How to Check Battery Cycle Count on MacBook

Thanks to the adoption of power-efficient Apple Silicon processors, the latest MacBooks offer a solid battery life. That said, like all rechargeable lithium-ion batteries, the lifespan of your Mac battery is determined by how many charge cycles your Mac battery has and how many are left. This will give you an idea of when you should replace your MacBook battery to enjoy optimal performance. This guide will help you understand what is battery cycle count and how to check the battery cycle count on a MacBook. Without any ado, let’s get started.

What Is Mac Battery Cycle Count

MacBooks pack rechargeable lithium-ion batteries. Every time you use your MacBook, the battery goes through charge cycles. A Battery cycle count happens when you use all of your Mac’s battery. One cycle is counted when you charge your Mac from o to 100%. Depending on your usage and charging patterns, it may take several days for a Mac battery to complete one cycle. For instance, if you use 50% of your Mac’s battery in one day and recharge it fully, and then you do the same thing the next day. It will be counted as one charge cycle and not two.

MacBook batteries have a limited amount of charge cycles before their performance starts to decline. Once your Mac reaches its maximum battery cycle count is reached, the battery will retain up to 80 percent of its original charge capacity. When this happens, you must replace the battery to maintain performance. Otherwise, your Mac will have a lower charge-holding capacity, offering fewer hours between charges. You may also experience issues like unexpected shutdowns, sluggish performance, and more.

Check Battery Cycle Count on Macbook

Thankfully, it’s pretty easy to check your Mac battery cycles. You can easily keep an eye on the battery cycle count to figure out if and when your Mac needs battery replacements. Here’s how to do it:

• On your MacBook, hold the Option key and click on the Apple icon.
• Now, click on System Information and choose Power from the Hardware section.
• Here, you’ll see the battery cycle count, battery condition, maximum battery capacity (i.e. battery health), and other details.

You can also go to System Settings -> General -> About -> System Report and click on Power from the left sidebar.

Most MacBooks released since 2010 have batteries rated for 1,000 charge cycles. So, your Mac should work just fine until its battery reaches that mark. After that, your Mac may need a battery replacement.

Check Maximum Battery Cycle Count of your MacBook

The maximum battery cycle counts depend on the MacBook you’re using. As a general rule, older Macs aren’t as power-efficient as modern Macs. Typically, newer MacBook models have a maximum charge cycle count of 1,000. Whereas, batteries on the older Macs may have only 500 cycles. Once the limit has been exhausted, you must replace the battery.

Here’s the maximum cycle count of various MacBook, MacBook Air, and MacBook Pro models:

That’s how you can check the battery cycle count on a MacBook. Make sure to keep tabs on those cycles to enjoy an uninterrupted performance on your Mac. If your Mac shows “Service Battery” or “Service Recommendation”, here’s our guide on how to fix this issue.