The single most frustrating part of owning any laptop is dealing with a battery that’s running low. For Apple fans, you probably use your MacBook for a lot of things, right? Maybe you work on it, play games on it, take it on the go to watch movies or just browse the web on it. Whatever you do, you don’t want your MacBook to run out of battery in the middle of it. CLICK TO GET KURT’S FREE CYBERGUY NEWSLETTER WITH SECURITY ALERTS, QUICK TIPS, TECH REVIEWS AND EASY HOW-TO’S TO MAKE YOU SMARTER But don’t worry, I have some good news for you. There are many easy and effective ways to prolong your MacBook’s battery life. Here are my top 11 tips to ensure that you won’t run out of juice and that your MacBook will keep running all day long. Note: The steps below were performed on the latest macOS Ventura Version 13.4.1 (c). Settings may vary, depending on your operating system. Top 11 tips to prolong your MacBook’s battery life Turning off your MacBook whenever you are no longer using it can help save its battery life. (CyberGuy.com)1. Turn off your computer Sometimes when we’re done using our laptops, it’s easy for us to just close the screen without fully shutting it down. However, shutting down your MacBook completely overnight, or even for a minute before you turn it back on, will help keep your battery and computer healthy. To fully shut down your MacBook: HOW TO FIND YOUR LOST MACBOOKHow to turn off your computer Click the Apple icon at the top left of your screenClick Shut DownSelect Shut Down again, or wait one minute, and your MacBook will shut down by itself2. Adjust your battery settings You can optimize charging on your MacBook to help save its overall battery life. How to adjust your battery settings Click the Apple icon at the top left of your screenClick System SettingsScroll down and tap Battery on the leftIn the Battery Health section, click the lowercase “i” with the circle around it Make sure Optimized Battery Charging is turned on (To reduce battery aging, your MacBook learns from your daily charging routine so it can wait to finish charging past 80% until you need to use it on battery)BEST EXPERT-REVIEWED LAPTOPS FOR 2023 3. Adjust display to turn off more quickly You can also make the display on your MacBook turn off more quickly, which saves energy as well. How to adjust display to turn off more quickly Click the Apple icon at the top left of your screenClick System SettingsThen scroll down and click Lock Screen on the leftClick the pop-up menu next to “Turn display off on battery when inactive” on the right, then choose an option from 1 minute to Never.You can also set different times for when your MacBook is powered by the power adapter by clicking the pop-up menu next to “Turn display off on power adapter when inactive” on the right, then choose an option from 1 minute to Never.4. Turn down the brightness Your computer screen takes a lot of energy, so turning down the brightness a little on your MacBook also helps save the battery. How to turn down the brightness To turn down the brightness on your MacBook, you have a few options. You can use the keyboard shortcuts or the System Preferences. To use the keyboard shortcuts, press the key on the top row of your keyboard with a sun logo, and the slider or a down arrow will appear. Press down, or drag the brightness slider to adjust the brightness of your display depending on your model. You’ll see a brightness overlay on your screen.To use the System Preferences, click the Apple menu, and select System Settings, Click Displays, and then drag the Brightness slider to adjust the brightness of your display.LAPTOP SCREEN TOO SMALL? TOP PORTABLE MONITORS MAKE EVERYTHING BIGGER 5. Turn on Low Power Mode Just like your iPhone, your MacBook has a Low Power Mode that you can turn on at any time to save the battery while using it. To use low power mode on a MacBook, you need to have macOS Monterey or later installed on your device. This feature is only available for MacBook (early 2016 or later) and MacBook Pro (early 2016 and later) models. How to turn on Low Power Mode Click the Apple icon at the top left of your screenTap System SettingsScroll down and click Battery Next to Low Power Mode, click the dropdown menuYou’ll see the options Never, Always, Only on Battery, or Only on Power Adapter If your device is not plugged in, select Only on Battery mode. This mode is designed to optimize the system’s power usage when running on battery power, which can help prolong the battery life.FOR MORE OF MY TECH TIPS & SECURITY ALERTS, SUBSCRIBE TO MY FREE CYBERGUY REPORT NEWSLETTER BY HEADING TO CYBERGUY.COM/NEWSLETTER 6. Use Activity Monitor app to discover energy-wasting apps You can see which apps on your computer are taking up the most amount of energy, by using the Activity Monitor app. It shows you which apps are using the most energy over time. This is the best way to measure the battery impact of your apps. How to use Activity Monitor app to discover energy-wasting apps To open the Activity Monitor app, go to the Finder app (square smiley face) in the dock of your computer screenScroll down and tap on ApplicationsThen go to the Utilities folder and click itAt the top, you will see Activity Monitor. Go ahead and tap itIn the Activity Monitor window, click on the Energy Tab to see the energy impact of each app. The higher the number, the more battery power the app uses. You can close any app from here by selecting it and clicking Quit. It will ask you to confirm by clicking Quit again. 7. Quit apps You should get in the habit of fully closing out your apps when you’re not using them. Some apps run in the background and continue to wear down your battery. Closing out of them means more than just simply clicking the red X icon. How to fully close out of apps If you’re in the app, you can click Command + Q to quit … orYou can right-click on the open app in your dock. From the pop-up menu, click Quit.10 USEFUL MAC KEYBOARD SHORTCUTS YOU NEED TO KNOW 8. Unplug external accessories If you have an external drive plugged into your MacBook, or if you’re also charging your iPhone with a cable that’s plugged into your MacBook, unplug them all. Charging other devices from your MacBook’s battery will drain it more quickly. 9. Update your software You want to always make sure that you have the latest software update at all times. Making your MacBook run on old software will use up its battery quickly. To check whether you need a software update: How to update your software Click the Apple icon at the top left of your screenTap System SettingsClick General Select Software Update If your device is eligible for updates, click Install Now Always be sure to back up your computer before you update your software. 10. Check your battery health If you’ve done all the steps above, and you’re still finding that your battery is draining quickly, it could be that your overall battery health is dying. To check your battery health: How to check your battery health Click the Apple icon at the top left of your screenTap System Settings Click Battery If your Battery Health says Normal, then you’re good to go. If it says something else like Service recommended, then it may be time to replace your battery. You’ll also be able to see your maximum charging capacity.MAC USERS BEWARE OF NEW MALWARE TARGETING YOUR CONFIDENTIAL INFORMATION11. Turn off Wi-Fi and Bluetooth Turn off Wi-Fi and Bluetooth if you don’t need them. They consume energy even when they aren’t used. However, also keep in mind that you may also lose some functionality, such as internet access, file sharing, wireless printing, wireless mouse and keyboard controls and syncing with other devices. You should consider your needs and preferences before turning them off. How to turn off Bluetooth Click on the Apple icon in the upper left of your screenTap System SettingsThen click Bluetooth in the sidebar, and turn Bluetooth Off on the rightHow to turn off WiFi Click on the Apple icon in the upper left of your screenTap System SettingsThen click Network in the sidebarSelect WiFi in the list on the right and turn WiFi OffMORE: WHAT’S REALLY KILLING YOUR LAPTOP BATTERY? Bonus: Replace your battery Replace the…
