About Battery Cycles
Use of your Mac notebook battery accrues in the form of charge cycles. A charge cycle means using all of the battery’s power, but that doesn’t necessarily mean a single charge. For instance, you could use your notebook for an hour or more one day, using half its charge, and then recharge it fully. If you did the same thing the next day, it would count as one charge cycle, not two, so it may take several days to complete a cycle.
Batteries have a limited amount of charge cycles before they are considered to be consumed. Once consumed, a replacement battery is recommended. You can use your battery after it reaches its maximum cycle count, but you may notice a reduction in your battery life. Knowing how many charge cycles are on your battery and how many are left can help you determine when a battery replacement is required. For optimal performance, replace your battery when you reach the maximum cycle count.
Follow these steps to access information about your Mac notebook battery including the cycle count:
- Your first step will vary depending on which version of Mac OS X you are using:
- OS X Snow Leopard v10.6.8 or earlier: Open Apple System Profiler by choosing "About this Mac" from the Apple () menu. Then, click More Info.
- OS X Lion v10.7 or later: Open System Information by choosing "About this Mac" from the Apple () menu. Click System Report.
- Click Power in the Contents list (under the Hardware section as shown below).
- The current cycle count is listed under the Battery Information section.
The above example shows System Report and a battery with six cycles on it.
Identify your computer
Cycle count limit will vary based on your Apple computer. For assistance identifying your Mac notebook, use the Tech Specs page or the linked articles below for assistance.
- How to identify MacBook Pro models
- How to identify MacBook models
- How to identify MacBook Air models
Cycle Count Limits
Consult the table below to see the cycle count limit for your computer's battery before it is considered consumed.
| Computer | Maximum Cycle Count |
| MacBook | |
| MacBook (13-inch, Mid 2010) MacBook (13-inch, Late 2009) |
1000 |
| MacBook (13-inch Aluminum, Late 2008) | 500 |
| MacBook (Mid 2009) MacBook (Early 2009) MacBook (Late 2008) MacBook (Early 2008) MacBook (Late 2007) MacBook (Mid 2007) MacBook (Late 2006) MacBook (13-inch) |
300 |
| MacBook Pro | |
| MacBook Pro (Retina, 13-inch, Mid 2014) MacBook Pro (Retina, 13-inch, Late 2013) MacBook Pro (Retina, 13-inch, Early 2013) MacBook Pro (Retina, 13-inch, Late 2012) MacBook Pro (13-inch, Mid 2012) MacBook Pro (13-inch, Late 2011) MacBook Pro (13-inch, Early 2011) MacBook Pro (13-inch, Mid 2010) MacBook Pro (13-inch, Mid 2009) MacBook Pro (Retina, 15-inch, Mid 2014) MacBook Pro (Retina, 15-inch, Late 2013) MacBook Pro (Retina, 15-inch, Early 2013) MacBook Pro (Retina, Mid 2012) MacBook pro (15-inch, Mid 2012) MacBook Pro (15-inch, Late 2011) MacBook Pro (15-inch, Early 2011) MacBook Pro (15-inch, Mid 2010) MacBook Pro (15-inch, 2.53 GHz, Mid 2009) MacBook Pro (15-inch Mid 2009)
MacBook Pro (17-inch, Late 2011) |
1000 |
| MacBook Pro (15-inch Late 2008) | 500 |
|
MacBook Pro (15-inch, Early 2008) MacBook Pro (17-inch, Late 2008) |
300 |
| MacBook Air | |
|
MacBook Air (11-inch, Early 2014) MacBook Air (13-inch, Early 2014) |
1000 |
| MacBook Air (Mid 2009) | 500 |
| MacBook Air (Late 2008) MacBook Air |
300 |
- For more information on batteries see www.apple.com/batteries.
- For information on battery terminology refer to Mac notebooks: Battery terminology and key concepts.