After updating to macOS Catalina, does your MacBook battery die faster than before the update? Do you find your Mac’s battery running low before it should? Some Mac users have said that their battery life has reduced significantly after updating the Mac. Do not worry, you are not alone. There are two main purposes for this article:

Jan 28, 2019  Hi guys, has anyone yet tested the real battery life of MacBook Air 2018? I'm still on it, but so far I got a feeling like I'm getting nothing close to advertised 12 hours. Maybe 6 hours? But I will test it on a day when I use it a lot. Jun 15, 2020  For best performance, replace your battery when you reach its maximum cycle count. Follow these steps to access information about your Mac notebook battery, including its cycle count: Hold the Option key and click the Apple menu. Apr 14, 2020  Battery life is the one place – outside of design – where the MacBook Air (2019) really shines. Overall, if you like previous MacBook Airs, you'll like this year's model. (Image credit: Future).

  1. Provide solutions for extending the battery life of your Mac.
  2. Figure out why your Mac’s battery is draining so fast.

Also read: macOS Mojave battery drain

Battery drain with macOS Catalina

1. Update your Mac to the latest version of the macOS software. Also, make sure that all of your apps are up to date.

2. Simply restart your Mac by going to the Apple menu and Restart.

3. Check your battery health. The general condition of your battery may be poor. We previously wrote an article about that topic. You can check that article.

4. Try resetting the System Management Controller (SMC). Please read this.

5. You may check for excessive energy-consuming apps. You can easily see what apps are using battery & energy on your Mac. To do that, click the battery menu bar icon, find the “Apps Using Significant Energy” section.

6. You can also use Activity Monitor to figure out energy-consuming apps and processes. Open the Activity Monitor app (Applications / Utilities) and then click the Energy tab.

How to extend your battery life

1. Lower your display’s brightness. The biggest use of battery resources is your Mac’s screen. Adjust its brightness. Click the Apple menu > System Preferences > Display and click the Display tab and adjust the brightness slider. You can also check the box “Automatically adjust brightness”.

2. Disable Wi-Fi and Bluetooth if/when you do not use them. You can disable them by clicking their icons in the status bar.

3. Optimize your Energy Saver settings by going to the Apple menu > System Preferences > Energy Saver. Click the Battery tab. Optimizing these settings will help you extend your battery’s life.

4. You may want to consider turning off visual effects and transparency in macOS. Here is how:

  • Go to the Apple menu
  • Click System Preferences
  • Click Accessibility
  • Click Display
  • Click the Display tab
  • And check the boxes for “Reduce Motion” and “Reduce Transparency”.


6. Quit apps when you are done with them. You can quit any apps by clicking its name (in the menu bar) and then click Quit App. For example, if you want to quit Safari, click Safari and then Quit Safari.


7. Disable unnecessary Location Services by going to the Apple menu > System Preferences > “Security & Privacy” > click the “Privacy” tab > “Location Services”. You may disable Location Services also. You will need to click the lock icon to make changes. You will have to enter your password.


Apple devices are known for a lot of things: The “it just works” ethos, aesthetic beauty, closed software ecosystems, and, of course, premium price tags. However, one area in which they tend to perform only reasonably well in is battery life.

Laptops that can count extensive battery life among their feature lists include the Microsoft Surface Book 2 and the HP Spectre Folio. But just because those laptops are better at lasting longer on a single charge doesn’t mean MacBooks are terrible.

In fact, if you know which MacBook to opt for and configure it appropriately, you can eke out plenty of battery life for a full day of work or play on a number of Apple’s notebooks.

Other MacBook guides

MacBook Air

Apple’s MacBook Air has always been designed as a sleek, lightweight MacBook option that prioritizes portability and aesthetics over other aspects, like performance. However, in the current MacBook lineup, it’s proved to be the longest-lasting by both the specifications and our own testing.

Remote desktop app for macos. File that exists on macos for test. When Apple refreshed the MacBook Air in March 2020, it updated the processor to 10th-generation Intel Core CPUs. Those chips made the MacBook Air not only more powerful but more conservative with its power usage. The Air comes with a 49.9-watt-hour battery, but how does that stack up in testing?

Apple claims that you can get 12 hours of Apple TV movie playback. In our MacBook Air review, we found that the modern MacBook Air was capable of playing 1080p video on a loop for 10 hours — around eight hours of web browsing.

You may be able to extend this further by keeping screen brightness low and background applications to a minimum. Configuration options are limited, but sticking to smaller storage capacities and memory will provide a minute benefit for extending battery life.

Apple also recommends keeping your device up to date and to avoid extreme ambient temperatures when using your MacBook Air.

MacBook Pro 16-inch

Apple’s MacBook Pro range is where the real heft and power can be found with all sorts of hardware options for those who need more grunt for their MacOS tasks. As far as MacBooks go, the battery life isn’t bad either, but you’ll want to choose specific models and consider your configuration to get the most out of it.

When Apple launched the MacBook Pro 16, it promised the biggest battery in any MacBook — a 100-watt-hour monster, in fact. Apple says this gives you an extra hour of battery life compared to the 13-inch MacBook Pro, providing 11 hours of web browsing or Apple TV video playback.

While that may pique your interest, the reality is it’s not quite as simple as saying a larger battery equals longer battery life. The MacBook Pro 16 contains much more powerful components than its smaller 13-inch sibling, which contributes to eating up the battery life.

In our testing, the MacBook Pro 16 lasted around five and a half hours in our regular daily workload, which included running dozens of tabs, streaming music in Spotify, and using Slack. That’s disappointing considering Apple’s promised 11-hour battery life. But it’s also not too surprising given the MacBook Pro 16’s higher resolution and beefier components under the hood.

Best Macos For Battery Life Macbook Air Pro

Still, your mileage may vary, especially if you spec the MacBook Pro 16 for battery life. Choosing the Core i7 processor over the Core i9, or opting for a slightly lower-end graphics card, could help save your battery life.

But if you need more powerful components, seeing your battery life take a hit is a compromise you’ll have to consider.

MacBook Pro 13-inch (2019)

With the 13-inch MacBook Pro, we found it managed over 10 hours in our video loop test when equipped with a Core i5 processor. In general usage, it could last a full workday. That matches up with the 10 hours Apple says it should achieve, so it’s still a decent option to consider if you want good battery life.

Interestingly, the MacBook Pro 13 has either a 58-watt-hour or 58.2-watt-hour battery, depending on the configuration. By comparison, the MacBook Pro 16 has a larger 100-watt-hour battery.

Best Macos For Battery Life Macbook Air Replacement

Despite having a smaller battery on paper, you may find the 13-inch model lasts longer than the MacBook Pro 16 due to its less-powerful components, which just goes to show that big battery specs aren’t everything.

Best Mac Battery Life

The MacBook Pro 13 is also a lot cheaper than the 16-inch model. The smaller version starts at $1,299 while the 16-inch model begins at $2,399. As we said in our review of the MacBook Pro 16, its battery may be 16% larger, but it doesn’t last 16% longer. Even more, its price is far more than 16% higher.

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