Best Battery Saving Tips for 2013 MacBook Air

DblEGT · Jul 8, 2013, 08:00 PM

I know the new MBAs are excellent laptops with awesome battery life. Are there any tips (large or small) YOU'VE discovered which will help extend battery life even further?

mj1108 · Jul 8, 2013, 08:03 PM

Screen brightness. I keep mine at around 9-10 ticks.

Booji · Jul 8, 2013, 08:06 PM

Back out of applications you are not using. Minimize browser tabs. Use Safari instead of Chrome

DblEGT · Jul 8, 2013, 08:11 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mj1108

Screen brightness. I keep mine at around 9-10 ticks.

So far, I've done the following:

1. 50% screen brightness
2. Slightly dimmed keyboard backlighting
3. Use Safari over other (non-Apple) browsers whenever possible.

Will investigate using the "clicktoflash" feature in Safari to minimize Flash usage.

Any others I am missing??

tehsprayer · Jul 8, 2013, 08:22 PM

I heard instead of Flash, use HTML5.. There is a plugin for Youtube on Safari app store.

Make sure to 'quit' your apps as closing does not fully exit them.

mj1108 · Jul 8, 2013, 08:28 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by tehsprayer

I heard instead of Flash, use HTML5.. There is a plugin for Youtube on Safari app store.

Make sure to 'quit' your apps as closing does not fully exit them.

You can also tell Youtube to use HTML5: https://www.youtube.com/html5

It's browser based, so if you switch browsers you will need to set it again.

ylrd · Jul 9, 2013, 09:56 AM

These are my best tips so far:

Disable Bluetooth (unless you're using wireless devices)
Disable file sharing (unless you need it)
Use Safari with the ClickToPlugin extension
cmd+Q the apps you're not currently using
Keep your login items in a low number
50% screen brightness or less (unless you're outdoors)

luisito · Jul 9, 2013, 10:10 AM

Disable PowerNap, so you don't waste battery while sleeping.

GGJstudios · Jul 9, 2013, 10:12 AM

There are many factors that impact your battery life. See the BATTERY LIFE FROM A CHARGE section of the following link for details, including tips on how to maximize your battery life.



The link below should answer most, if not all, of your battery/charging questions. If you haven't already done so, I highly recommend you take the time to read it.

Apple Notebook Battery FAQ

ylrd · Jul 9, 2013, 01:48 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by luisito

Disable PowerNap, so you don't waste battery while sleeping.

It comes disabled by default (at least in the Battery tab).

johnjey · Jul 9, 2013, 08:54 PM

Any new ideas fellas? We all know about the screen brightness, keyboard brightness, html5 videos, no dropbox (or very less), quitting apps that you are not using (hahaha right) and what else ?

Jefe's MacAir · Jul 9, 2013, 09:07 PM

Leave it plugged in.

GGJstudios · Jul 9, 2013, 09:09 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jefe's MacAir

Leave it plugged in.

Leaving it plugged in all the time is a quick way to kill a battery.

Jefe's MacAir · Jul 9, 2013, 09:42 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by GGJstudios

Leaving it plugged in all the time is a quick way to kill a battery.

I don't think that's the case with lithium ion batteries. IIRC the main contributor to battery life is charging cycles. By leaving it plugged in you reduce the number of charge cycles. So in theory, by leaving it plugged in you extend battery life.

GGJstudios · Jul 9, 2013, 09:44 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jefe's MacAir

I don't think that's the case with lithium ion batteries. IIRC the main contributor to battery life is charging cycles. By leaving it plugged in you reduce the number of charge cycles. So in theory, by leaving it plugged in you extend battery life.

That's not true at all. Read the Battery FAQ in post #9 to learn the facts.

vistadude · Jul 10, 2013, 12:26 AM

Remove mountain lion and install snow leopard. Everything is faster and uses less CPU cycles, ram, and hard drive swapping. Battery life is significantly improved, even in sleep mode.

swingerofbirch · Jul 10, 2013, 12:34 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by vistadude

Remove mountain lion and install snow leopard. Everything is faster and uses less CPU cycles, ram, and hard drive swapping. Battery life is significantly improved, even in sleep mode.

I'm pretty sure Snow Leopard wouldn't boot on a 2013 MacBook Air.

Tarrou8 · Jul 10, 2013, 09:50 AM

Keep your Air turned off unless absolutely necessary.

et477 · Jul 19, 2014, 05:39 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by vistadude

Remove mountain lion and install snow leopard. Everything is faster and uses less CPU cycles, ram, and hard drive swapping. Battery life is significantly improved, even in sleep mode.

honestly, even if i don't know a lot about macs, on thing do know is that:
downgrading your software is ABSOLUETLY the DUMBEST thing that anyone can do.

Papa Shank · Jul 19, 2014, 06:16 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jefe's MacAir

I don't think that's the case with lithium ion batteries. IIRC the main contributor to battery life is charging cycles. By leaving it plugged in you reduce the number of charge cycles. So in theory, by leaving it plugged in you extend battery life.

No, I used to do this and you will basically run the battery down into the ground as it is essentially charged for x number of cycles despite being 100% charged. By leaving your laptop plugged in you'll run it down and probably make it void of warranty.

Jul 8, 2013, 08:00 PM	#1
DblEGT macrumors member Join Date: Jun 2013	Best Battery Saving Tips for 2013 MacBook Air I know the new MBAs are excellent laptops with awesome battery life. Are there any tips (large or small) YOU'VE discovered which will help extend battery life even further? __________________ DblEGT 2013 i5/8/256 Haswell MBA
	0

Jul 9, 2013, 09:56 AM	#7
ylrd macrumors member Join Date: May 2013 Location: Europe	These are my best tips so far: Disable Bluetooth (unless you're using wireless devices) Disable file sharing (unless you need it) Use Safari with the ClickToPlugin extension cmd+Q the apps you're not currently using Keep your login items in a low number 50% screen brightness or less (unless you're outdoors) __________________ 21.5" iMac (C2D @ 3.06GHz, 500GB, 8GB) with Magic Trackpad 13.3" MacBook Air (i7 @ 1.7~3.3GHz, 256GB, 8GB) iPad 2 (16GB) / Nexus 4 (16GB)
	0

Jul 9, 2013, 10:10 AM	#8
luisito macrumors regular Join Date: Nov 2012	Disable PowerNap, so you don't waste battery while sleeping. __________________ Happy to own my first Apple product: Mid 2013 MBA i5, 8GB, 256GB SSD. (: Happy to own my second Apple product: Blue iPod Shuffle 4th Generation. (:
	0

Jul 9, 2013, 08:54 PM	#11
johnjey macrumors regular Join Date: Jun 2013	Any new ideas fellas? We all know about the screen brightness, keyboard brightness, html5 videos, no dropbox (or very less), quitting apps that you are not using (hahaha right) and what else ? __________________ 2013 11' i-5/8GB/512 SSD, 2012 Mid-Aug 13' 2.4Ghz/10GB/512 GB SATA Memory, Ipod Touch 4th Gen/ IPad Mini / IPhone 4S / IPhone 3GS / Ipod Touch 1st Generation
	0

Jul 10, 2013, 09:50 AM	#18
Tarrou8 macrumors member Join Date: Jun 2013	Keep your Air turned off unless absolutely necessary. __________________ Macbook Air 13" 1.7/8/256 (Mid '13) iPhone 5 Black & Slate 16GB
	1

Jul 8, 2013, 08:03 PM	#2
mj1108 macrumors 6502 Join Date: Apr 2007	Screen brightness. I keep mine at around 9-10 ticks.
	0

Jul 8, 2013, 08:06 PM	#3
Booji macrumors regular Join Date: Nov 2011 Location: Singapore	Back out of applications you are not using. Minimize browser tabs. Use Safari instead of Chrome
	0

Jul 8, 2013, 08:22 PM	#5
tehsprayer macrumors member Join Date: Jun 2013	I heard instead of Flash, use HTML5.. There is a plugin for Youtube on Safari app store. Make sure to 'quit' your apps as closing does not fully exit them.
	0

Jul 9, 2013, 10:12 AM	#9
GGJstudios macrumors Westmere Join Date: May 2008	There are many factors that impact your battery life. See the BATTERY LIFE FROM A CHARGE section of the following link for details, including tips on how to maximize your battery life.  The link below should answer most, if not all, of your battery/charging questions. If you haven't already done so, I highly recommend you take the time to read it. Apple Notebook Battery FAQ
	0

Jul 9, 2013, 09:07 PM	#12
Jefe's MacAir macrumors regular Join Date: Nov 2010	Leave it plugged in.
	0

Jul 10, 2013, 12:26 AM	#16
vistadude macrumors 65816 Join Date: Jan 2010	Remove mountain lion and install snow leopard. Everything is faster and uses less CPU cycles, ram, and hard drive swapping. Battery life is significantly improved, even in sleep mode.
	0

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