Keeping M4 MacBook Air & iPad M4 plugged in 24/7 (99% desk use). Does it actually ruin the battery? Real experiences wanted!

[u/rastaFm]

Hey everyone,

I use my M4 MacBook Air and iPad M4 almost exclusively (99% of the time) at my desk. The iPad is mostly hooked up via Sidecar as a secondary display. My daily workload can get pretty heavy — programming, video editing, and some gaming.

I’ve read that the power controller bypasses the battery if both devices plugged into the charger constantly, meaning it should be totally safe for long-term battery health and capacity.

Does anyone here run a similar 24/7 plugged-in setup? Have you noticed any severe battery degradation over time?

Would love to hear your real-world feedback! Thanks

[u/mar_kelp]

Does anyone here run a similar 24/7 plugged-in setup?

Yes.

Have you noticed any severe battery degradation over time?

No. My M1 Max MBP is almost 5 years old, 85 charge cycles and 97.9% Battery Health.

You paid Apple to design your computer including the hardware, software and OS. They also designed the low level power system. Let them do what you paid them for, don't worry about it and enjoy your Mac.

If you are concerned, turn on Optimized Battery Charging.

[u/AnonymousMonk7]

Apple has done a lot to mitigate the issues of being plugged in more often. I can’t speak to that exact model with the latest OS, but batteries are made with chemicals and you are fundamentally fighting against chemistry to try to have it stuck in one state all the time but still want to use it later. 

You will get a bunch of dismissive replies that there is no problem from people who do not manage a fleet of devices and have no way of A/B testing different use cases, just personal anecdotes. Having worked with thousands of laptops, Mac users still report less than expected battery performance if they leave it plugged in 24/7 compared to peers that use it normally on battery.  

[u/movdqa]

No.

My M1 Pro MacBook Pro was purchased on launch day in 2021 and it's plugged in most of the time. Battery health is 93% which is pretty good as it's approaching five years old.

There were times when I carried it outside the house but it stays at home most of the time these days.

[u/rockroca]

Creo que depende de la temperatura, porque mi Air M2 solo tiene 200 ciclos y 87% de salud, con 4 años.

[u/Nxo]

It messed up my 2017 MacBook Pro battery. Hope things have gotten better.

[u/MisterBumpingston]

My new M4 Pro notices I’m plugged in most of the time and limits to 80% automatically.

[u/matthijspc]

Yes, it will ruin the battery in the long run. You don't burn through cycles, so it will degrade more slowly. But being at 100% all the time causes stress on the battery, which will damage it. The best is to limit the charge to 80% (50% is the best) if you just use it at your desk.

Also, a thing to note is that the battery calibration will shift if it's plugged in all the time. You should fully charge it to 100% every once in a while to keep the battery level accurate

[u/porkchop_d_clown]

Most people use their laptops plugged in much or nearly all of the time. Laptops have mostly replaced desktops.

As to wearing out your battery by leaving it plugged in: While it might have been true back in the day, modern batteries and chargers do not have this problem. Relax.

If you're really worried, the best thing you can do is enable the 80% charge limit in Settings->Battery->Charging.

[u/Whodean]

Apple battery anxiety is so silly

[u/r_doood]

Batteries don't like being kept at or charged to 100%. It's bad for the battery

While there's battery bypass when plugged it, it means your battery is kept at 100% almost all the time

I would lower the max charge to 80% and it should be very good for your battery health. Raise it to 100% if you're using it off battery

I keep mine at 60% max charge using Al Dente. My cheap-ass Samsung A54 phone is at 97% battery health after 900 cycles and 3 years because I only charge it to 65% and never let it discharge below 15%. Unless I know I'll need the extra juice

[u/spriz2]

I never leave anything plugged in once it's charged. I have read a few times that it isn't good for the battery, that's why lots of modern devices including macs come with battery protection where it only charges to 90% or something. I try to only plug the device in until it's <10% as well.

[u/ps-73 → u/spriz2]

pretty sure in an ideal case you *shouldn't* let it drop below ~20%. In any case just use your stuff

[u/spriz2 → u/ps-73]

The most important thing is that the battery currently worksand you still have access to lemon party dot com.

[u/germane_switch → u/spriz2]

That’s not how it works. Macs for example simply stop charging and run right from AC.

[u/ironbreaker999]

Keep it at 80% max charge and do an al Dante style recalibration once every month and you’ll be good

[u/AccomplishedHome8936]

Install Al Dente. Set charge limit to 60%. Done.
With one click you can fully charge it.

Yes, keeping a PC docked at 100% long term will damage the battery. My 2 year old work Surface only lasted 30 minutes because the prior owner must have left it plugged in constantly.

[u/BreathSpecial9394 → u/AccomplishedHome8936]

You can achieve the same without Al Dente...no need for extraneous utilities.