Keeping Your MacBook's Battery Healthy

Nothing, as they say, lasts forever – and that includes your MacBook’s battery. Every time you use or charge your laptop, it suffers a level of battery degradation and has an impact on the battery’s lifespan. However, there are a few things that you can do (and perhaps more importantly, should NOT do!) to keep your MacBook’s battery healthy and increase its lifespan. Read on to find out more…
 
Charging
 
We get it – a MacBook is a portable computer, not a desktop, and often spends a proportion of its life on the move. That means that when you get it back to the office or home, you want to put it on charge… and then possibly leave it there until the next time you pick it up and whisk it off on its next little adventure! But that can be a problem for your MacBook’s battery. Leaving your MacBook on charge for long periods of time (overnight, or for 8 or more hours when not in use) can negatively affect its battery’s lifespan.
 
An alternative scenario is those of us who have our MacBook set up in a similar way to an iMac, only occasionally taking it off our desks. In this case it is even easier to just leave your MacBook on charge. This is even worse, and a new battery can degrade almost entirely in as little as 3 MONTHS!
 
However, the other extreme – leaving your battery to run right down – can be equally damaging. Allowing your MacBook battery to regularly get down to critical levels (anything below 10%) can lead to it being unable to hold charge in the future.
 
So what should you do?
 

• If you carry your MacBook around during the day, put it on charge when you get it home or back to the office, but take it off charge once it’s charged to around 80%.
• If you mainly use your MacBook as a desktop, get into the habit of putting it on charge ONLY whilst you are using it, and then unplugging the charger when you finish using it.
• Try not to let your MacBook battery run down lower than 10% on a regular basis (the occasional below 10% run-down is fine).
• Battery settings: on newer Macs, you have the option to use ‘Optimized Battery Charging’, which you can access through System Preferences > Battery > Battery. This is a ‘smart charging system’ that learns your daily habits, and waits before charging your device fully so that the battery spends less time at 100%. This gives you another layer of protection against over-charging your battery.

 
One final point to mention is temperature. Whilst less of an issue in the UK than in other parts of the world, it is still worth being aware that your MacBook has a ‘comfort zone’ for usage of between 10 and 35 degrees Celsius, and can be safely stored between -20 and 45 degrees Celsius. In practice, this means avoiding leaving your laptop in a hot car, or storing it in a place that gets particularly cold. Also, keep in mind that the device emits its own heat when in use, and particularly when charging, so keep an eye on how hot it is getting. We see a lot of laptops that have sustained damage from overheating, and one of the biggest culprits is leaving the device snuggled up on a duvet on the bed whilst charging!
 
Lastly, if you have a MacBook that is struggling with poor battery life, it may be time for a new battery. Give us a call on 01403 753666, via email on [email protected], or pop in and see us at our office in Alfold – visit Contact Us for the address.
 
Look after those batteries!