Newbie with Macbook, please help me

[Ramoncitos]

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.

Thank you sir

 

[Ramoncitos]

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.

Thank you very much for you kindness

 

[Ramoncitos]

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.

No problem, and thanks very much Nito for take your time to answer me. I really appreciate it.

 

[Ramoncitos]

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.

Thanks for your kindly advice.

 

[Ramoncitos]

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.

Thanks for your gently answer Bousozoku.

 

[Ramoncitos]

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.

Thank you for sharing with me your experience.

 

[Ramoncitos]

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.

Thank you very much for answer me. Really help me.

 

[Ramoncitos]

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.

Thank you sir for your gently feedback

 

[Ramoncitos]

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.

Thank for your sharing me this information.
I have read all kinds of comments about AlDente. Some valued the application positively. But they warned of the need to do a regular calibration of the battery so that there are no surprise shutdowns. Others evaluated it negatively and blamed it for overheating the Macbook, degrading the battery more quickly and doubted that an external application is better than the native system to control the battery hardware.

 

[Ramoncitos]

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.

Thank you very much sir for your detailed response to my questions. On AlDente, you keep it connected most of the time like a desktop computer and you set AlDente a maximum of 80% charge and when it reaches 80% the Macbook takes power from the current and not from the battery and Is this the perfect balance between not accumulating cycles by plugging in when it reaches 20% and unplugging when it reaches 80% and not keeping it permanently connected to 100%, which would harm the battery? Is that so?
On the other hand, what about the "optimized charging" that Apple says that you don't have to worry about because when it reaches 100% it simply takes energy from the current. I see that many do not trust this and that is why they use AlDente?

 

[Ramoncitos]

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.

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

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

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.

Thanks Gilby101 for your support. Very kind of you

 

[Ramoncitos]

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!

Thank you Tweaknmod for your kidness!!!

 

[Ramoncitos]

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.

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

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

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.

Thanks

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.

Thank you Izzy very much for your detailed response. It has helped me a lot. Only one question...you dont trust in the optimized charge setting? It is 100 % more efficiently to use AlDente right?

 

[jlc1978]

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.

A few thoughts:

1. Over the years I've had 1 battery go below 80% in less than 3 years. It was replaced for free under AppleCare
2. I typically charge it at night when I am at a client site and leave it plugged in 24x7 at home; a worked as a consultant for years doing that with no issues other than the one mentioned above.
3. I now use AL Dente because it comes with my SetApp subscription. Never worked about how much I charged or discharged.

I would not sweat it to much; although I do recommend getting AppleCare, especially now since it can extend past 3 years.

 

[h.gilbert]

Thank for your sharing me this information.
I have read all kinds of comments about AlDente. Some valued the application positively. But they warned of the need to do a regular calibration of the battery so that there are no surprise shutdowns.

Yes I didn't do a calibration after using it for about two months and I had it on battery power at a displayed 40% and it just shut down without notice. Now every month I quit Aldente, do a 100% to 0% calibration, then open Aldente and charge back up to the limit.

Others evaluated it negatively and blamed it for overheating the Macbook, degrading the battery more quickly

The vast majority of Aldente users seem to rate it positively. Those with overheating and increased degradation must be very very few and we're just unlucky with bugs etc.

and doubted that an external application is better than the native system to control the battery hardware.

That's rubbish. The native solution is supposed to "learn" your routine and limit to 80%. Problem 1: I don't have a fixed routine for it to learn and plenty of people say it doesn't work unless you have a strict routine. Problem 2: 80% is too high.

I did some research on the optimal charge level to set aldente to. It seems cell voltage of 3.92 is the best for minimal degredation which corresponds to roughly 65% charge.

Since I use my Air at my desk 95% of the time, it's a no brainer to use aldente and keep it plugged in, and not add battery cycles.

 

[izzy0242mr]

Thank you Izzy very much for your detailed response. It has helped me a lot. Only one question...you dont trust in the optimized charge setting? It is 100 % more efficiently to use AlDente right?

As I think others have said, it's fine to use the optimized charging IF your habits are very consistent. For example, if you always use your computer plugged in at your desk from 9-6 Monday through Friday, and then you always take it off the charger and use it for 4 hours off the charger on Saturdays, it will work well. If you're constantly changing how you use it, though, AlDente is better.

 

[izzy0242mr]

Thank you very much sir for your detailed response to my questions. On AlDente, you keep it connected most of the time like a desktop computer and you set AlDente a maximum of 80% charge and when it reaches 80% the Macbook takes power from the current and not from the battery and Is this the perfect balance between not accumulating cycles by plugging in when it reaches 20% and unplugging when it reaches 80% and not keeping it permanently connected to 100%, which would harm the battery? Is that so?
On the other hand, what about the "optimized charging" that Apple says that you don't have to worry about because when it reaches 100% it simply takes energy from the current. I see that many do not trust this and that is why they use AlDente?

Correct. This keeps the battery at the sweet spot of staying at around 80%, and yes, that avoids adding cycles from constantly draining to 20%/recharging to 80%. Staying at 80% is better for the battery than staying at 100%.

See my other post on the optimized charging! It works well if you're super, super consistent about how you use your Mac. If your schedule is irregular, use AlDente.

 

[MoodyRiver]

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.

Exactly right. I'm 79 years old, have been driving Macintoshes professionally since 1988, and I am tired of "old guys" coming into forums and playing the "Reverse Ageism Card"...pretty much asking for special help or whatever just because they are some kind of "old man."

If I ask a question or make a comment, what difference does it make how old I am or how young I am?

The person who originally replied was correct, and his advice *was* helpful...and the OP would be better off if he just accepted the advice offered and not complain about someone being rude.