How does using your MacBook while charging affect its battery life?
Modern MacBooks are pretty smart about managing their battery's health.
Overview
When you are typing away on your MacBook, the last thing you want is for its battery to die in the middle of a work session. But is it safe to keep your device plugged in nonstop? There is a widely-held conception that doing so may fry your battery, or at least reduce its effectiveness. But in fact, thanks to the lithium batteries and smart charging software installed in new MacBooks, it's generally fine to keep your laptop plugged in at all times.
Still, there are some caveats, including accounting for unusual home electricity issues like storms or blackouts, or overheating due to other factors. There are also tricks to keeping your battery healthy that may include the occasional unplug, as well as settings that promote battery longevity.
Battery Usage
The short answer is that it typically doesn't make a difference. Mac computers use default software to monitor battery life and adjust to user habits and device power fluctuations. These tools work by monitoring its temperature history and charging patterns and modify charging accordingly. MacBooks run on lithium batteries, which have a high number of charge cycles and contain software that uses charging data to calculate when to reduce your battery's maximum charge, reducing wear and giving it more longevity.
The battery health management feature is activated by default on Mac laptops running operating systems Catalina 10.15.5 or later. If you've turned it off, you can activate it by going to your Apple menu, clicking "System Settings," and finding "Battery" in that sidebar. Click on "Battery Health" in this section and select "manage battery longevity."
While in the past it was wise to avoid letting your battery charge to 100 percent and stay there, today it is perfectly OK to keep your MacBook plugged in while using it because the system simply pauses its charging cycle at optimized times.
Protection Tips
If you're worried about your MacBook's battery health, you can check its status under "System Settings." Click "Battery" on the left-hand sidebar, and look at "Battery Health" to see its status, which typically reads "normal" or "service recommended." Some fluctuation is to be expected over time, but Apple doesn't recommend replacement until capacity falls below 80 percent.
One instance in which battery levels are important to monitor is when storing your device long term. According to Apple, the best way to preserve battery health if not using your device for an extended period is to charge it to around 50 percent to avoid losing overall capacity.
The biggest issue affecting battery health is heat. Working outside on a warm day, or using certain cases and laptop stands, can cause a device to overheat while charging. Apple lists MacBook Air operating temperature ranges as 50° to 95° F. If you notice your device getting hot, ensure its fans are unblocked. Keeping batteries cool is one of the easiest ways to help them last longer.
