My rMB is my secondary machine, I use an iMac when I'm at my desk at home. But I was wondering if its bad to keep it plugged in to powe? I know it only takes 1-2 hours to charge but I was looking through the Power Nap function and it can do so much more if the MacBook is plugged in. So should I keep it plugged in for hours and hours (without using it) or unplug it as soon as it's done charging? What do you guys do?
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Should I keep it always plugged in?
- Thread starter AppleJuiceBox
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I'd leave it plugged in. It'll use the mains power then and not battery power, preserving the life of the batteries.
I always leave my MacBooks plugged in, i recently sold my 3 year old late 2011 macbook which got used every day and after 3 years use there were only 31 cycles on the battery count, and i had no problems with it at all. I have had my current 2 month old rMBP about 2 months and there are only 2 cycles on the battery count, and they were from the first few days i had it.
I personally wouldn't recommend plugging it in and using it from the power all the time. My original 15" MacBook Pro (the 2nd generation) was used in this fashion. Over about three years the battery needed replacing.
I tried to use my old 13" MacBook Pro (13" 2.26GHz Core 2 Duo) on the battery as much as I could but after 5 years, needed to replace the battery.
My current Late 2013 rMBP is used off mains ALL the time. I only plug it in when it tells me the battery is low.
So for me and my history, I personally wouldn't and when I get my rMB next month, will be doing the same as I'm currently doing.
I tried to use my old 13" MacBook Pro (13" 2.26GHz Core 2 Duo) on the battery as much as I could but after 5 years, needed to replace the battery.
My current Late 2013 rMBP is used off mains ALL the time. I only plug it in when it tells me the battery is low.
So for me and my history, I personally wouldn't and when I get my rMB next month, will be doing the same as I'm currently doing.
seems like fools always are asking about that damn cycle count! I never knew how to check until I went to sell a mac a few years ago.
I keep my 2012 rMBP plugged in most of the time and my screen shot shows that your recommendation is completely false, if we compare.
OP, use the computer as you like. Don't worry about anything that you read in this thread. I am not being facetious. There are so many silly myths about batteries on these forums that it's best to ignore them all. That's what I do and the proof has always been in the pudding.
I agree with this, my 2012 MBA has 90 cycles and has 94-96% of the design capacity. My cousin mbp that is 1 year old has around 250 cycles and is down to 85%. Using a Mac laptop. Using ac power when able will reduce the operating temp of the battery as charging and discharging create heat.I keep my 2012 rMBP plugged in most of the time and my screen shot shows that your recommendation is completely false, if we compare.
![Screenshot%202015-05-04%2001.31.03.png]()
OP, use the computer as you like. Don't worry about anything that you read in this thread. I am not being facetious. There are so many silly myths about batteries on these forums that it's best to ignore them all. That's what I do and the proof has always been in the pudding.
My cycle count is my mother in laws fault. She is super OCD with electric usage.
Seriously? Does she object to you plugging in your laptop when you visit?
There are so many myths and opinions about this question, and it seems like everyone has their own different anecdotal data points.
Me personally? I almost always keep my laptops plugged in, but occasionally I do want to run off battery power (say, at least once every 2-4 weeks) and run it at least to below 50%, maybe a little more (like 30-40%), then I plug it in again.
I don't claim this is categorically the "right answer" but especially in recent years with Li-Ion battery technology, it has served me pretty well. The old ideas about needing to sometimes "calibrate" batteries with a deep discharge cycle no longer seem to matter, and in fact in my *own* anecdotal experience (a couple of data points) doing so seems to be rough on the battery.
Sometimes I've had a situation where I leave an old, idle spare laptop unplugged for a long, long time. The battery goes to zero, remains at zero for weeks or months, and can't be jumpstarted; a previously "perfectly good" battery which had almost all of its original capacity remaining became a brick. These days I make sure to either keep them plugged in or disconnect the battery from the laptop (for models which have removable batteries).
Me personally? I almost always keep my laptops plugged in, but occasionally I do want to run off battery power (say, at least once every 2-4 weeks) and run it at least to below 50%, maybe a little more (like 30-40%), then I plug it in again.
I don't claim this is categorically the "right answer" but especially in recent years with Li-Ion battery technology, it has served me pretty well. The old ideas about needing to sometimes "calibrate" batteries with a deep discharge cycle no longer seem to matter, and in fact in my *own* anecdotal experience (a couple of data points) doing so seems to be rough on the battery.
Sometimes I've had a situation where I leave an old, idle spare laptop unplugged for a long, long time. The battery goes to zero, remains at zero for weeks or months, and can't be jumpstarted; a previously "perfectly good" battery which had almost all of its original capacity remaining became a brick. These days I make sure to either keep them plugged in or disconnect the battery from the laptop (for models which have removable batteries).
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I agree with this, keeping your laptop plugged in almost all the time is just fine so long as you run it off the battery enough to complete a cycle about once a month. It's pretty easy to do if you use it unplugged for any amount of time each day.
From what I understand, Lithium Ion batteries should be stored with about 50% charge.
Just use it as you wish. If you're going to have it plugged in anyways, what's the difference if the battery life isn't very good.
You should be fine leaving it plugged in.
You should be fine leaving it plugged in.
My MB is my only computer and when I am using it at home (most of the time), it is plugged in. I don't unplug the MB when the I an not using it. I use an external monitor, but that is plugged in separately. I also use an external keyboard. My previous MB was used the same way and I had to replace the battery after 3 years.
LI batteries do not like being run down flat. People do it to "calibrate" the software battery monitor, but it's not good for the battery.
You do not need to calibrate the battery in the current Macbook line-up. That was recommended for the old Macbooks with removable batteries.
You have no idea. Major OCD as in cushions and cups that are just for show. Live and let live.
Edit; i should add she doesn't understand the need for internet and i'm an internet addict. I did plug in when i was full time windows but... more hassle than it was worth. We stay for a week at a time several times a year.
took me over 400 cycles in my 2012 rMBP for my battery to drop to 94%. my battery for rMB in less than 3 weeks is now at 94%
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