My run with macOS Big Sur had been incredibly smooth-sailing up until a week ago when the unexpected battery drain turned out to be a proverbial nightmare for my MacBook. From delivering around 7 hours of battery life consistently, the notebook would run out of steam within 2 to 3 hours. So, having just fixed the macOS Big Sur battery draining issue, I would like to share some of the viable tips to sort out the problem and improve the macOS Big Sur Battery life. If you are dealing with the same issue, they can come in handy in getting rid of the problem.
Reasons Why Battery Drain Problem Might be Occuring
There could be more than one reason behind the battery life problem on your Mac running macOS Big Sur. For instance, it could be due to outdated apps, cluttered storage, worn-out battery, or the power-hungry apps that continue to run in the background without any restriction. Oh yes, who would rule out the possibility of a software bug, given how rampant it has become these days? So, you should look at this issue from various perspectives.
- Reasons Why Battery Drain Problem Might be Occuring
- What are the Solutions to Troubleshoot the Issue
- Track Down the Culprits Using Activity Monitor
- Customize Battery Settings to Maximise macOS Big Sur Battery Life
- Get the Most Out of Dark Mode
- Make Sure to Force Quit Apps When You Have Used Them
- Prefer Apple Safari to Google Chrome
- Update Apps on Your Mac
- Declutter Your Mac
- Go for Software Update
As the battery draining could be caused by many things, you will need to take on each usual suspect. For example, you will need to clean up your Mac, delete the outdated apps, take control of the power-hungry apps, update the software, and even replace the battery if need be.
The very first thing you should do to resolve the battery life problems on your MacBook is to track down the culprits. And with culprits, I mean the apps that are killing the battery.
Thanks to Activity Monitor, it’s pretty straightforward to find out the apps that are consuming the battery the most. Moreover, it can also let you spot the villains that are running in the background without any restrictions. So, head over to Applications -> Utilities -> Activity Monitor to find out the apps that have captured the most resources.
With macOS Big Sur, Apple has introduced smart battery settings that you can use to enhance the battery life on your Mac. From letting you check the usage history of the last 24 hours and 10 days to enabling power nap while on battery power to scheduling the Mac to start up or wake at the desired time, the new battery settings can play a crucial role in boosting the battery life on your device.
Dark mode has got much more than what meets the eyes. With the dark theme, it makes the content appear soothing to the eyes, thereby preventing them from burning or straining. Pleasing appearance aside, it is also known to be power efficient. So, you should never fail to activate it to help your notebook last longer between charges.
4. Make Sure to Force Quit Apps When You Have Used Them
While it may seem to be a minor thing to many, forcing apps to close when you have used them can play a good part in extending the battery life on your Mac. The longer the apps remain open, the more battery they kill. Apart from eating into plenty of unnecessary battery, they also tend to slow down the device.
While Google Chrome may be probably the most feature-rich and popular browser across platforms, it doesn’t score well when it comes to efficiency. Not for nothing many brand the browser as resource-hungry. It not only hogs plenty of resources but also consumes a lot of battery.
Outdated apps tend to create plenty of problems. Apart from slowing down your MacBooks, they also kill a large chunk of the battery. Even in terms of security, outdated apps are vulnerable to hacking. Therefore, it’s recommended to keep the apps updated to the latest version.
You can navigate to the App Store -> click on your profile at the bottom left corner of the sidebar -> Updates. Now, click on Update All to update all the apps installed on your Mac.
Redundant files along with the app cache need to be cleaned up from time to time. And if wiping out the useless files frequently is not one of your virtues, chances are pretty high that your MacBook is cluttered. Considering how problematic cluttered storage is both in terms of slowing down the notebook and triggering the unexpected battery drain, you must get rid of all the useless files sooner than later.
If you have kept a tab on the recent macOS updates, you would already know that a software bug has been at the heart of several major issues. So, if none of the aforementioned solutions has fixed the macOS Big Sur battery drain issues, the problem could most probably be due to an adamant bug.
- Note:
- If the battery continues to drain even after the software update, it would be apt to check the battery charge cycle. It’s worth noting that once a battery is worn out, its performance is diminished significantly.
- The battery is able to retain up to 80% of the original charge capacity at its maximum cycle count. For best performance, make sure to replace the battery when you reach its maximum cycle count.
- Hold the Option key and then click on the Apple menu at the upper left corner of the screen. After that, select System Information. Next, select Power which is located under the Hardware section of the System Information window. The current cycle count is shown under the Battery Information section.
Extend the Battery Life of Your Mac Running macOS Big Sur
Hopefully, you have got the better of the problem and your MacBook has started to deliver better battery life. As outlined above, the issue is often triggered by more than one problem. So, be sure to take control of each usual suspect.
- If the battery continues to drain even after the software update, it would be apt to check the battery charge cycle. It’s worth noting that once a battery is worn out, its performance is diminished significantly.
- The battery is able to retain up to 80% of the original charge capacity at its maximum cycle count. For best performance, make sure to replace the battery when you reach its maximum cycle count.
- Hold the Option key and then click on the Apple menu at the upper left corner of the screen. After that, select System Information. Next, select Power which is located under the Hardware section of the System Information window. The current cycle count is shown under the Battery Information section.
