How to Set an 80% Battery Charge Limit on MacBook without Third-Party App

For the longest time, I relied on a third-party app called AlDente just to do one simple thing: Stop my MacBook from charging to 100%.

If you’ve read my previous how to manually set battery charge limit post, you know I used tools like AlDente for this. It worked great, but honestly, I always wished Apple would just build this feature directly into macOS.

Not in the mood for reading? Watch the video instead.

After years of waiting, well, they finally did!

If you’re on macOS Tahoe 26.4 or newer, you can now set a manual battery charge limit through System Settings, just like on iPhone. No extra app needed!

• Update to Latest macOS Tahoe 26.4
• How to Set Battery Charge Limit
• Why I Use 80%
• Battery Charging Reminder
• Video
• Final Thoughts

Update to Latest macOS Tahoe 26.4

Before setting it, you need to make sure you’re at least using macOS Tahoe 26.4. To do that, follow these steps:

1. Open System Settings
2. Go to General > Software Update
3. If you see Your Mac is up to date, make sure you’re on macOS Tahoe 26.4 or later.
4. If not, click the Check for Updates button. If you see an update to macOS Tahoe 26.4 or later, do it!

If you’re using older MacBook models, you probably won’t see any new macOS updates.

Or maybe you refuse to use Tahoe personally, you’ll also not see this new feature. In this case, you still can limit battery charging by using a 3rd-party app.

How to Set Battery Charge Limit

Once you’re sure you’re using at least macOS Tahoe 26.4, you can follow these steps to manually set battery charge limit on your MacBook:

1. Open System Settings

2. Go to Battery from the left sidebar

3. Click the (i) icon next to Charging.

   

4. A dialog will show up. You can choose your preferred limit: 80% / 85% / 90% / 95% / 100%

5. Once you’re sure, click Done to apply changes.

   

That’s it. Once you set it, your Mac will stop charging at the selected percentage. If your battery is already above that limit, it will gradually drop down to it.

It behaves very similarly to the iPhone battery limit feature.

For example, if you set the charge limit to 80% and plug in your charger, then it will charge up to ~80% and stop there.

Why I Use 80%

I mostly use my MacBook plugged in at my desk, either for my remote work or my personal projects.

Keeping the battery at 100% all the time isn’t ideal for long-term battery health, so 80% is a nice balance because it has enough battery if I need to unplug and less stress on the battery. And when I know I’ll be traveling, I just switch it back to 100%.

So why not 85% or 90% or 95%? Well, the rule of thumb is the closer the battery charge level to 50% is, the better it is to maintain its health.

Battery Charging Reminder

When I was writing this post, my intention was clear: If you use your MacBook connected to a charger almost all the time, limit the battery charge. If not, just use the battery normally.

But when I posted the video version of this article, someone asked me the following question:

OK, and how does it notify me when my battery drops below 20%?

I read some theories that to keep the battery healthy, you need to keep the level between 20%-80% or 40%-80% or any number in between. I don’t know if that theory was right, but from my experience I do not recommend it because:

1. The difference is probably insignificant and could make it worse
2. You’re essentially babysitting the MacBook’s battery, which makes your life less enjoyable

Anyway, whatever the reason is, I’ll still show you how to set a notification or reminder to charge your MacBook when the battery falls below a certain level e.g. 20%.

To set a charging notification, open the Shortcuts app then:

1. Select the Automation left sidebar.
2. Click the + button from the top right.

A dialog will show up. Scroll until you see Battery Level and click it.

A new Battery Level settings will show up. Set with the following options:

1. Select the Falls Below.
2. Set the desired level, for example 20%.
3. Select Run Immediately.
4. Once finished, click the Next button.

Select the action you need. Because it’s basically just a reminder to charge your MacBook, we only need to:

1. Select the Show Notification action.
2. Click the Done button.

Now your Automation is ready. You can configure some more stuff before closing the Shortcuts app.

1. Change the icon into something more memorable such as a battery icon.
2. Change the name into something like Charging Reminder.
3. Change the notification message to something actionable such as Charge your Mac, please!.
4. You can test the Notification by clicking the Play button.

Once you’re happy with all the settings, you can close the Shortcuts app. Next time your MacBook battery falls below 20% (or other values), it’ll show a notification to remind you to charge the battery.

Video

Final Thoughts

This is one of those small features that makes a big difference.

I don’t really need to install an extra app and add more background processes to my MacBook anymore. Just a simple toggle built into macOS.

Honestly, this is something Apple should’ve added years ago, but hey, better late than never!

That’s it for today. Thanks for reading, and see you next time 👋