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Have you ever faced the situation of using your MacBook battery for less than 15 minutes before it runs out? Or tried to charge your MacBook but it won't charge to 100%? If you've experienced any of these cases, it's likely your MacBook battery is 'dead.' Learn how to use your MacBook battery correctly, extend its lifespan, and prevent such issues.
You can't use your MacBook for an extended period if the battery life is short. Each time you charge your MacBook battery to 100%, you add another charging cycle.
This cycle can be spread over multiple days, for example, 20% on the 2nd day and 80% on the 3rd day, forming one charging cycle. When your device's battery reaches the maximum charge cycles, you'll need to replace the battery for your Mac.
Different MacBook models have varying battery life and charge cycle limits. For instance, MacBook Pro Retina has a charge cycle limit of 1000, while the initial MacBook Air has a limit of 300. Apple provides a comprehensive list of MacBook models and their corresponding charge cycle limits on their website for your reference.
Once you've reached the maximum charge cycles, it's advisable to replace the battery in your MacBook to avoid issues such as:
- Battery not charging.
- Battery not reaching 100% charge.
- Low MacBook battery lifespan.
How to check MacBook battery status and determine if it needs replacement
Imagine opening your MacBook to watch a movie, but unfortunately, after just 15 minutes, the MacBook battery is drained. In this case, it's evident that your MacBook battery has exceeded its lifespan and requires a replacement.
However, not all signs of MacBook battery 'expiration' are clear and easy to identify. Here are 3 ways to check MacBook battery status and determine if it needs replacement:
- The most obvious indicator:
MacBook won't power on. Pressing the Power button shows no signs of life, not even the cooling fan running. However, when plugged in, the MacBook comes back to life.
Clearly, the MacBook battery is 'dead.' The diagnosis is straightforward: you'll need to replace the battery for your MacBook.
- Another approach:
If your MacBook battery shows unusual signs, you can check its status directly in Mac OS X (or macOS) if you wish. Follow the steps below:
- Navigate to the Apple menu =>About This Mac =>More Info.
- Click on the Power tab in the list to view the charge cycle and assess the battery status.
- There are 4 MacBook battery conditions: Normal, Replace Soon, Replace Now, and Service Battery.
- The quickest check method:
Essentially, applying the second method allows you to determine if the MacBook battery is 'dead' or not. However, if you're feeling lazy, instead of going through the menu, simply press and hold the Option key while clicking on the battery icon.
If your MacBook battery status is Replace Now or Service Battery, it's essential to replace the battery as soon as possible. If it's Mac battery - Replace Soon, you can monitor the battery status for a period.
How to Prolong the Lifespan of Your MacBook Battery?
As long as your MacBook battery is not 'dead,' you can apply some tricks to enhance and extend its lifespan.
1. Display MacBook Battery Percentage
Before implementing strategies to improve MacBook battery performance, the ideal solution is to set up the display of the battery percentage to understand the MacBook battery performance. Displaying the MacBook battery percentage helps you diagnose battery lifespan more easily.
To enable displaying the MacBook battery percentage, click on the battery icon in the menu bar and select Show Percentage.
2. Software Updates
We all know that Apple developers are diligently working to enhance and bring new experiences to the Mac OS X operating system. Just a new software release can provide you with fresh experiences, allowing you to watch a movie without experiencing 'dead battery' situations.
Updating software is straightforward—just click on the Apple icon and choose Software Update.
3. Utilize Energy Saver
By default, the macOS operating system comes equipped with a battery-saving feature to help you maximize the battery lifespan, known as Energy Saver. In the Energy Saver section, you'll find options to extend the MacBook battery lifespan.
To use Energy Saver, follow these steps:
Step 1: Click on Apple =>System Preferences and select Energy Saver.
Step 2: Activate (turn on) Automatic graphics switching.
Step 3: Activate (turn on) Put the hard disk(s) to sleep when possible.
Step 4: If not using the network, you can temporarily turn off the Wake for network access option.
4. Reduce Screen Brightness
Reducing the brightness of your MacBook screen translates to extending the lifespan of your MacBook battery. If your MacBook screen is excessively bright, why not set it to a lower brightness to both prolong your MacBook battery life and reduce eye strain during use.
To reduce screen brightness, click the Apple icon, then select System Preferences =>Displays and adjust the Brightness slider to the appropriate level.
Alternatively, you can use the F key with the sun icon on the keyboard to quickly adjust the brightness. Typically, on a MacBook laptop, these keys are F1 and F2. On an iMac, these keys are F14 and F15.
5. Turn off background-running applications
Numerous applications run silently in the background, unbeknownst to you, and these background-running applications are the culprits behind draining your MacBook battery. To extend the lifespan of your MacBook battery, it's advisable to turn off unnecessary background-running applications.
To identify and close processes running in the background, follow the path below:
Applications =>Utilities =>Activity Monitor
Here, locate and close processes running in the background that you deem unnecessary. This action will shut down applications running in the background, saving battery power and speeding up your MacBook's startup.
The best approach is to utilize optimization applications for MacBook to uninstall applications thoroughly without leaving any 'residue' that might cause issues and slow down your MacBook. The optimization application mentioned here is CleanMyMac 3. Follow the steps below:
Step 1: Download and install CleanMyMac 3 on your Mac.
Download CleanMyMac 3 to your device and install it from here: Download CleanMyMac 3
Step 2: After installation, open the application, navigate to the Uninstaller tab, and remove the installations of applications you no longer use.
6. Disable Wifi and Bluetooth when not in use
If you don't need to use Wifi or Bluetooth while using your MacBook, the ideal solution is to disable both to extend the battery life of your MacBook.
To disable Wifi on your MacBook, simply click the airplane icon on the menu bar and select Turn Wifi off.
To disable Bluetooth on your MacBook, click the Bluetooth icon on the menu bar and choose Turn Bluetooth off.
7. System Cleanup
Imagine a MacBook that's not optimized is like a car loaded with stuff and luggage, struggling to carry everything to its destination and consuming more fuel in the process. Similarly, if your MacBook's system is not optimized, it will demand and consume more system resources, including battery power, to keep everything running.
Therefore, by cleaning up the system and optimizing your MacBook, you not only speed up the system but also extend the battery life of your MacBook.
To clean up the system and optimize your MacBook, you can explore some Macbook system cleanup methods using CleanMyMac 3. Download, install, and allow the app to automatically optimize your system for maximum performance and improved MacBook battery health.
8. The Last Resort
The ultimate solution every MacBook user should know is when the battery level reaches 0%, it seems like the MacBook has lost its 'life.' In this case, the only option is to plug in the charger to keep using the MacBook.
However, applying this solution for an extended period can potentially cause damage to the MacBook battery.
In this guide, Mytour has provided you with instructions on how to use your MacBook battery properly, along with some tips to extend the MacBook battery lifespan. Hopefully, after this article, you will have more experience in using your MacBook battery correctly, prolonging its lifespan, and, of course, saving a considerable amount of money by avoiding the need for a new MacBook battery.
Similar to MacBook, other laptop models should also be given attention when it comes to battery usage. Using your laptop battery correctly not only helps prevent battery depletion but also saves you money. So, how can you use your laptop battery correctly? Follow Mytour for valuable insights.
