How to check battery health on MacBook

How to check battery health on MacBook

1. Choose Apple menu › System Settings.
2. Click Battery in the sidebar.
3. Next to Battery Health, click the Info button (i).
4. Read Battery Condition and Maximum Capacity, then click Done.

• Normal: the battery works as it should.
• Service Recommended: it holds less charge than when it was new, or it isn’t working normally. You can keep using the Mac and get the battery replaced when its shorter runtime starts to bother you.

What Maximum Capacity means

Maximum Capacity compares the battery’s capacity now with its capacity when it was new. A lower number means fewer hours between charges. A brand-new MacBook may show slightly under 100%, which is normal.

Apple designs MacBook batteries to keep up to 80% of their original capacity at their maximum cycle count. Under AppleCare, Apple replaces a battery for free if it holds less than 80% of its original capacity.

Apple advises relying on the battery health macOS reports. Third-party battery apps may show figures that don’t match how long your Mac actually runs.

How to see the battery cycle count

One cycle is using 100% of the battery’s charge, not necessarily in one go: two days from 100% to 50% make one cycle.

1. Hold the Option key, click the Apple menu and choose System Information.
2. In the Hardware section of the sidebar, click Power.
3. Under Battery Information, find Cycle Count.

Every MacBook Air and MacBook Pro with Apple silicon, and the Intel models of the past decade, are rated for 1000 cycles. Some MacBook models from 2006–2009 have a limit of 300 or 500. Apple’s article “Determine battery cycle count for Mac laptops” lists every model. At the limit the battery is considered consumed: the Mac still works, but runtime gets shorter, and Apple recommends a replacement for the best performance.

How to make the battery last longer

1. Choose Apple menu › System Settings and click Battery.
2. Click the Info button (i) next to Charging (or Battery Health).
3. Turn on Optimized Battery Charging and click Done.

With Optimized Battery Charging the Mac learns your daily routine and waits to charge past 80% until shortly before you usually unplug it. While it waits, the battery menu shows “Charging On Hold”, and Charge to Full Now in that menu overrides it.

In macOS Tahoe 26.4 and later, Macs with Apple silicon also have Charge Limit in the same window: the battery stops charging at the level you choose, from 80% to 100%. Now and then the Mac still charges to 100% to keep its battery estimates accurate.