Curious how many times your MacBook battery can be charged before it is time for a replacement? Batteries have advanced substantially in energy density and longevity, but it is still a component of your laptop that wears down over time.
Apple measures battery consumption in cycles instead of charges. A cycle is fully discharging the battery and charging it back up. For example; if you deplete 50% of your battery every day before charging it back up to 100%, it would take you two days to complete one cycle.
Apple has a support document on their website outlining the expected number of battery cycles each MacBook model is expected to perform before the battery needs replacement. The key takeaway from this document is that Apple’s laptops made after 2010 are expected to work about 1000 cycles, which means that one battery will likely be enough for the lifetime of the computer for most users.
Check up on your battery health using the MacOS System Information utility:
- Open Apple menu on the top left of your screen, and select About This Mac.
- Click on the System Report button to launch the System Information utility. A new window will appear with a lot of technical specifications about your mac.
- Select Power from the left-hand menu under the Hardware list.
Alternatively, download our favourite battery monitoring App coconutBattery. This free app will give you cycle count for your MacBook as well as your iOS devices. In addition, more detailed battery health metrics are available such as capacity in milliamp hours and temperature, system age, and a way log battery performance over time.
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