What are the minimum requirements for charging a Macbook Air battery?

[toka]

Hey,

Does the battery power cable need to be plugged in around the clock in a Macbook Air?

Or is it OK to have it unplugged a few hours per day until it reaches a certain minimum battery level or maximum battery level?

Maybe some reliable sources about this for further reading?

 

[IWT]

Hi @toka and thank you for your post.

Does the battery power cable need to be plugged in around the clock in a Macbook Air?

No.

Or is it OK to have it unplugged a few hours per day until it reaches a certain minimum battery level or maximum battery level?

Yes.

The monosyllabic replies above are the short answer to a complex topic. Generally speaking, plug in power when you have heavy duty requirements on the MBA - photo or video editing or complex spreadsheets to compose and/or analyse; that sort of thing. Otherwise, you can use the Mac till battery falls to around 50-60%, then recharge.

I should emphasise that battery usage and management is a complex subject and there are as many opinions as there are people willing to offer them.

As for further reading:

View Battery Usage History on a Mac laptop

Check your Mac’s battery level, energy usage and screen on usage.

support.apple.com

Managing Battery Life on Macs and iOS Devices - The Mac Security Blog

Managing the battery on your Mac and your iOS devices is essential to keep them working as long as possible. Learn how to view and manage your devices' batteries.

www.intego.com

How to save battery on your Mac computer using 5 different methods

You can save battery on a Mac by adjusting your "Energy Saver" settings, updating your software, and more.

www.businessinsider.com

Understanding Lithium-ion
BU-204: How do Lithium Batteries Work?

Enjoy!

Ian

 

[chevyboy60013]

I have my late 2011 MacBook Pro, it has from what I am guessing the original battery, with around 600 cycles on it, just recent it started showing service recommended, and since it is around 10 years old, to be expected... if I do not decide to max out the credit card and get the new m-series pro, I will likely order a battery for it since it still works awesome and does everything I want it to extremely well, and since I did the patch to be able to run Catalina, which it runs flawlessly.... unless I decide I want to max out a credit card there is really no need for a new laptop, however I do like the new m1 MacBook Pro my friend has, I still get around 3 hours out of the original battery, and could likely get more if I let it get lower than 25%.