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User profile for user: jmancillas
jmancillas Author
User level: Level 1
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Optimizing battery life and lifespan in MacBook

Should I leave my MacBook plugged continuously and only use the battery when mobile? I have been advised to plug it only until charge reaches 100%, unplug it immediately and only plug it in to recharge when charge goes down below 20%. I understand I should minimize charging cycles, but is it correct that leaving it plugged after it reaches 100% impacts performance and lifespan?

MacBook Pro 13″, macOS 10.12

Posted on May 21, 2022 1:41 AM

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User profile for user: Allan Jones
Allan Jones
User level: Level 9
68,768 points

Posted on May 22, 2022 11:07 AM

Age is everything.That makes a difference in how to view battery health data.


What is the Macbook Pro SUB-MODEL?

What OS version is the Mac running?


Both are quickly available from "About this Mac..."



...down to perhaps 3 hours, ....


That runtime number has previously indicated an app at fault.


We had a period here when reports of 2.5- to 3-hour battery runtimes on relatively new Mac notebooks were due to unneeded anti-virus software. Once the AV software was removed, the runtime returned to normal — 7+hours.


Uninstall any so-called "cleaning" apps as well. They do an order of magnitude more harm tham good because they interfere with elegant self-cleaning routine you paid Apple good money to build into the macOS.


Other software causes are:

  • Google Chrome. It is a known battery drainer in both Mac and Windows notebooks.
  • Streaming video works both the CPU and GPU very hard.
  • Same with video-conferencing. Use wll power whe doing either if possible.
  • Some web pages left open in browser tabs will draina abter fastsm even whe the tabs is apparently inactive in the backgound. I can reproduce that including a fast battery drain on my Macbook Pro at will witht eh Amazon home page.


If your Macbook Pro is old, then you could be seeing the effects of old age on the battery.


Regardless of age, these are good practices, especially for older Macs lacking the power management of new models.:


  • Charge when using near an outlet. The software will not let you overcharge.
  • Try to use the computer on battery about once a week. A little exercise is good for it. I saw a drop in health values on my Macbook Pro battery during COVID of about five percent when I did not travel nor work my volunteer job where I would normally use the computer weekly.
  • Wait until the charge level is 25-40 percent before charging. "Topping off" like before a trip is OK, just don't make a habit of it.
  • Don't let the battery run to zero. You will get an advisory notice when the charge gets to about 10 percent.
  • DO NOT "calibrate" the battery. Apple stopped recommending that when they went to built-in batteries about 2009. Calibration can shorten overall battery survival
  • If your computer is unused for a time, like in storage, Apple recommends doing so with the battery at approximately 50% charge,
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User profile for user: Allan Jones
Allan Jones
User level: Level 9
68,768 points

May 22, 2022 11:07 AM in response to jmancillas

Age is everything.That makes a difference in how to view battery health data.


What is the Macbook Pro SUB-MODEL?

What OS version is the Mac running?


Both are quickly available from "About this Mac..."



...down to perhaps 3 hours, ....


That runtime number has previously indicated an app at fault.


We had a period here when reports of 2.5- to 3-hour battery runtimes on relatively new Mac notebooks were due to unneeded anti-virus software. Once the AV software was removed, the runtime returned to normal — 7+hours.


Uninstall any so-called "cleaning" apps as well. They do an order of magnitude more harm tham good because they interfere with elegant self-cleaning routine you paid Apple good money to build into the macOS.


Other software causes are:

  • Google Chrome. It is a known battery drainer in both Mac and Windows notebooks.
  • Streaming video works both the CPU and GPU very hard.
  • Same with video-conferencing. Use wll power whe doing either if possible.
  • Some web pages left open in browser tabs will draina abter fastsm even whe the tabs is apparently inactive in the backgound. I can reproduce that including a fast battery drain on my Macbook Pro at will witht eh Amazon home page.


If your Macbook Pro is old, then you could be seeing the effects of old age on the battery.


Regardless of age, these are good practices, especially for older Macs lacking the power management of new models.:


  • Charge when using near an outlet. The software will not let you overcharge.
  • Try to use the computer on battery about once a week. A little exercise is good for it. I saw a drop in health values on my Macbook Pro battery during COVID of about five percent when I did not travel nor work my volunteer job where I would normally use the computer weekly.
  • Wait until the charge level is 25-40 percent before charging. "Topping off" like before a trip is OK, just don't make a habit of it.
  • Don't let the battery run to zero. You will get an advisory notice when the charge gets to about 10 percent.
  • DO NOT "calibrate" the battery. Apple stopped recommending that when they went to built-in batteries about 2009. Calibration can shorten overall battery survival
  • If your computer is unused for a time, like in storage, Apple recommends doing so with the battery at approximately 50% charge,
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User profile for user: jmancillas
jmancillas Author
User level: Level 1
0 points

May 22, 2022 12:41 PM in response to Allan Jones

It is a 2020 MacBook Pro 13 inches. I bought it in 2021. It is running on a MacOS Big Sur Version 11.5.2


Processor is 2 GHz Quad-Core Intel Core i5 and has 16GB of RAM.


It is less than a year old.


I installed Malwarebytes on it, and, following your advice, I just trashed it, though I can't remove the icon from the menu bar.


The only App I keep running contiuously on the background is WhatsApp web.


Thanks for the very useful advice.


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Optimizing battery life and lifespan in MacBook

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