15 ways to improve MacBook battery life that you should know

The tutorial was done on a  MacBook Air M1 2020  (macOS 11.3.1). With MacBooks running other versions of macOS, you can do the same. However, the interface will be slightly different.

1. Change usage habits

This is natural, because you can't comfortably use it according to your preferences and force the MacBook to work as efficiently as you expect. Before proceeding to more complex and in-depth steps, you need to be open to changing usage habits, the ultimate goal is to protect your 'expensive' laptop.

For example: You have to regularly monitor the battery status of the device instead of using it carefree as usual, or simply disconnecting the device, Bluetooth after use can be quite difficult at first with a some,.

2. Quit unused apps completely

Unlike Windows,  macOS  doesn't completely quit an application when you tap the 'x' in the menu bar. This means the app will continue to run in the background and drain your battery. To close the application completely, open the menu on each application and select Quit to exit.

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3. Reduce screen brightness

The fact that the MacBook screen works for a long time with high brightness also makes your laptop battery drain quickly. So, when there is no need to use the bright screen, you can press F1 on the keyboard to adjust the screen brightness, helping to save battery.

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4. Monitor MacBook battery health regularly

Battery health monitoring doesn't save your MacBook's battery, but it's designed to improve battery life. Every MacBook battery has a certain number of charge cycles, and battery health management helps you understand how your MacBook is being used and limits the device to 100% when needed. Apple recently introduced this functionality with the macOS 10.15.5 update. This function can only be enabled on MacBooks with USB Type-C  Thunderbolt 3 ports  .

- Step 1: Select System Preferences > Select Battery.

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- Step 2: Select Battery > Battery Health.

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- Step 3: Here displays information about MacBook battery status.

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5. Disconnect from accessories after use

Connecting to  accessories  can also drain your laptop's battery. Therefore, it is recommended to disconnect the accessories immediately after stopping use to save maximum energy.

6. Turn off Bluetooth if not in use

While using your MacBook, you may have connected your laptop to other devices such as  headphones ,  phones,  or  speakers  using Bluetooth. And most users forget to turn off Bluetooth when they're done. Unnecessarily turning Bluetooth on can affect battery life on your MacBook. So turn it off when not in use.

- Step 1: Go to System Preferences > Select Bluetooth.

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- Step 2: Select Turn Bluetooth Off to turn it off.

Note that disabling Bluetooth will also disable AirDrop functionality   on your MacBook.

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7. Turn off keyboard backlighting when not needed

macOS provides an option to turn off the keyboard backlight after a period of inactivity.

- Step 1: Go to System Preferences > Select Keyboard.

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- Step 2: Select Turn keyboard backnight off after . of inactivity > Inactivity time option to turn off the keyboard.

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8. Use Safari or Microsoft Edge instead of Chrome

If you have a habit of surfing the web using  Chrome , we recommend you to switch to Apple  's  Safari browser  . Despite being a well-known web browser, Chrome takes up quite a bit of memory and battery resources of the device.

9. Clean up your MacBook

Cleaning up the Macbook trash is an extremely necessary job when the MacBook is slow, consuming a lot of battery. This eliminates unused files and applications and frees up space to help your Mac work more efficiently.

- Step 1: Go to Trash > Select files that are no longer in use.

- Step 2: Select Delete Immediately…

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10. Turn on energy saving

While working on your MacBook, you may receive calls or encounter situations that require immediate action. In that case, you sometimes forget to put your MacBook to sleep (Sleep). Therefore, you should customize the power saving feature to turn off the screen after a period of inactivity to save battery.

- Step 1: Select System Preferences > Select Battery.

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- Step 2: Select Battery > Inactivity time option to turn off the screen at Turn display off after:.

After enabling power saving, the screen dims slightly. This helps extend the battery life by 10-15 minutes while the device is running low on battery.

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11. Using Activity Monitor

If you notice an unusual behavior with an application, you can check its usage from Activity Monitor.

- Step 1: Use the keyboard shortcut Command + Space to display Spotlight Search > Enter Activity Monitor to open the application.

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Find Activity Monitor on Spotlight Search

- Step 2: Here you will see a list of opened applications on your MacBook, check the application's power as well as CPU usage  . If you notice an unusual increase in usage, exit the app using the 'x' in the upper left corner.

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12. Turn off auto-open apps on startup

Apps like  Slack ,  Spotify ,  OneDrive ,  Dropbox ,. will automatically open and run in the background when you start your Mac. This keeps the app's cloud-stored data in sync after every startup, but it also means that these apps will 'swallow' a lot of battery life from your MacBook. Turn off automatic opening of applications on startup by:

- Step 1: Go to System Preferences > Select Users & Groups.

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- Step 2: Select Login Items > Here displays a list of applications that automatically open during Mac startup. Select the app and tap the '-' icon below to finish.

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13. Charge Cycle Tracking

Most MacBook Pro and Air models have 1000 charge cycles (Check your model's battery charge cycles from  the official Apple website here). After 4-5 years of use, you should check the number of charging cycles of your MacBook. If it's more than recommended, then it's time to replace the battery on your MacBook.

- Step 1: Use the keyboard shortcut Command + Space to display Spotlight Search > Enter System Information to open the menu.

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- Step 2: Go to Hardware > Power. Here displays the number of cycles from the Health information menu.

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14. Turn off the MacBook completely

When you're done with all the work, shut down your MacBook instead of putting it to sleep. Overnight, MacBook in Sleep mode will consume about 5-6% battery compared to 1-2% in Shut Down mode. The only downside of Off mode is that the boot time will be longer and the system will ask for the login password instead of authenticating with TouchID.

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15. Update to the latest version of macOSOS

Apple regularly releases operating system updates to keep macOS running smoothly and without glitches. Besides, Apple also added a number of battery-related features in new updates to increase the life of the MacBook battery. Therefore, you should update your macOS operating system to the latest version.

- Step 1: Go to System Preferences > Select Software Update.

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- Step 2: Download and install the latest operating system and make sure your MacBook is running up-to-date macOS.

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Above are 15 ways to improve battery life for MacBook. Hope you have been provided with useful information. Good luck.

Jessica Tanner

Update 18 May 2021