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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Question marked as Top-ranking reply

Posted on Jan 29, 2026 7:03 AM

macOSuser22 wrote:

Earlier, battery life for my laptop was 12-14 hours with Browser plus spreadsheet uses plus some work related software but it has come down to 6 hours after 26.2 update

The best way to check is by following the steps by HWTech to post the EtreCheck report. Not all third files/processes installed on a previous OS version will be Optimized for Tahoe.

  • If your Browser is Chrome, that is a big red flag as far as being a resource hog.
  • Apps built with the Electron Framework have caused severe lag and battery draining. Many users have no idea what Electron is, but it is a third party Framework that some cross platform apps use and it was found that Electron had been using a Private API that should never be used by a developer and caused problems. Electron has since admitted to their mistake and provided a fix for their Framework, but every app that uses it needs updating. More information here with the status of those affected in case you need to update an identified app.

https://9to5mac.com/2025/10/11/macos-26-tahoe-electron-gpu-slowdown-bug-fix-rollout/

9 replies
Question marked as Top-ranking reply

Jan 29, 2026 7:03 AM in response to macOSuser22

macOSuser22 wrote:

Earlier, battery life for my laptop was 12-14 hours with Browser plus spreadsheet uses plus some work related software but it has come down to 6 hours after 26.2 update

The best way to check is by following the steps by HWTech to post the EtreCheck report. Not all third files/processes installed on a previous OS version will be Optimized for Tahoe.

  • If your Browser is Chrome, that is a big red flag as far as being a resource hog.
  • Apps built with the Electron Framework have caused severe lag and battery draining. Many users have no idea what Electron is, but it is a third party Framework that some cross platform apps use and it was found that Electron had been using a Private API that should never be used by a developer and caused problems. Electron has since admitted to their mistake and provided a fix for their Framework, but every app that uses it needs updating. More information here with the status of those affected in case you need to update an identified app.

https://9to5mac.com/2025/10/11/macos-26-tahoe-electron-gpu-slowdown-bug-fix-rollout/

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.

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

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