What's draining my MacBook battery?
By Junaid, maker of Taskglass · Updated
Usually an app keeping the processor busy: a browser with video or many tabs, a video-call app, or sync and indexing in the background, plus a bright screen. macOS's Battery settings don't list apps, but Activity Monitor's Energy tab does: sort by Energy Impact for right now, and check 12 hr Power for the last 12 hours.
How to find what's draining your battery
- 1
Open the Energy tab
Open Activity Monitor (⌘ Space, then type Activity Monitor), click Energy and sort by Energy Impact to see what's using power right now.
- 2
Check the last 12 hours
The 12 hr Power column shows each app's average over the last 12 hours, which catches apps that drained the battery earlier.
- 3
Find apps keeping the Mac awake
The Preventing Sleep column shows Yes for apps that stop the Mac from sleeping. Quit them before you close the lid.
- 4
Turn on Low Power Mode
Choose Apple menu › System Settings › Battery and set Low Power Mode to Only on Battery. It lowers brightness and processor speed to stretch battery life.
- 5
Check battery health
In System Settings › Battery, click the ⓘ next to Battery Health to see its condition and maximum capacity. Cycle count is in System Information › Power.
What drains a MacBook battery
| Cause | How to spot it | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| Browser video or many tabs | Chrome or Safari high in the Energy tab | Close tabs and extensions you don't need |
| Video calls | zoom.us or Microsoft Teams high | Turn off HD video on battery |
| Bright screen or external display | Battery drops fast with little CPU | Lower brightness |
| Background sync and indexing | bird or cloudd (iCloud), mds_stores, photoanalysisd | Normal after big changes; let it finish plugged in |
| Apps preventing sleep | Preventing Sleep: Yes in the Energy tab | Quit them before closing the lid |
| An ageing battery | Battery Health says Service Recommended | Have the battery serviced |
How do I see battery usage by app on a Mac?
Open Activity Monitor and click Energy. Energy Impact shows the current draw and 12 hr Power shows each app's average over the last 12 hours. System Settings › Battery shows your battery level over time, but not which app used it.
Why does my MacBook battery drain while asleep?
A little drain is normal. Bigger drops usually come from apps preventing sleep, network activity or connected accessories. Quit apps marked Preventing Sleep and disconnect accessories you don't need.
Does Low Power Mode make a difference?
Yes, mostly during light work: it lowers screen brightness and processor speed. Turn it on in System Settings › Battery.
Is Chrome bad for MacBook battery life?
Chrome often uses more energy than Safari, mostly because every tab and extension runs in its own helper process. Fewer tabs and extensions make the biggest difference.
How Taskglass helps
On Apple silicon, Taskglass reads each app's real energy use in watts, not an Energy Impact score, and tells you which apps used your battery since you last unplugged.
See how it worksQuestions
Why is my MacBook battery dying so fast?
Most often a busy app (browser video, video calls), a bright screen or background work. Activity Monitor's Energy tab shows which apps use the most energy.
How do I check my MacBook's battery health?
Choose Apple menu › System Settings › Battery and click the ⓘ next to Battery Health. Cycle count is in System Information › Power.
What uses the most battery on a Mac?
Usually the screen and whatever keeps the processor busy: browsers, video calls, games and exports.
Processes you might see
- Google Chrome Helper (Renderer)Runs web pages and extensions for Chrome; usually one per site or extension.
- Zoom (zoom.us)The Zoom video meetings app; zoom.us is its main process.
- birdSyncs iCloud Drive (including Desktop and Documents if enabled) with iCloud.
- clouddSyncs app data with iCloud using CloudKit, for Apple apps and many third-party apps.
- mds_storesMaintains Spotlight's search index on disk, updating it as files change.
- photoanalysisdAnalyses your photos in the background for Memories, People and searching by what's in them.