How to Check Battery Health on Mac

Wondering how you can check the battery health on your Mac?

MacBooks generally have a good battery life that can last a whole day. If you are here, you may have noticed that your MacBook is draining its battery faster than usual. 

Unfortunately, this could be a sign that your battery is starting to go bad. 

However, this is not always the case and there are also other reasons why your battery is draining faster. 

MacBook

Luckily, macOS has a feature that lets users check the battery health of their MacBooks, so they know if it needs to be replaced. 

In this guide, we will show you how to check the battery health of your Mac. 

Let’s jump right in!

1. Quick Check Feature. 

macOS features a battery icon in the status bar that has helpful insights regarding your MacBook’s battery health. By checking this feature, you’ll know whether your battery needs replacement and its general life span. 

  1. Start by holding the Option key on your MacBook
  2. Now, click on the Battery icon in the upper right corner. 
  3. You should also click on ‘Show Percentage’ so you’ll know if your battery needs to be charged. 
Check Battery Health on Mac

You should now be able to see the summary of your MacBook’s battery health. The section you need to pay attention to is the ‘Condition’. 

  • Normal – if your battery is normal, this means that you are still within its service life. If you experience drain issues, there might be other factors that are causing it.
  • Replace Soon / Replace Now – this status indicates that you need to replace your MacBook’s battery soon. Using your computer with its battery in this condition can damage other components like the hard drive. 
  • Service – this status means that there’s something wrong with your battery and needs to be replaced immediately. Head to the last solution to contact Apple’s team to have your battery replaced. 

2. System Information Using Apple Menu. 

You can also check your MacBook’s battery health using the Apple Menu. You might already be familiar with using the main menu for navigation system settings. 

If you are not familiar with how to view System Information, here’s what you need to do: 

  1. Start by clicking the Apple icon in the upper left corner of your screen to view Apple Menu
  2. Now, click on System Information
  3. Under the Hardware section, click on Power Option
  4. Look for Health Information to see the status of your battery. 
Check Battery Health on Mac

From here, you should be able to view similar data with the first method. However, you’ll also be able to see your MacBook’s cycle count. 

This information indicates how many times your MacBook has been fully charged, which is one of the main factors that wear out batteries. 

Each MacBook has a different cycle count capacity. You can check the list below to see if your MacBook has reached its maximum cycle count, which means your battery is subject to replacement. 

ComputerMaximum Cycle Count
MacBook
MacBook (Retina, 12-inch, 2017)
MacBook (Retina, 12-inch, Early 2016)
MacBook (Retina, 12-inch, Early 2015)
MacBook (13-inch, Mid 2010)
MacBook (13-inch, Late 2009)
1000
MacBook (13-inch Aluminum, Late 2008)500
MacBook (Mid 2009)
MacBook (Early 2009)
MacBook (Late 2008)
MacBook (Early 2008)
MacBook (Late 2007)
MacBook (Mid 2007)
MacBook (Late 2006)
MacBook (13-inch)
300
MacBook Pro
MacBook Pro (14-inch, 2023)
MacBook Pro (16-inch, 2023)
MacBook Pro (13-inch, M2, 2022)
MacBook Pro (14-inch, 2021)
MacBook Pro (16-inch, 2021)
MacBook Pro (13-inch, M1, 2020)
MacBook Pro (13-inch, 2020, Two Thunderbolt 3 ports)
MacBook Pro (13-inch, 2020, Four Thunderbolt 3 ports)
MacBook Pro (16-inch, 2019)
MacBook Pro (15-inch, 2019)
MacBook Pro (13-inch, 2019, Four Thunderbolt 3 ports)
MacBook Pro (13-inch, 2019, Two Thunderbolt 3 ports)
MacBook Pro (15-inch, 2018)
MacBook Pro (13-inch, 2018, Four Thunderbolt 3 ports)
MacBook Pro (15-inch, 2017)
MacBook Pro (13-inch, 2017, Four Thunderbolt 3 ports)
MacBook Pro (13-inch, 2017, Two Thunderbolt 3 ports)
MacBook Pro (15-inch, 2016)
MacBook Pro (13-inch, 2016, Four Thunderbolt 3 ports)
MacBook Pro (13-inch, 2016, Two Thunderbolt 3 ports)
MacBook Pro (Retina, 13-inch, Early 2015)
MacBook Pro (Retina, 13-inch, Mid 2014)
MacBook Pro (Retina, 13-inch, Late 2013)
MacBook Pro (Retina, 13-inch, Early 2013)
MacBook Pro (Retina, 13-inch, Late 2012)
MacBook Pro (13-inch, Mid 2012)
MacBook Pro (13-inch, Late 2011)
MacBook Pro (13-inch, Early 2011)
MacBook Pro (13-inch, Mid 2010)
MacBook Pro (13-inch, Mid 2009)
MacBook Pro (Retina, 15-inch, Mid 2015)
MacBook Pro (Retina, 15-inch, Mid 2014)
MacBook Pro (Retina, 15-inch, Late 2013)
MacBook Pro (Retina, 15-inch, Early 2013)
MacBook Pro (Retina, Mid 2012)
MacBook Pro (15-inch, Mid 2012)
MacBook Pro (15-inch, Late 2011)
MacBook Pro (15-inch, Early 2011)
MacBook Pro (15-inch, Mid 2010)
MacBook Pro (15-inch, 2.53 GHz, Mid 2009)
MacBook Pro (15-inch Mid 2009)
MacBook Pro (17-inch, Late 2011)
MacBook Pro (17-inch, Early 2011)
MacBook Pro (17-inch, Mid 2010)
MacBook Pro (17-inch, Mid 2009)
MacBook Pro (17-inch, Early 2009)
1000
MacBook Pro (15-inch Late 2008)500
MacBook Pro (15-inch, Early 2008)
MacBook Pro (15-inch, 2.4/2.2GHz)
MacBook Pro (15-inch, Core 2 Duo)
MacBook Pro (15-inch Glossy)
MacBook Pro (15-inch)
MacBook Pro (17-inch, Late 2008)
MacBook Pro (17-inch, Early 2008)
MacBook Pro (17-inch, 2.4GHz)
MacBook Pro (17-inch Core 2 Duo)
MacBook Pro (17-inch)
300
MacBook Air
MacBook Air (M2, 2022)
MacBook Air (M1, 2020)
MacBook Air (Retina, 13-inch, 2020)
MacBook Air (Retina, 13-inch, 2019)
MacBook Air (Retina, 13-inch, 2018)
MacBook Air (13-inch, 2017)
MacBook Air (11-inch, Early 2015)
MacBook Air (11-inch, Early 2014)
MacBook Air (11-inch, Mid 2013)
MacBook Air (11-inch, Mid 2012)
MacBook Air (11-inch, Mid 2011)
MacBook Air (11-inch, Late 2010)
MacBook Air (13-inch, Early 2015)
MacBook Air (13-inch, Early 2014)
MacBook Air (13-inch, Mid 2013)
MacBook Air (13-inch, Mid 2012)
MacBook Air (13-inch, Mid 2011)
MacBook Air (13-inch, Late 2010)
1000
MacBook Air (Mid 2009)500
MacBook Air (Late 2008)
MacBook Air
300

3. Open System Information Using Applications Menu (Alternative). 

Another way to open System Information on your MacBook is through the Applications Menu. This is just an alternative in case you want other ways to access the feature besides the second solution. 

  1. Open the Finder on your Mac.
  2. Next, go to Applications > Utilities
  3. Click on System Information to launch it. 
  4. Under Hardware, click on Power

Finally, you can refer to the table above to check if your MacBook’s battery is over its maximum cycle count. 

4. Open System Information Using Spotlight. 

You can also access System Information using Spotlight Search, which is faster to use compared to the first two ways. 

Here’s what you need to do: 

  1. Click on the Search icon in the upper right corner of your screen. You can also press Command + Space on your keyboard to open Spotlight
  2. Now, type ‘System Information’ and press Enter
  3. Go to Hardware > Power to view your MacBook’s cycle count. 

5. Contact Apple. 

If you are having a hard time understanding the technicalities and details of your Mac’s battery health, you can comment your cycle count below and we’ll check it for you. 

However, it’s best to contact Apple’s support if you don’t want to deal with the technicalities and have their team check your MacBook. Depending on the situation, they might ask you to bring your device to the nearest service center. 

Check Battery Health on Mac

If you want a faster response, visit the nearest Apple Store in your area and have a service technician check your MacBook to see if it needs a battery replacement. 

You might also be able to get your battery replaced without additional charges if you have Apple Care. 

That brings us to the end of our guide on how to check the battery health on your Mac. If you have questions or other concerns, don’t hesitate to drop a comment below, and we’ll do our best to respond. 

If this guide helped you, please share it.

Author

  • Jake Kovoor

    Jake is the Editor-in-Chief of Saint and an independent software developer, with a Bachelors in Computer Science from Lancaster University, UK. He loves trying out various tech from the Flipper Zero to coding Raspberry Pis for automation. He started Saint back in 2016, having written over 100 posts, with the sole purpose of creating guides for software that had yet to exist back then to help users navigate around their technical problems.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *