Check your MacBook's battery health and cycle count
Quick answer
Open System Settings > Battery and click the info button next to Battery Health. For the cycle count, open System Report and click Power.
Why it happens
Every battery slowly wears out as it charges and drains. Battery Health shows whether yours is Normal or needs service, and how much of its original capacity is left. The cycle count tells you how many full charges it has been through.
How to fix it
Open the Apple menu, choose System Settings, and click Battery.
Click the info button next to Battery Health. You'll see its condition and its Maximum Capacity, which is how much charge it holds next to when it was new.
Battery›Battery Health
For the cycle count, go to General > About and click System Report. Click Power in the sidebar and look for Cycle Count.
General›About›System Report…
Still not fixed?
Maximum Capacity a little under 100% is normal for a battery that's been used. The number drops slowly over the years.
To slow the wear, keep Optimized Battery Charging on, or set a Charge Limit if your Mac is plugged in most of the time.
Battery›Charging›Optimized Battery Charging
If Battery Health says Service Recommended, you can keep using your Mac. When the battery no longer lasts long enough for you, have it replaced by Apple Support or an Apple Authorized Service Provider.
Terminal
Open Terminal (Applications › Utilities), paste this line and press Return.
system_profiler SPPowerDataType | grep -E 'Cycle Count|Condition|Maximum Capacity'Nothing to undo: it only reads information.
Pro details
Prints cycle count, condition and maximum capacity; no sudo.
Questions people ask
What is a good battery cycle count for a MacBook?
Apple rates recent MacBook batteries for 1,000 cycles. Below that, the battery is within its normal working life.
What does Service Recommended mean on a Mac battery?
The battery holds noticeably less charge than when it was new. Your Mac still works, but a battery replacement will bring back the running time.
What maximum capacity is bad for a MacBook battery?
Below about 80% you'll usually notice shorter battery life, and that's a good time to think about a replacement.
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