MacBook Pro Battery Draining Fast After macOS Update – Any Fixes?

[alexmyrepal]

Hi everyone,

I recently updated my MacBook Pro (2021, M1 Pro) to macOS Sonoma 14.2, and I’ve noticed a significant drop in battery life since then. Before the update, I could easily get 10-12 hours of use, but now it’s down to around 6-7 hours, even with the same apps and usage habits.

Details:​

• MacBook Model: MacBook Pro 14-inch (2021, M1 Pro)
• macOS Version: Sonoma 14.2
• Battery Health: 96% (checked in System Settings)
• Apps in Use: Safari, Mail, Microsoft Teams, and occasional Photoshop
• Power Usage: I’ve noticed high energy impact from WindowServer and Spotlight.

What I’ve Tried:​

1. Resetting SMC and PRAM (though I’m not sure it applies to M1 Macs).
2. Turning off unnecessary background processes (e.g., Time Machine and Spotlight reindexing).
3. Lowering screen brightness and disabling keyboard backlighting.
4. Checked Activity Monitor to see which apps drain the most battery.

Questions:​

1. Has anyone else experienced battery issues after updating to macOS Sonoma?
2. Are there specific settings I should tweak to improve battery life?
3. Could it be related to Spotlight reindexing or background tasks from the update? If so, how long should I expect it to normalize?
4. Any tips for troubleshooting this further, or is it worth rolling back to a previous macOS version?

I’d really appreciate any advice or insights. Thanks in advance for your help!

 

[Fishrrman]

Sonoma is now at 14.7.1, if I'm not mistaken.

Sequoia is at 15.2.

 

[HobeSoundDarryl]

If actually Sonoma, that was probably early Sonoma bugs. Upgrade to latest Sonoma.

If actually Sequoia, downgrading back to 14.7.1 may be best and then revisit this at about the .5 or so Sequoia update. My approach is wait for about .5 (approx. WWDC time). It used to be about .2 but "just works" Apple seems to be slipping away each year.

IMO: we need a "Snow Leopard" year or two where all focus is on bug fixes & refinements over new-new-new. But presumably, new-new-new drives more "another record quarter" than "no new but lots of bugs finally fixed."

 

[PotentPeas]

If you did a major version upgrade (i.e. Ventura to Sonoma, or Sonoma to Sequoia) then there is some normal processing/reindexing that happens for a while after the upgrade is done. (You mention this in Question #3... also high energy usage from "Spotlight" could indicate that this is happening.) It should only take a few hours to finish at most, I would leave it plugged into power and "awake" for a while to let that work complete.

If you feel like the system has already had time for this to finish, I'd say open up Activity Monitor and see if there are background processes gobbling CPU time. That could give a hint as to what the culprit is.

Do upgrade to the latest Sonoma if you are really on 14.2. This could well be an issue that has been resolved.

 

[StoneJack]

Hi everyone,

I recently updated my MacBook Pro (2021, M1 Pro) to macOS Sonoma 14.2, and I’ve noticed a significant drop in battery life since then. Before the update, I could easily get 10-12 hours of use, but now it’s down to around 6-7 hours, even with the same apps and usage habits.

Details:​

• MacBook Model: MacBook Pro 14-inch (2021, M1 Pro)
• macOS Version: Sonoma 14.2
• Battery Health: 96% (checked in System Settings)
• Apps in Use: Safari, Mail, Microsoft Teams, and occasional Photoshop
• Power Usage: I’ve noticed high energy impact from WindowServer and Spotlight.

What I’ve Tried:​

1. Resetting SMC and PRAM (though I’m not sure it applies to M1 Macs).
2. Turning off unnecessary background processes (e.g., Time Machine and Spotlight reindexing).
3. Lowering screen brightness and disabling keyboard backlighting.
4. Checked Activity Monitor to see which apps drain the most battery.

Questions:​

1. Has anyone else experienced battery issues after updating to macOS Sonoma?
2. Are there specific settings I should tweak to improve battery life?
3. Could it be related to Spotlight reindexing or background tasks from the update? If so, how long should I expect it to normalize?
4. Any tips for troubleshooting this further, or is it worth rolling back to a previous macOS version?

I’d really appreciate any advice or insights. Thanks in advance for your help!

did you use any utilities to check the battery state?

 

[cool11]

I am on sequoia 15.3.
I cannot be totally sure of course, but I think it is not just my idea, that the battery drains faster in the last few weeks.
Is it some kind of bug?

 

[cool11]

So, it is not my idea.

https://www.reddit.com/r/MacOS/comments/1gc2nj8/battery_life_shortened_after_sequoia