Plugged in or no?

[Jmgilliam18]

Coming from a PC - first time MacBook. Got the Pro, 2019 version. When using at home/office is it best to keep plugged in or let the battery run down and plug in when low...?

I know some of the pc's say it reduces the life of battery to keep plugged in a lot... Didn't know about these.

Thx.

 

[bluespark]

Power consumption and charging are intelligently managed, so it really doesn't matter. Do whatever works best for you.

(That said, I'd be dishonest if I didn't also mention that I occasionally let mine run all the way down and then fully recharge, but that's because of a nagging voice in my head telling me this is a good idea rather than because it makes any actual sense.)

 

[ApfelKuchen]

Per https://www.apple.com/batteries/why-lithium-ion/

Charge your Apple lithium-ion battery whenever you want. There’s no need to let it discharge 100% before recharging.

Between the properties of lithium batteries and the charging circuitry and software built into the Mac, there's no need to disconnect from charger until you have to put the Mac into your backpack.

 

[CheesePuff]

The less battery cycles, the better. So plugged in when you can.

 

[cynics]

Keeping the battery plugged in will reduce battery cycles. Battery cycles cause wear so minimizing them can be beneficial. However you do want to exercise the batteries chemistry on occasion by actually using it.

Heat is also a factor so having it plugged in while under a heavy load is beneficial to prevent the battery from getting excessively hot due to high drain discharge.

However you should be using the laptop that maximizes your workloads efficiency don't working around what is best for the laptop.

 

[Jmgilliam18]

Thanks all