Battery draining issues not only affect mobile devices but also transpire among portable computers and underlying cause is either on the software or hardware. In early devices, battery draining is usually due to a depreciating battery performance while in new devices, software-related factors are usually the main culprits. Lined up below are recommended procedures to eliminate software-related factors that might have caused rapid battery draining problem on your Mac. Read on to find out how to preserve your Mac’s battery.
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Fix battery draining issues on MacOS Mojave
Performing the following procedures will rule out software-related factors that might have caused rapid battery draining issue on your Mac. Consider these methods before opting for new battery replacement or rushing to a service center.
First solution: Force reboot/restart your Mac.
If this is the first time you noticed that your battery is draining faster, it could be due to some random glitches that spoiled the battery system. To get rid of these random symptoms, performing a forced reboot or restart on your Mac can help. So here’s what you should do first:
- Press and hold down the Command and Control keys along with the Power button until the screen turns blank and the device restarts.
Or carry out these steps to reboot the system:
- Go to the Apple menu.
- Select Restart.
- Click Restart in the pop-up menu to confirm.
Allow your device to finish booting up and then use your device as you normally do to determine how long the battery could last. If the battery still drains so fast, proceed to the next applicable solution.
Second solution: Update macOS and apps.
Updates also contain fix patches that will help get rid of bug-inflicted issues including battery draining. If you haven’t set your Mac to auto-update, then you can refer to these steps to manually check for and install pending updates.
- From the Apple menu, click System Preferences.
- Click Software Update.
- Click Update Now button to install any update.
- To view details about the update, click More info and select the specific updates to install.
Before updating, be sure to connect your Mac to its charger or AC power as it could take time to download and install macOS updates. Also ensure that your internet connection is stable.
Aside from macOS, updating apps can also help if rogue apps are the main cause of the problem. App updates also contain fix patch to remedy apps that are misbehaving on your device and eventually caused power drain.
- To view and install pending app updates on your Mac, simply go to the App Store and then click on Updates.
Reboot your Mac once you’re done installing updates to ensure that all new system changes are properly implemented. Doing so also refreshes the apps and prevents them from acting up following the recent system changes.
Third solution: Delete bad apps.
Many cases of battery drain are attributed to bad apps. These apps are the ones consuming the most of your Mac’s power. In this case, resolving the problem is done through apps deletion. To check which app is using the most of your Mac’s battery, follow these steps:
- Open the Finder.
- Tap Applications.
- Select Utilities.
- Then click on Activity Monitor.
- Navigate to the top panel of the screen then tap Energy.
Alternatively, you can use Spotlight and search for the Activity Monitor to view the entire list of all apps along with their battery consumption. Review and analyze the list and find out which app is consuming the most power. You can delete or reinstall bad apps then.
Fourth solution: Reset SMC System Management Controller.
Another potential solution to software-related power draining issue in Mac computers is the so-called SMC reset. SMS or System Management Controller reset is carried out with these steps:
- Go to the Apple Menu.
- Select the option to Shut Down. Doing so will turn off the Mac.
- After a few seconds, press and hold the Power button for about 10 seconds and then release it.
- Wait for a few more seconds and then press the Power button again to turn the Mac on.
Allow your device to finish booting up and then try using it as you normally do and see if that solves the problem.
Battery-saving tips for your Mac
There are features on your Mac that can be disabled to reduce power consumption and to preserve or extend its battery life. If they’re not in use, you can turn these features off to save and extend your Mac’s battery.
1. Disable Automatic Updates
Although it benefits to set your device to auto-update, activating this feature also contributes to faster draining of your Mac’s battery. This happens because your device will automatically search for new updates whenever it gets connected to the Internet. To save and stretch your Mac’s battery life, follow these steps to turn off Automatic Updates:
- Tap the icon to open the Apple menu.
- Click System Preferences.
- Click App Store.
- Scroll down to the bottom of the screen then click the Lock icon.
- Enter your Apple ID and password when asked to proceed.
Turn off the option to install macOS updates, download newly available updates in the background, install system data files and security updates.
2. Turn off Location Services.
Enabling location services benefits in terms of determining locations for certain apps but keeping this feature activated can also consume battery on your device. You can disable this feature temporarily if there’s a need to stretch your Mac’s battery. Here’s how:
- Tap the icon to open the Apple menu.
- Click System Preferences.
- Tap Security & Privacy.
- Scroll down to the bottom of the screen then click on the Lock icon to make some changes to the setting.
- Enter your Apple ID and password when asked to proceed.
- Tap Privacy.
- Then tap Location services.
- Turn off Location Services and confirm.
- Click on the Lock icon again to re-enable security on your Mac.
3. Turn off iCloud Photo Sharing and relevant features.
With these features enabled, you will be able to share all your albums and photos across every Apple device. My Photo Stream allows you to collect all the recent photos from your iOS device and share new photos to My Photo Stream to other compatible devices. But there’s also a downside because it gradually consumes the battery of your Mac.
- Tap the icon to open the Apple menu.
- Select System Preferences.
- Click iCloud.
- Then click Options next to Photos.
- Turn off iCloud Photo Library, iCloud Photo Sharing, and My Photo Stream.
- Tap Done.
4. Turn off Transparency and Motion Effects
Motion effects and transparency is indeed a cool feature but when they also contribute to massive power drain when enabled. Thus it’s recommended to turn this feature off when not in use. Here’s what you should do next:
- Tap the icon to open the Apple menu.
- Click on System Preferences.
- Open Accessibility.
- Click Display on the left pane.
- Remove the check next to Reduce Motions and Reduce Transparency.
5. Enable Power-saving mode.
Like iOS devices, your Mac also has power saving mode that can be enabled whenever you need to stretch battery when your device is running low on power. To enable this feature, simply follow these steps:
- Click on the Apple menu icon on the top of the screen.
- Select System Preferences.
- Tap Energy Saver to enable the feature.
Closing any unused tabs can also help. Keeping multiple tabs opened will augment the load of the processor and therefore results to increase power consumption.
Seek more help
If none of the above solutions is able to solve the problem, then this is when you should consider opting for service. You can take your device to the nearest Apple-Mac service center and ask an authorized technician to examine your device and repair any damaged component, if needed. If your Mac is still covered by warranty, then you better avail for warranty either for service or new unit replacement.
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