How to Enable Low Power Mode on Mac

This practical guide walks through how to enable low power mode on Mac, explains the main requirements, and highlights common issues that may appear along the way.

What does Low Power Mode do on a Mac?

As the name suggests - Low Power Mode - is a feature that when activated, the device will immediately reduce the screen brightness and reduce the processor clock speed, thereby reducing battery power consumption. As a result, the screen will become darker and the overall system performance will also become slower than usual. But in return, you will have a longer usage time. This is essential in certain situations, such as when you use the device outside and forget to bring the charger.

Low Power Mode on Mac can also operate more quietly and is somewhat similar to Low Power Mode on iPhone. However, you can't choose a specific battery percentage threshold for this mode to automatically activate on your Mac the same way you can with an iPhone.

Which Macs support Low Power Mode?

As mentioned, Low Power Mode is built-in by Apple in the macOS 12 Monterey update and later. Therefore, MacBook and MacBook Pro models released from early 2016 up to now support this feature. As of December 2021, there are still no MacBook Air models that support Low Power Mode. But all of this could change in the future.

How to enable Low Power Mode on Mac

You can activate Low Power Mode both while the device is using battery power as well as directly plugged into an electrical outlet.

To get started, click the Apple menu in the top left corner of the screen and select 'System Preferences'.

On the 'System Preferences' screen that appears, click 'Battery'.

On the Battery settings screen, look at the menu bar on the left and tap 'Battery' again. Next, check the box next to 'Low Power Mode' on the right screen.

To use Low Power Mode while the device is charging, click on the 'Power Adapter' item. Then check the box next to 'Low Power Mode'.

From now on, you can click the Battery icon in the corner of the menu bar at any time to check if Low Power Mode is enabled. To turn off this mode, you need to access the Battery or Power Adapter section above and uncheck the corresponding options.