.
Your MacBook battery could be draining because it is faulty. To see how to check for a defective battery and what you can do about it, please read our guide.
3.Ensure Your MacBook Is Powered On And Plugged In When Charging Other Devices
Do you usually charge other devices using a USB with your Mac? If that’s the case, ensure it is charging and powered to avoid draining the battery much faster than expected. Apple recommends this because connecting other devices to a Mac computer when turned off or in standby or sleep mode can quickly drain the battery.
Can you use third-party USB C devices to charge your MacBook without damaging it? Learn the facts in our guide.
At What Percentage Should I Charge My MacBook?
You should charge your MacBook between 20% to 80% for optimal battery health; try not to let your MacBook go below 20%. However, it is good to drain the battery to 10-15% every so often so that electrons in Apple’s lithium battery can move around to maintain performance.
Surprisingly, you won’t find Apple’s official documentation mentioning anything about how and when you should charge your Mac’s battery. While it used to provide some pointers a few years ago, things are different today probably because batteries come with built-in charging technologies that are pretty improved.
Keeping in mind that all Apple’s products use lithium-ion batteries, including MacBook Pro and Air models, you should stick to the broad-spectrum guidelines regarding this type of battery.
That aside, it is essential to remember that MacOS is responsible for intelligently managing your notebook battery. Hence, you don’t have to pay too much attention to how and when you charge your MacBook, as you can see in Creative Lab’s excellent video above.
Curious on if and how often you should shut down your MacBook? Learn the facts in this article
Does Leaving A MacBook Plugged In Hurt The Battery?
You cannot harm your MacBook’s battery by leaving it plugged in because the charging circuitry automatically shuts down once the charge is 100%. Therefore, overcharging is something you shouldn’t worry about. It is good to disconnect and run your Mac’s battery down to 50% once in a while and then recharge it.
According to MacWorld, you should not leave your MacBook, MacBook Air, or MacBook Pro plugged in all the time because the battery might suffer wear for being overcharged despite the voltage.
Are you wondering how that could happen? With time, your Mac’s maximum charged capacity will start diminishing, and its usable time might reduce by minutes or even hours. All lithium batteries in modern electronics have this characteristic, so don’t be surprised, that’s why your phone’s battery performance gets worse over time.
Here is what you can practice avoiding hurting your MacBook’s battery:
- At least unplug your laptop from AC power as frequently as every day to let its power drop to the 30-40% range.
- Avoid fully discharging your Mac’s battery regularly. By this, I mean don’t let it drain to zero if you want it to serve you long.
- With macOS Catalina’s 10.5.5 release found in modern Macs, enable battery health management by going to the energy saver preference pane of the battery.
- If you have a recent Mac laptop like macOS 11 Big Sur, don’t change its modern options, which are enabled by default.
Practicing some of these tips should at least get you up to 5 years of a functional battery. So, if you’re a new MacBook, start taking care of its battery’s health today.
Do you love playing games on your MacBook but not sure if it damages your MacBook? Learn the facts in our article.
Want To Keep Your MacBook Battery Heathly?
This article is part of a series on keeping your MacBooks battery in the best condition, want to learn more? See my ultimate guide to MacBook battery health here.