Is it ok to keep the MacBook plugged in all/most of the time?

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Level 1

4 points

Is it ok to keep the MacBook plugged in all/most of the time?

I have a new M1 MacBook Pro. I am replacing another laptop where the battery died after a relatively short period of time, and so I want to preserve the battery life. My scenario is fairly common. I have a laptop but most of the time it is in one place, at my primary desk, and without an external monitor. I could keep it plugged in to the charger 95% of the time I am using the computer. But should I? There are plenty of posts on the Internet about how this can degrade the battery due to excess charging. There are also posts that say this is fine - that macOS is smart enough to optimize things and even completely bypass battery usage when the computer is plugged in. This article on apple.com doesn't address the question at all, which is quite annoying. I'd like to hear the official answer, from the people (developers or engineers at Apple) who really know.

MacBook Pro 14″, macOS 13.0

Posted on Dec 4, 2022 6:32 PM

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Answer 1

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steve626

Level 6

11,459 points

Dec 4, 2022 8:15 PM in response to jmagaram

I am not an Apple employee, but this is a user to user Discussion forum. I can provide you with some information that may help you decide how to proceed.

Starting with the later versions of Catalina, continuing with Big Sur and on through Monterey and now Ventura, if you turn on Optimized Battery charging in the System Preferences (it is turned on by default), the MacOS actively manages battery health and adjusts charging patterns to avoid problems from keeping the battery always near 100%. For instance, if your Mac is connected all the time to the charger, the new optimize charging system exercises the battery periodically by letting it discharge to 70-80% and leaving it there for some time (which can be ~ days). This prevents the type of premature battery failure that has resulted in the past from never disconnecting from the charger. The system also periodically allows the battery to return to 100%, it cycles back and forth, which is healthier for a battery than staying at 100% all the time.

If you see the battery at 80% "on hold" during this process but want or need to back to 100% for working through an extended period when charging won't be possible, you can instruct the system to charge up 100% immediately and it does.

Bottom line: you can safely leave it connected to a charger all the time or whenever convenient as long as the optimized battery charging is activated.

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Answer 2

jmagaram Author

Level 1

4 points

Dec 5, 2022 10:04 AM in response to steve626

Thank you for your helpful reply. When I go to Battery settings for Ventura I do not see an "Optimized Battery Charging" option, or really any options at all. Hmmm...Actually if I click on the letter "i" information bubble then I can see the optimized battery charging option. Somehow I couldn't find the information I needed from the "Get Help with your Mac laptop battery" article. You have to follow the "Optimize battery life" link and then "Learn about battery settings". I do with Apple directly addressed the question I posted because there is a lot of conflicting information about this on the internet and popular wisdom. So for now I will assume it is ok to leave it plugged in all/most of the time and the operating system is smart enough to try to preserve battery life.

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Is it ok to keep the MacBook plugged in all/most of the time?

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