Newbie with Macbook, please help me

[Ramoncitos]

Hello guys. I am 75 years old and i writing to you because I bought a very expensive new device -Macbook pro m3 pro- and I never used it because i have doubts about whether the use I am making is correct and if I could be damaging it.

1. I would like to know how to take care of the battery. I saw many videos. I have activated "Optimized battery", I have removed the lighting on the keyboard and I have lowered the brightness on the screen, but......
   1.a) Should I never use it connected to the power and have the battery reach 100%? or
   1.b) Should I use it without connection to the power with the battery between 80 and 20% only as a laptop?
   1.c) What would be the best practice when I am going to use the Macbook during a long day of work?
   - Option 1) charge it between 20 and 80% and then discharge it to 20% and charge it again up to 80% (which would accumulate more charge cycles) or
   - Option 2) use it connected to the power and when it reaches 100% it will no longer take the energy from the battery but from the current (thus avoiding accumulating charge cycles? or
   - Option 3) alternating one day option1) and another day option 2)
2. While the battery is charging, does the Macbook battery have to be turned off?
   
   
   
   

I will really appreciate that someone could help this old man.

 

[Sheepish-Lord]

If you’re 75yrs old you should worry about other stuff and let the laptop do its thing. Keep it plugged in until you want to use it unplugged, and go about your life.

 

[Ramoncitos]

If you’re 75yrs old you should worry about other stuff and let the laptop do its thing. Keep it plugged in until you want to use it unplugged, and go about your life.

Dear sir, I am not asking your opinion about my age or how I should spend my time; I'm just asking some specific questions because I don't have experience using Macbooks. It would have only helped me if you, who knows so much, could have kindly answered them for me.

 

[LeeW]

Dear sir, I am not asking your opinion about my age or how I should spend my time; I'm just asking some specific questions because I don't have experience using Macbooks. It would have only helped me if you, who knows so much, could have kindly answered them for me.

He is right, though; just let the laptop do its thing. Don't read much about what others tell you about managing the battery.

The bottom line is that it will be fine; use it connected to the mains or not. Your device knows how to manage the battery without you needing to do anything particular.

 

[Jim Lahey]

Look into an app called AlDente. It allows you to set a maximum charge limit of your choosing. Then you can plug it in as much as you like without having to ever worry about it.

Some scoff at all this battery care stuff or claim it’s of no use. That’s obviously fine, but if you do care, like me, then AlDente is the weapon of choice. AlDente Pro is even better and a lifetime license isn’t expensive 👍

 

[Fishrrman]

You can use it while it's charging. No problems.

However...
Don't leave it plugged into the charger ALL the time.
The battery needs to be "exercised".

I would take it "off charger" perhaps 2-3-4 times a week.
Let the battery go down to about 45%.
Then... put it back on the charger.

I would unplug the charger from the wall at night, whether you turn off the Mac or just let it "sleep". Myself, I AWAYS shut down my Macs at night and reboot the next day.

 

[SpartaMAC]

This site can be very unforgiving and out right rude at times with the responses to the older folks or non technical. To answer your question. Im 63 and have been in IT for over 40 years. Change it to 100%, unplug it and use it until it reaches between 20 - 40 % then charge it. Depending on your usage the change may last hrs, days, weeks. Just like us as we age the battery needs exercise to perform optimally. I use my work M1 MacBook Pro that way and after two years battery still works fine. Good luck.

 

[LeeW]

This site can be very unforgiving and out right rude at times with the responses to the older folks or non technical.

Tell us what was unforgiving or rude about any of the responses.

 

[_Nito]

Tell us what was unforgiving or rude about any of the responses.

Hey @LeeW the comment about some people being rude was addressed to “Sheepish”’s comment:
“If you’re 75 years old you should worry about other stuff.” - struck me as somewhat rude too, and certainly not “helpful” in any way.
While @Ramoncitos -
Dear Sir,
It sounds like you have done everything need be to take best care of your battery.
Beyond what you have already done, best practice, as some have already suggested would be to just use your machine “normally” - sometimes plugged in, sometimes not - “exercising” the battery by letting it run down till the warning of “low batt”, then charging fully to 100%.
You should get 3-5 years of loyal battery by that simple process.
Please excuse any rudeness intended or not by folks that may not have lived long enough to learn full manners and respect for their elders.
🙏
-Shane.

 

[TechnoMonk]

I don’t baby my MacBook Pros, use them professionally for 5 years and another 3 for home use. Never had battery issues. Mac OS has gotten better in handling with out any baby sitting. Just use the machine, no need to sweat. Life is too short to worry how to use your Mac, irrespective of age. Most of the Yourube videos are clickbait, if you get a bad device/battery. It doesn’t really matter what you do or don’t.

 

[OrenLindsey]

Let it charge up to 100% and then leave it on the charger as much as possible, so it just runs off the power adapter.

 

[bousozoku]

I would let it charge to 81% or whatever is automatic for your machine. I rarely charge to 100% unless I know that I will be without a chance to charge.

Look at the Battery panel in System Settings. If you feel that it's not correct, try changing it.

 

[MacDaddyPanda]

I'm using my macbook pro m3 pro as my main desktop. I'm just leaving it plugged in via Thunderbolt. I was actually unaware it was able to charge this way as well. I had similar concerns with leaving it plugged in all the time. But since the thunderbolt cable is also connecting my dock and other peripherals I can't just unplug it if I want access to the things connected to the dock. So I've noticed that MacOS will regulate this and detect that you're leaving it plugged in all the time and will control when it charges and not charge to help prolong the battery life. And I've read others doing the same have had no real ill effects over the long term they've owned their macbook. This is my 1st macbook that I'm using as my primary computer. I had a mac mini prior so that obviously is plugged in all the time. Prior to that I was mostly a Windows desktop user, but now that's my gaming rig only. So I wouldn't really worry or over think it too much. MacOS does a pretty good job at handling the battery optimizing.

 

[eldho]

I am also 75. I charge it up to around 75% and use it down to about 30% before charging it again. It is always near enough to the charger for me to do this and this helps me to feel that I am looking after it by staying within the 20% to 80% limits that are often recommended.

I notice that no else has responded to the number of times charging aspect. Charging from say 40% to 60% is not a charging cycle. Given that this is only charging it 20% you would have to do this five times in order for it to count as one charging cycle. There is often advice that charging more frequently by smaller amounts is better than long charges. Obviously there are a lot of different attitudes and many don't care as much about looking after their batteries.

Another aspect of looking after batteries is to keep them cool if possible. Hot sun is not good for batteries.

And letting the battery run down before charging it again is definitely better than keeping it charged 100% all the time. I would only charge to 100% if I needed that because of being away from the charger for a long period of use.

 

[eldho]

And further to what I wrote above - there is absolutely no issue about using it while it is charging. In fact I pretty much charge it only while I am using it in order to keep an eye on how fully charged it is getting.

It is good to look after your machine but on the other hand it is pretty resilient and so you should certainly not be afraid of using it. You would have to do something pretty drastic like bashing it about, spilling drink over it or the like to damage it badly in anything like normal use.

So all the best about gaining the confidence to get going and enjoy your marvellous new machine.

 

[h.gilbert]

You should change the way you think about this. You will degrade, or 'damage', the battery however which way you use it. Even if you meticulously cared for the battery to the point where it would be impractical to actually use as a laptop it will still degrade. Read this https://batteryuniversity.com/article/bu-808-how-to-prolong-lithium-based-batteries and decide yourself what you want to do. All the information is in there and no one here will be able to provide better information than that.

Personally I focus on the easy things - pick the low hanging fruit and whatnot. That is, avoiding high and low charge states, and heat. But if I need 100% of the battery for a day out, or I want to work outside when the weather is nice, no sweat. I have other things to worry about. When it's on the desk, which is 95% of the time, I have it plugged in and limited to about 60% charge. This is done with the free version of Al Dente app because Apple's optimized charging sucks.

 

[h.gilbert]

Tell us what was unforgiving or rude about any of the responses.

I mean to be fair the very first comment was a bit unnecessary:

If you’re 75yrs old you should worry about other stuff and let the laptop do its thing...

 

[picpicmac]

i have doubts about whether the use I am making is correct and if I could be damaging it.

My experience with (albeit now old) MacBook is that worrying about the battery was not worth it.

The battery will last you well as long as you don't put your computer into extreme cold (well below freezing) or very hot.

 

[gilby101]

1. I would like to know how to take care of the battery. I saw many videos. I have activated "Optimized battery", I have removed the lighting on the keyboard and I have lowered the brightness on the screen, but......

Screen brightness for whatever you find comfortable. Only turn it down if you know you have a long day (or two) of work without any chance of charging. Ditto for keyboard. Optimized battery is good if you want to just use your Mac and not worry about the battery.

1. 
   1.a) Should I never use it connected to the power and have the battery reach 100%? or
   1.b) Should I use it without connection to the power with the battery between 80 and 20% only as a laptop?

Don't try to micro manage - it is not worth the worry. There are probably benefits in keeping the battery between 40% and 80%

1. 
   1.c) What would be the best practice when I am going to use the Macbook during a long day of work?
   - Option 1) charge it between 20 and 80% and then discharge it to 20% and charge it again up to 80% (which would accumulate more charge cycles) or
   - Option 2) use it connected to the power and when it reaches 100% it will no longer take the energy from the battery but from the current (thus avoiding accumulating charge cycles? or
   - Option 3) alternating one day option1) and another day option 2)

Yes to any of these. Easiest to just to plug it in and let Apple's optimized battery setting look after it.

While the battery is charging, does the Macbook battery have to be turned off?

I don't understand the question. Whilst power is being supplied, it is split between charging battery and running the Mac.

You may have noticed many answers have referred to AlDente. This is the best app for those who worry about their battery. I use it.

When my MacBook is plugged in, I have this set to charge to 80%, at which point the power goes just to the Mac and the battery is neither charging nor discharging. In other words the battery is not being used - this must be better than manually messing about plugging the power in and out whilst watching charge level to keep it between 40 to 80%.

If I know I will be using without power for while, I tell AlDente to let it charge to 100% beforehand.

Is this worth the effort? Maybe, maybe not.

If you do want to improve(?) on what Apple supplies, get AlDente so that you can set and forget. I use the paid version.

Otherwise, do what most others do and just use the Mac. Let the Mac look after the battery.

Extra: The biggest killer for battery is temperature. If you live in a warm climate, watch out for high battery temperature. AlDente will alert you about this and attempt to keep it under control by reducing charge rate.

 

[FreakinEurekan]

For anyone, of any age….

Just let macOS deal with it. There are people who obsess over battery condition, and people who let macOS handle it. The net result to the Mac is indistinguishable… to the user’s sanity, it’s much better if you let the computer do computer stuff.

 

[tweaknmod]

He is right, though; just let the laptop do its thing. Don't read much about what others tell you about managing the battery.

The bottom line is that it will be fine; use it connected to the mains or not. Your device knows how to manage the battery without you needing to do anything particular.

He is right in the second sentence. The first sentence was unnecessary.

@Ramoncitos You honestly don’t need to concern yourself with the battery at all. Simply plug it in when you can and/or when the battery is in danger of dying as you’re using it.

Enjoy your new gadget - they’re great machines!

 

[Lobwedgephil]

Hello guys. I am 75 years old and i writing to you because I bought a very expensive new device -Macbook pro m3 pro- and I never used it because i have doubts about whether the use I am making is correct and if I could be damaging it.

1. I would like to know how to take care of the battery. I saw many videos. I have activated "Optimized battery", I have removed the lighting on the keyboard and I have lowered the brightness on the screen, but......
   1.a) Should I never use it connected to the power and have the battery reach 100%? or
   1.b) Should I use it without connection to the power with the battery between 80 and 20% only as a laptop?
   1.c) What would be the best practice when I am going to use the Macbook during a long day of work?
   - Option 1) charge it between 20 and 80% and then discharge it to 20% and charge it again up to 80% (which would accumulate more charge cycles) or
   - Option 2) use it connected to the power and when it reaches 100% it will no longer take the energy from the battery but from the current (thus avoiding accumulating charge cycles? or
   - Option 3) alternating one day option1) and another day option 2)
2. While the battery is charging, does the Macbook battery have to be turned off?
   
   
   

I will really appreciate that someone could help this old man.

Just use it a normal, you have optimized battery on, don't worry about it besides that.

 

[Jim Lahey]

OP keep in mind that unless it’s plugged in 24/7, optimized charging will never work if your charging habits aren’t absolutely rigid. The manage battery health setting, that reduces max capacity with age and stress, is another matter, but this will just kick in sooner as the battery degrades, so isn’t really an effective alternative to good practice.

Also remember that whether or not any of this is ‘worth it’ is entirely subjective to the user. Certainly claims that it makes no difference are objectively and demonstrably false, but only you know if you care 👍

 

[izzy0242mr]

Hello guys. I am 75 years old and i writing to you because I bought a very expensive new device -Macbook pro m3 pro- and I never used it because i have doubts about whether the use I am making is correct and if I could be damaging it.

1. I would like to know how to take care of the battery. I saw many videos. I have activated "Optimized battery", I have removed the lighting on the keyboard and I have lowered the brightness on the screen, but......
   1.a) Should I never use it connected to the power and have the battery reach 100%? or
   1.b) Should I use it without connection to the power with the battery between 80 and 20% only as a laptop?
   1.c) What would be the best practice when I am going to use the Macbook during a long day of work?
   - Option 1) charge it between 20 and 80% and then discharge it to 20% and charge it again up to 80% (which would accumulate more charge cycles) or
   - Option 2) use it connected to the power and when it reaches 100% it will no longer take the energy from the battery but from the current (thus avoiding accumulating charge cycles? or
   - Option 3) alternating one day option1) and another day option 2)
2. While the battery is charging, does the Macbook battery have to be turned off?
   
   

I will really appreciate that someone could help this old man.

Since no one has answered you point by point, I will.

1. You don't need to disable the backlight on the keyboard unless you want to. I turn mine on and off as I need it. Turning it off will save a little bit of battery. Your screen brightness, however, will probably be the biggest source of battery drain on your Mac, so if you need to maximize battery, turning the screen down is a good idea.

1.a) Most of the scientific recommendations I've found say that the batteries in these machines tend to have the best long-term health when you keep them between like 20–80%. So I have an app called AlDente which you set to "Discharge" when I'm at my desk and I keep it set to 80%. That stops the Mac's charging at 80%. When I plan to be away from my desk/on the move and want max battery, I'll disable AlDente and let it charge to 100%.

1.b) Keeping your Mac plugged in—but charging capped at 80% like I said—will probably be the best for long-term health. Take it off the charger occasionally but you don't need to constantly be plugging/unplugging it to make it go up and down between 20-80. That will probably add more wear to it.

1.c) The best option is "none of the above"—it's AlDente, which caps your charging at 80%! As you note, Option 1 will add more cycles to your battery. Option 2 keeps your battery more full at 100% which seemingly isn't great for long-term health, but 80% would be ideal.

2. I don't understand this question. You can't "turn off" the battery.

Also: If you want to maximize your battery life when you're off the charger for a longer period of time, there's a "Low Power" mode you can enable (search it in System Settings). But that won't make a huge difference for long-term battery health, which is what all your questions seem to be about.

 

[wilberforce]

Dear sir, I am not asking your opinion about my age or how I should spend my time; I'm just asking some specific questions because I don't have experience using Macbooks. It would have only helped me if you, who knows so much, could have kindly answered them for me.

OP mentions his age twice in one post "I am 75 years old..." and "...someone could help this old man" then gets apparently triggered when responder mentions OP's age.
Why mention age in the first place, if it is not relevant?

Seems a bit like someone emphasizing their gender, then being offended when someone else refers to their gender.

Thing is, responder @Sheepish-Lord is correct. Although it used be that it was important to manually manage the battery charging, it no longer is. Newer MacBooks have better battery monitoring and managing. (I have had MacBooks of both types). Just avoid discharging the battery fully.

I also agree with @Sheepish-Lord in that there are better things to do in life than recreational battery management. It just isn't useful or fulfilling.