Skip to main content

How to check battery cycle count on your MacBook

Most of Apple’s modern notebooks can go through 1,000 charge cycles before needing a battery replacement. Follow along for how to check the battery cycle count on your MacBook.

As noted in an Apple support document, here’s how your MacBook calculates its charge cycle count:

A charge cycle happens when you use all of the battery’s power—but that doesn’t necessarily mean a single charge.

For example, you could use half of your notebook’s charge in one day, and then recharge it fully. If you did the same thing the next day, it would count as one charge cycle, not two. In this way, it might take several days to complete a cycle.

How to check battery cycle count on your MacBook

  1. Click the  in top left corner of your Mac
  2. Select About This Mac, then System Report…
  3. On the left sidebar, click Power
  4. You’ll find your battery cycle count under Health Information:

Here’s how the process looks:

check battery cycle count Mac walkthrough 1

Look for the System Report option in the bottom left area of the About this Mac window.

how to check battery cycle count walkthrough 2

On the left had sidebar, select Power:

check MacBook battery cycle count

Underneath the cycle count, you’ll also see the condition of your battery. While almost all of Apple’s MacBooks made over the last ten years have batteries that are rated for 1,000 charge cycles, check out this document to see details for each specific model.

For more help getting the most out of your Apple devices, check out our how to guide as well as the following articles:

FTC: We use income earning auto affiliate links. More.

Hyper Wireless Chargers
You’re reading 9to5Mac — experts who break news about Apple and its surrounding ecosystem, day after day. Be sure to check out our homepage for all the latest news, and follow 9to5Mac on Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn to stay in the loop. Don’t know where to start? Check out our exclusive stories, reviews, how-tos, and subscribe to our YouTube channel

Check out 9to5Mac on YouTube for more Apple news:

Comments

Author

Avatar for Michael Potuck Michael Potuck

Michael is an editor for 9to5Mac. Since joining in 2016 he has written more than 3,000 articles including breaking news, reviews, and detailed comparisons and tutorials.