Background Processes draining battery while sleeping

I just got back from a 45 minute lunch break and my laptop is rather hot with 80% battery (it was 100% before lunch). I have disabled Find my Mac and Wake for Network access - but this keeps happening. Running 11.3.1 Big Sur, 16" MBP. How can I prevent this from happening again before the battery is ruined or the laptop overheats in my bag? There has to be some way I can explicitly tell my laptop not to run background processes while sleeping.

MacBook Pro 16″, macOS 11.3

Posted on Jun 9, 2021 9:16 PM

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6 replies

Jun 10, 2021 5:18 PM in response to CodeCoaster

What processes? Stopping this solely depends on what processes are hogging the resources.


Google Chrome is bad about that. So are useless anti-virus and so-called "cleaning" apps.


You can use Activity Monitor (AM), part of macOS, to find overactive processes. See:


View information about Mac processes in Activity Monitor - Apple Support


Before using AM, make sure its "View" menu is set to "All Processes" to get a full picture of the issues:




Jun 10, 2021 3:25 PM in response to CodeCoaster

Hello CodeCoaster,


Thank you for reaching out to Apple Support Communities. We are happy to help you!


We understand that you would like assistance with maximizing battery life, as well as, turn off any background processes for your Mac.


We have taken the time to provide you with some helpful information:


If your Mac battery runs out of charge quickly

Monitor your Mac notebook computer’s battery

Get help with your Mac notebook battery


"For maximum battery life, use the following settings:

  • Turn on “Slightly dim the display while on battery power”. This setting lets your Mac adjust the display brightness to 75% when you unplug the computer from power.
  • Turn off “Enable Power Nap while on battery power”. This setting prevents your Mac from checking for mail or other iCloud updates during sleep which improves standby time.
  • Turn on "Optimize video streaming while on battery”. This setting lets high-dynamic-range (HDR) video play in standard dynamic range (SDR) while on battery power, which uses less energy.
  • Turn on “Automatic graphics switching”. This setting lets MacBook Pro models with multiple graphics processors automatically switch between them to maximize battery life."


We hope this finds you well!


Cheers!




Jun 21, 2021 7:42 PM in response to K Shaffer

Thank you for the responses, and for trying to help. But this is ridiculous. Bluetooth stays active when my laptop is 'sleeping' (my bluetooth headphones always connect to my laptop while the lid is closed), and the laptop continues to drain to <5% if I don't plug it in before closing the lid. And it gets very hot when it's working away inside my laptop bag! I don't want to have to remember to turn on airplane mode or shut down the laptop completely every time I put it away. This could be achieved by a simple option in System Preferences, but of course, Apple does not want me to do this. They don't mind if my battery goes to **** after 1-2 years, and I go purchase a new laptop. As a power user who wants some control over my tech, this is infuriating.


Does anyone know of a 3rd party solution here? Until I find one, I guess I will try to remember to Shut Down each night.


PS: why is this support forum so cumbersome to navigate? The only way I have been able to find this thread again after posting it is by looking through my history. There is evidently no link to threads I have made on my profile.

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Background Processes draining battery while sleeping

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