How to set battery charge limit on MacBook in macOS Tahoe

Find out how to limit your MacBook battery to charge to less than 100% to ensure it doesn’t stay fully charged at all times and wears out less quickly.

A couple of years back, Apple added the option to set a charge limit on iPhone, letting you define a maximum battery level. The same feature is now added to MacBook running macOS Tahoe 26.4.

Once you set a maximum battery charging limit, your device will reach that percentage (like 80% or 90%) and then stop charging even if you leave it plugged in. It is mainly to reduce the battery wear and increase its lifespan by preserving battery health over time.

While not everyone needs to set a charge limit, Apple says that if you charge your device very frequently or keep it connected to a charger for long periods, setting 80% or a number lower than 100% as the maximum battery level can help.

Remember that even if you don’t set an explicit charge limit in your iOS or macOS battery settings, the Optimized Battery Charging feature may limit the charge to about 80% after learning from your charging habits.

Set maximum charge limit on MacBook

1. Update your MacBook to macOS Tahoe 26.4 (25E246) or later.
2. Open System Settings and click Battery.
3. Click the information button ⓘ next to the new Charging option.
4. Set Charge Limit to 80%, 85%, 90%, or 95% and click Done.

Moving forward, your Mac will charge only up to the limit you set in Step 4. However, Apple says that your MacBook will occasionally exceed this limit intentionally and charge to 100% to keep the battery percentage display accurate.

Setting a lower charge limit obviously means you won’t get the full battery backup when you’re away from the charger. So, for instance, if a full 100% charge gives you 10 hours of usage, a 80% limit will cut it down to 8 hours. Of course, if you’re traveling or going somewhere away from the charger, return to Battery settings and drag the slider back to 100%.

Also, check out: 10 tips to maximize your MacBook’s battery lifespan

Source link: https://www.idownloadblog.com/2026/03/26/battery-charge-limit-macbook/