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Q: How to take care of Macbook Pro battery?

Hi. I just got a new Macbook Pro battery 13'' for college. I really like it so far, but my only concerns are in how I should take care of it. I want to make sure I can use the laptop for a long time.

 

They said I can do roughly 1000 charge cycles. Does that mean 1000 full charge cycles (from 0 to 100 percent)? If not, at what percentage should I let my battery fall down to before recharging back up fully.

 

Is it also bad to keep the battery always charged in? I don't want to keep using cycles meaninglessly so I think keeping it charged when I'm at home may seem convenient, especially when watching videos.

 

And does it damage the battery to completely discharge it? I did it by accident when I tried calibrating the battery. However, my laptop did not end up going to sleep, but rather shutting down, indicating that it was actually a built-in battery.

 

If you could help answer any of these questions, I would appreciate it. Thank you.

MacBook Pro

Posted on Aug 23, 2012 5:19 PM

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Q: How to take care of Macbook Pro battery?

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  • by Bimmer 7 Series,

    Bimmer 7 Series Bimmer 7 Series Aug 23, 2012 5:25 PM in response to iRise
    Level 6 (10,282 points)
    Aug 23, 2012 5:25 PM in response to iRise

    Here's a few tips:

     

    Keep it plugged in when you're close to a power outlet.

     

    Once in a while, use it under it's own power and when it's down to 75%, charge it back up to keep it in optimal conditon.

     

    Every couple of months, use it till it's down to 20% and charge it back up....

     

    Do not let it go all the way down to 0% - might do more harm than good to your Macbook and battery.

     

    As for the charge cycle, 0 - 100% is 1 cycle.  so if you use your macbook till it's down to 75%, then it will take you 4 days to complete 1 cycle.

     

    Do not calibrate your battery - that only applies to the old removable batteries...

  • by melinduck,

    melinduck melinduck Sep 3, 2012 3:03 AM in response to Bimmer 7 Series
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Sep 3, 2012 3:03 AM in response to Bimmer 7 Series

    when you say "once in a while" how often do you mean? and also how often is every couple of months? :S

  • by Bimmer 7 Series,

    Bimmer 7 Series Bimmer 7 Series Sep 3, 2012 3:35 AM in response to melinduck
    Level 6 (10,282 points)
    Sep 3, 2012 3:35 AM in response to melinduck

    let's take me for example - i have a macbook at home and a macbook at work - both are constantly plugged in.

     

    so, the one at home - every other day, i use it under it's own power and charge it back up when it's down to 75%.

     

    the one at work - every Wednesday i use it under it's own power and plug it back in when it's down to 75% and every Friday, i run it down to 50% then charge it back up since it's going to be plugged in all weekend.

     

    couple = 2 so every couple of months - i let it run down to 20% before i charge it back up.

  • by melinduck,

    melinduck melinduck Sep 3, 2012 3:42 AM in response to Bimmer 7 Series
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Sep 3, 2012 3:42 AM in response to Bimmer 7 Series

    and your battery on both macbooks are running good?

  • by Bimmer 7 Series,

    Bimmer 7 Series Bimmer 7 Series Sep 3, 2012 3:53 AM in response to melinduck
    Level 6 (10,282 points)
    Sep 3, 2012 3:53 AM in response to melinduck

    yes they are - see image below: that's from my late 2011 13 Inch Macbook Pro

     

    Battery Life.png

  • by melinduck,

    melinduck melinduck Sep 3, 2012 3:59 AM in response to Bimmer 7 Series
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Sep 3, 2012 3:59 AM in response to Bimmer 7 Series

    wow, thank you! so basically what i do is use my macbook under it's own power every other day down to 75% and plug it back in and every 2 months i let it run down to 20% and plug it back in? sorry for all the questions, i just need to make sure!

  • by melinduck,

    melinduck melinduck Sep 3, 2012 4:12 AM in response to Bimmer 7 Series
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Sep 3, 2012 4:12 AM in response to Bimmer 7 Series

    and one last question! do you normally put your macbook/s to sleep or do you turn it off? thank you for your help!

  • by Bimmer 7 Series,

    Bimmer 7 Series Bimmer 7 Series Sep 3, 2012 11:15 AM in response to melinduck
    Level 6 (10,282 points)
    Sep 3, 2012 11:15 AM in response to melinduck

    Answer to your previous question is yes......

     

    I put my macbook to sleep - I do not turn it off....

  • by MacMan240,

    MacMan240 MacMan240 Sep 3, 2012 11:28 AM in response to iRise
    Level 1 (80 points)
    Sep 3, 2012 11:28 AM in response to iRise

    Never leave your battery plugged in as this WILL SHORTEN the battery life. It is not at all harmful to discharge it to 0%. In fact I have been told by apple that to let it shut itself off, and then charge it all the way to 100% helps keep the battery at its maximum capacity. I have known may people that leave thier laptops plugged in all day and now if they disconnect it from the power cord it shuts off.

  • by Bimmer 7 Series,

    Bimmer 7 Series Bimmer 7 Series Sep 3, 2012 11:44 AM in response to MacMan240
    Level 6 (10,282 points)
    Sep 3, 2012 11:44 AM in response to MacMan240

    Just to clear up MacMan240's suggestions - it is true not to keep your Macbook constantly plugged in which is why I suggest you use it under it's own power once in a while.

     

    Do not however, let your battery drain down to 0% unless your Macbook is the one with the removable battery which is not your case.

     

    There are more users in this forum having issues turning their Macbook on after their battery got fully discharged.

     

    I sill have my late 08 Macbook Uni - I follow what I preach and to this day, close to 1100 charge cycle count and still get 3 hours of battery life.

  • by melinduck,

    melinduck melinduck Sep 3, 2012 1:33 PM in response to Bimmer 7 Series
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Sep 3, 2012 1:33 PM in response to Bimmer 7 Series

    i guess i'll go with what you suggested since you had photo proof that it works well

  • by steve359,

    steve359 steve359 Sep 3, 2012 1:39 PM in response to melinduck
    Level 6 (14,032 points)
    Sep 3, 2012 1:39 PM in response to melinduck

    Just to explain something you will see that will look odd.

     

    When plugged in and at 100%, the battery will slowly lose power down to 95% then automatically recharge.  This prevents overuse of the charging circuits and exercises the lithium ions in the battery just a little.

     

    And some peopla are reporting the newest MBPs will not *quite* reach 100%, stopping around 99.6%.

  • by melinduck,

    melinduck melinduck Sep 3, 2012 10:11 PM in response to Bimmer 7 Series
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Sep 3, 2012 10:11 PM in response to Bimmer 7 Series

    sorry, one last question i forgot to ask! do you keep your macbook plugged in when you're not at home or when you're sleeping?

  • by Bimmer 7 Series,

    Bimmer 7 Series Bimmer 7 Series Sep 3, 2012 11:01 PM in response to melinduck
    Level 6 (10,282 points)
    Sep 3, 2012 11:01 PM in response to melinduck

    yes, i leave my macbook plugged in when i'm not home, unless i'm going out of town that is, then i unplug it.

     

    when i'm sleeping, i leave it plugged in.

     

    as mentioned before, i do use it under it's own power once it a while....

     

    do remember - when you leave your macbook plugged in when it's fully charged, it stops charging.

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