Battery draining after macOS 26 / 26.2 update (MacBook Air)

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Level 1

6 points

Battery draining after macOS 26 / 26.2 update (MacBook Air)

I’m using a MacBook Air (Apple Silicon) and noticed significantly increased battery drain after updating to macOS 26. The issue still persists on macOS 26.2.

Battery drains faster even with light usage (Safari, Notes) and there’s also noticeable drain during idle/sleep. Battery health shows Normal, and this has continued for several days after the update, so it doesn’t appear to be temporary indexing.

Before macOS 26, battery life was much better with the same usage.

Is anyone else seeing similar battery issues on macOS 26/26.2?

Are there any known bugs, background services, or settings causing this?

MacBook Air 13″, macOS 26.2

Posted on Dec 23, 2025 4:37 AM

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Answer 1

John Galt

Level 10

155,810 points

Dec 23, 2025 5:42 AM in response to Vaarunn

Read If your Mac battery runs out of charge quickly - Apple Support,

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Answer 2

kainattt

Level 1

8 points

Jan 15, 2026 1:34 PM in response to Vaarunn

ohh my god me too...i regret it so bad now....is there no way to go back????

i really want to go back as how it was

there is also heating problem like what my laptop never did that but this update is ruining it for me

i shouldn't have updated this

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Answer 3

Jan 16, 2026 9:47 AM in response to Vaarunn

I have the same all issues you highlighted but on M3 Pro macbook pro.

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Answer 4

Jan 16, 2026 9:48 AM in response to Vaarunn

Did anyone find a solution for this? I was even ready to go back to Sequoia

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Answer 5

HWTech

Level 9

69,338 points

Jan 16, 2026 6:49 PM in response to Anonymous981

Anonymous981 wrote:

Did anyone find a solution for this? I was even ready to go back to Sequoia

Battery drain has a direct correlation to the work being done by third party apps.....some of which are constantly running in the background. Another reason can be due to compatibility issues with third party apps, so make sure they are all completely up to date. Other common causes are syncing files to the cloud.

Run the third party app EtreCheck and post the full report here. It would be best if you started a new thread because it is hard to help multiple people in a single thread since each case may have a completely different cause for the problem.

How to use the Add Text Feature When Post… - Apple Community

Also, use the power adapter whenever you can as it won't harm the battery since Optimized Charging is enabled by default to maintain battery health.

Edit: forgot to include a copy of their post for easy reference.

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Battery draining after macOS 26 / 26.2 update (MacBook Air)﻿

Battery draining after macOS 26 / 26.2 update (MacBook Air)