The aforementioned Optimized Charging feature takes some of the sting out of leaving your laptop plugged in, but it’s not infallible. The one exception to this is if you start to notice the battery bulging, which is a serious problem that could result in harm (tell Apple immediately if you notice this). If you leave it plugged in all of the time, the battery won’t overheat or damage any other components. It’s not possible to “overcharge” your MacBook battery by leaving it plugged in. Don’t Leave Your MacBook Plugged in All of the Time This works identically on the iPhone and iPad. If you happen to leave an hour earlier for some reason, you might find that your battery isn’t fully charged.

So if you charge your laptop overnight and leave for work at 8 am every morning, your MacBook will wait to top up the final 20 percent or so. The mode was first introduced in macOS Catalina so if you try updating and your Mac is not compatible with this version of the OS then you’re out of luck. Once your Mac has learned your daily habits, it will wait before charging your device fully so that the cell spends less time at 100 percent.

You’ll find this setting under System Preferences > Battery > Battery. Many companies have adopted such charging modes, including Apple. Batteries that are full store a higher voltage, which puts more stress on the cell.īattery University recommends that “a device should feature a ‘Long Life’ mode that keeps the battery at 4.05V/cell and offers a of about 80 percent” to prolong the life of the battery. Charging to 100 percent or letting your battery percentage drop too low is considered bad for the cell. The sweet spot for a lithium battery in terms of long-term health is between 80 percent and 40 percent. IPhones, iPads, and MacBooks can make use of a feature called Optimized Charging that monitors your usage pattern and adjusts charging behavior accordingly.

Mac 10 connected for life