macOS Big Sur battery drain issue

Welcome, moreaboutbatteries, to Apple Support Communities!

«same problem», same solution.

Unfortunately, the fixes are dependent upon the errant third-party software.

Follow the recommendations on using Activity Monitor (including changes to View All Processes, rather than the default of “My Processes”), to search out the errant software, so you can make corrections.

A simple first step is to make sure all your software is up-to-date!

(Really, no one should ever perform a major Operating System [OS] upgrade, without checking software compatibility, first!)

I've been reading a lot of unnecessary defensive arguments that the only reason why Big Sur is a huge battery drain is because of third-party apps. That's a very cool way to deflect the blame onto others and send Apple users on a wild goose chase. I can tell you that apart from Adobe and MS OFFICE, I hardly use any other third-party apps on my Macbook Pro. And definitely not at all times.

I think Apple cannot sit on its perch and expect us to delete all our third-party apps and use only the ones Apple gives. Especially, since MS OFFICE, Adobe, etc mainstream third-party apps were working perfectly fine with earlier versions. I still use an Early 2015 laptop which I had bought it in September 2016 from NY. So I have already used it for 4 years; I just have a personal target to use it for another two years. But if the machine is slowing down and massive battery drain is happening on laptops just two years old; that's absolutely unacceptable.

Apple will only alienate its loyal customers. I actually found myself exploring DELL laptops on the internet. This is very disappointing.

Welcome, Kayezad, to Apple Support Communities!

By the way: I am a fellow user. I have no special relationship with Apple.

Now. Why is it that so many people use the claim that third-party Apps were working perfectly fine with earlier versions of the macOS, as if to claim such is evidence that something is “wrong” with a major Operating System (OS) upgrade (not a mere update)?

Updates are designed to only include compatible changes to the OS.

Upgrades typically include incompatible changes to the OS. In fact, this is the only place where such incompatible changes will be made!

Incidentally, last I saw, Adobe still had Big Sur compatible versions of some of their major applications that were not yet ready for release.

(I don’t happen to know if Microsoft has completely caught up to Big Sur, or not.)

No one should ever upgrade an OS without checking compatibility of their Apps, first.

Have you even tried to use the Activity Monitor, as I have recommended, to see what is actually happening on your machine?

The rest of us are having no issues with high Energy use under Big Sur.

The sure-fire solution, that has worked for everyone that has tried it (with the exception of those with hardware issues: which, incidentally, persist even if one goes back to an earlier macOS), is a clean install of Big Sur. Essentially, as if you got your Mac from Apple with Big Sur preinstalled.

The very fact that a clean install has no high Energy issue, is a simple proof that the issue is not Big Sur on your Mac.

Working with users who have chosen to not go the clean install route, has brought to light diverse cases of errant third-party incompatibilities: if the App, itself, is incompatible, one usually sees that right away; the high Energy use is usually not the Apps themselves, but background and utility programs—especially system extensions—that the user doesn’t typically see. (That’s why the direction is to change the Activity Monitor’s Views to All Processes, rather than the default of “My Processes”.)

That very diversity means that I cannot give you any simple fixes, or even guarantees that you’ll find an obvious culprit even using Activity Monitor as I have recommended (mostly in other comments).

However, it will, almost certainly, help if you make sure all your important Apps have the most recent updates/upgrades!

Going into Safe Mode has proven that SAFARI will drain your battery as fast as any third party app.

Activity monitor has proven that to me when I booted into safe mode.

Please acknowledge, that it is not just third party apps, but Apple's Software in Big Sur using Safari and Voice Control

are just as culpable. This did not occur in Catalina. So Apple's own software is just as much to blame for this

huge Battery Drain.

I am seriously considering doing this. Just waiting for Apple to get back to me with analysis of Capture Data diagnostic data I have sent them. I am also waiting to see feedback on performance after updating to 11.1.

my biggest concern about doing a fresh Catalina install is losing Application data and preferences. Did you manage to back this up and migrate to the fresh install? Most of my

data is on iCloud and the rest should be easy enough to back up.

You haven’t run a clean install of Big Sur, yet, pvmikev1. Have you?

Until you have, you have not proven any such claim, yet.

You can believe such, but that does not dictate reality.

However, you do have some evidence that helps narrow the possibilities, but not all the way to your desired claim.

When did Apple announce that in order to install Big Sur you had to erase your hard disk and do a ‘clean install because installing over the latest Catalina 10.15.7 would not work???? Are you living in some kind of alternate reality?? No, I haven’t done a clean install and shouldn’t have to unless Apple decrees that it’s the only way to guarantee it to work. I haven’t seen anything from Apple making that a requirement.

pvmikev1 wrote:

When did Apple announce that in order to install Big Sur you had to erase your hard disk and do a ‘clean install because installing over the latest Catalina 10.15.7 would not work???? Are you living in some kind of alternate reality?? No, I haven’t done a clean install and shouldn’t have to unless Apple decrees that it’s the only way to guarantee it to work. I haven’t seen anything from Apple making that a requirement.

Of course Apple never stated any such thing because it is not generally necessary.

However, if you wish to make the claim you seem to desire, you will not be able to backup your claim without performing the clean install.

Otherwise, you have no claim, and can “muddle through” however you wish.

(Incidentally, I know some, due to their previous experiences with upgrades [not mere updates], who routinely perform clean installs when upgrading.

To each their own.)

Updated to BigSur 11.1 today. Hopefully this will fix the crap show that is BigSur on non M1 chip MBPs.

Imagine, putting your 100% HEALTHY battery MBP to sleep at 10pm and then just to wake up at 7am, and try to open it BUT NO,

the freaking laptop battery is empty...even if the bluetooth, wifi, airdrop etc are turned off overnight. And get this, it's been what, almost a month since the update? By now all of those background processes/cleaning or whatever this Halliday guy advices should have been resolved.

Welcome, scott_iara_14, to Apple Support Communities!

Did you not read the information about “confused” third-party software that can “run amuck” on your system, using significant Energy, while accomplishing nothing?

These will not, typically, resolve themselves (though, if you have all your Apps set to update and upgrade themselves, automatically, there will be that automatic “fix”).

If you have such (and it sounds like you may), and you haven’t upgraded them, then macOS 11.1 will, almost certainly, not help.

coreduetd is an Apple process used for Handoff purposes between your Mac and iOS/iPadOS devices.

Have you been doing a great deal with an iOS/iPadOS device in the vicinity of your Mac?

Looking at your EtreCheck report:

Top Processes Snapshot by CPU:

Process (count) CPU (Source - Location)

coreduetd 100.00 % (Apple)

bspatch 96.70 % (Apple)

tail 60.40 % (Apple)

EtreCheckPro 17.34 % (Etresoft, Inc.)

CalendarAgent 15.72 % (Apple)

”bsdiff and bspatch are command line tools for building and applying patches to binary files.” This is a BSD (Berkeley Standard Distribution of UNIX) command-line tool.

It should, typically, not be running on your Mac, except under very restricted circumstances.

”tail” is a file viewing command-line tool.

If you have not been doing some heavy UNIXy command-line work, then something is, almost certainly, wrong.

Interesting. I turned off "handoff" on my mobile devices, which do spend time next to my Mac.

I'm not a programmer so haven't been doing anything remotely UNIXy. Hmm... Havent seen those processes on the Activity Monitor since I ran the last EtreCheck report.

The snapshot of my processes above showed another recurring "culprit" near the top of the screen. CalendarAgent has been logging a lot of CPU time and is the most consistent presence on that list. Thoughts?

As always, thanks.

«CalendarAgent», which I had noticed, in your list, zeusallmighty, does much as its name implies: it is Calendar’s backend (it’s also how Calendar is able to power the notification center).

You may want to check out an old document I found: How To Stop CalendarAgent From Eating CPU. However, I’m not sure you need to take as drastic action as he/she did.

Likewise, I wouldn’t have “solved” the Handoff issue by turning off Handoff.

Keep an eye out for those «UNIXy» utilities! There was something you ran, then, that invoked those utilities!

I didn’t (and still don’t) want to unduly alarm you—I was really hoping you were doing something that you expected would use such utilities—but any «command line tools for building and applying patches to binary files» can be used to “hack” (actually, crack) a computer.

Fortunately, the macOS is “hardened” against most such attacks: about the only things left vulnerable are your Apps and files.

So. Please be careful about what programs you run on your computer!!

Anyone have feedback on how battery performance is after updating to 11.1 - same/better/worse?

I noticed that last night over 12-14 hours I lost 20% battery while in sleep mode with the lid closed (and WiFi on). This is far worse than on Catalina where I lost maybe 2-5% at most under the same conditions.

And, neither the App Store nor Software Update in system preferences is showing 11.1 as an available update. It just says that my Mac is on the latest software (11.0.1). The issues just keeping growing, while Apple remains mum! (But I’m sure according to our resident genius even the software update issue will be “third-party related”!)

I am still covered by the extended warranty, so if this isn’t resolved by Apple’s technical support, I’m considering making a claim either under the warranty or under the consumer protection laws in my jurisdiction. Never thought I’d have to resort to this for an Apple product!

Anon02:

Big Sur 11.1 is highly unlikely to “fix” any issues you are still experiencing with High Energy use, on your MacBook.

I and others have shared the information about what are the likely causes (highly varied, because it depend upon third-party software each system is running), and how to track down those causes.

Additionally, we have shared the sure-fire fix of a clean install of Big Sur (whatever version you wish to do that with): preferably migrating your Data, and letting it “settle”, before migrating your Apps, extensions, and other software.

Of course, how you proceed, or what you choose to do or not do, is entirely up to you.