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3 Ways to Limit Battery Charge on a MacBook

Quick Tips
  • All Li-ion and polymer batteries have a limited lifespan. The Apple MacBook battery is made of such materials, and charging it at 100 percent most of the time will affect the battery’s health in the long run.
  • Open Settings > Battery > Battery Health > enable Optimized Battery Charging.
  • You can use third-party apps like Aldente and BatteryStatusShow to limit your MacBook battery charging.

Method 1: Use Optimized Battery Charging

Most MacBook Air and MacBook Pro models come with 1000 charging cycles. Every time your MacBook charges 100%, macOS counts it as one cycle. Once your MacBook reaches 1000 cycles, you will notice a shorter battery life. Apple introduced an optimized battery charging function on Mac to reduce battery cycles. Here’s how you can use it.

Open Settings > Battery > Battery Health > enable Optimized Battery Charging.

enable optimized battery charging on mac

Your Mac learns from your daily charging routine and can wait to finish charging past 80 percent. This practice is helpful for those who keep their MacBook connected to an external monitor all the time. Optimized battery charging will activate and limit the charge to 80 percent, reducing the battery cell’s wear and tear.

Method 2: Use Aldente App

Apple’s optimized battery charging function is limiting in many ways. For example, you can’t restrict battery charge to 60% or 70%. Also, optimized battery charging takes time to learn your usage and kicks in after two or three weeks. Here’s where Aldente comes in to offer several features and improve your MacBook’s battery health.

Aldente is one of the best battery charge limiter apps for MacBooks. It prevents your MacBook from charging above a certain percentage to decrease battery wear and increase its longevity. Follow the steps below to check Aldente in action.

Step 1: Download and install Aldente.

Step 2: Go to the Appearance menu > enable relevant menu bar icons.

appearance aldente app Mac

Step 3: Select the Aldente icon in the menu bar > specify the charge limit on your MacBook.

set charge limit MacBook aldente app

Aldente has many other functions apart from limiting the battery charge on a MacBook. Let’s quickly examine them.

Heat protection: Charging your MacBook at a high temperature can be hazardous. Aldente detects if your MacBook hits high temperature and disables charging to keep it safe.

Calibration mode: You shouldn’t keep your MacBook battery limited to 70% – 80% all the time. This can disturb the battery calibration. Aldente’s calibration mode will charge the MacBook battery to 100% monthly.

charge settings aldente app Mac

Aldente also displays hardware battery percentage, has live status icons in the menu bar, allows charging to stop in sleep mode, and supports dark themes.

Price: Free, Aldente Pro: $14 per year or $29 as a one-time purchase.

Method 3: Use BatteryStatusShow App

BatteryStatusShow is an open-source Mac app that limits battery charge on a MacBook. It allows you to check battery temperature, cycle, and battery life based on your workflow and battery health and restrict the charge level.

Step 1: Download and install BatteryStatusShow and open it on your MacBook. BatteryStatusShow will appear in the Mac menu bar.

Step 2: Select the Change button beside the charge level and set the battery charge limit.

Step 3: Hit the Ok button to confirm.

Tip: Learn more about what is the Cycle Count (battery) on Mac and how to check it

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Last updated on 28 August, 2024

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