Using an Apple computer, such as MacBook Pro or MacBook Air, is a delightful experience. Apple’s products are known for their quality and their excellent battery life. But as is the case with all battery-powered gadgets, their power gradually diminishes. So, as time goes by, be prepared to keep plugging it in more frequently.
However, the good news is, there are several ways in which you can extend the battery life of your MacBook. This article in The Verge talks about how Apple keeps adding new features to its range of products, notably a feature called Battery Health Management. Also, another thing you should keep in mind is the condition of your charger. Do make sure that your charger is in a good condition and not damaged. Here is a useful source in case your MacBook charger isn’t working properly.
So, without further ado, let us explore the various ways in which you can extend your MacBook’s battery life:
Update your software regularly
From time to time, Apple releases software updates with improvements, security patches, bug fixes, etc. Sometimes these features also include ones that are beneficial for the battery, such as the macOS Catalina 10.15.5, which introduces Battery Health Management in the Energy Saver settings. Which brings us to…
Check how power-hungry certain apps are
Some apps on your MacBook will consume more power than others will. The Activity Monitor on your MacBook will show the performance data of the various apps that you have. This will show how much battery they are consuming as well as CPU usage.
Enable Battery Health Management
The Battery Health Management feature is not an instant battery cure, but it is designed to improve the lifespan of your MacBook battery. This feature learns your MacBook usage pattern and limits your MacBook to charge 100% when necessary to do so.
Keep a check on battery charge cycles
Batteries of all devices come with a fixed number of charge cycles. For most MacBook batteries, the number of charge cycles is 1000. To be sure, check the number of cycles of your MacBook model’s battery on Apple’s official website. Once your battery exceeds the recommended number of charge cycles, it is advisable to get a new battery.
Reduce screen brightness
The display is one of the biggest drainers of the battery. One of the simplest yet often overlooked methods to extend the battery life of any device is by dimming the brightness. Lower the brightness to a level that is comfortable for your eyes. Doing this does indeed go a long way in increasing the time it takes for your MacBook to discharge.
Turn off bluetooth
In our increasingly connected world, bluetooth is a big boon for all our wireless devices and accessories. However, bluetooth is a power-hungry feature and many users forget to turn off bluetooth when they are done using whatever devices they had which were connected to the MacBook (such as speakers or headphones). Keep the bluetooth turned off when not in use to save battery charge.
Turn off wifi
When you are not using a wifi network, it is recommended to turn off the wifi setting on your MacBook. This too helps to reduce battery consumption as, just like with bluetooth, wifi too “searches” for connections constantly while running in the background, which makes your battery charge drain faster.
Shut down instead of hibernate
When you are done using the MacBook, we recommend that you shut it down rather than put it on hibernate or sleep mode. Keeping the MacBook shut down overnight will make it consume a lot less battery charge than if it is kept in sleep mode.
Quit apps that are unnecessary
Apps that you are not using but are running in the background will consume battery power. Also, unlike on Windows, macOS does not stop the app when the ‘x’ button is clicked. To completely close apps that you don’t need, tap on the ‘Quit’ option.
Disable auto startup for apps
There are numerous apps that automatically launch and run in the background when you start up your MacBook. For cloud storage apps, this makes sense so that your files and data are properly synced, but for other apps which you don’t need to have running all the time, it is recommended that you disable auto startup for those apps.
Enable auto-brightness settings
As discussed earlier, keeping your display at a high brightness level will quicken the rate at which your MacBook battery discharges. Apple devices have a handy feature that lets the operating system manage the display settings for you. The auto-brightness setting will let the macOS automatically adjust the brightness levels depending on the environment around you.
Try out these handy tips and tricks and we are sure you will notice some significant improvements in the battery performance of your MacBook!
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