Nothing lasts forever, not even your MacBook Pro’s promised battery life. These are the warning signs that your MacBook Pro battery is dying for good.
Is your MacBook no longer running at its peak performance? Maybe it’s time to upgrade to a new laptop, or maybe you can get away with just replacing certain parts of your computer. The decision really comes down to the age of your MacBook.
Apple considers MacBooks to be obsolete and needing to be replaced when they are around seven years old. At this point in time, you will no longer be able to update its operating system or buy replacement parts. But, if your MacBook is newer than that, you should first try replacing parts — such as the battery — before investing in a whole new computer.
Keep reading to discover the top signs that it’s time to replace your MacBook Pro battery.
1. Your Laptop Won’t Turn On
If your laptop won’t turn on, no matter how hard you press the power button, it may be because your MacBook Pro battery is not charging.
To make sure that it’s actually an issue with your battery, try plugging your charger into a different wall outlet. Still not turning on? Then you’ll want to use a different charging cord to see if it’s an issue with your charger.
If at this point you’re still experiencing the MacBook Pro not charging issue, take your laptop into a repair shop and ask for a battery replacement. This will be a much cheaper option compared to buying a new computer.
2. It Charges But Dies Quickly
Does your MacBook Pro battery life not last as long as it used to? Over time, your battery life can deplete, and eventually, you’ll want to replace your battery to solve this issue.
It’s not abnormal for a fully charged MacBook battery to last around 12 hours. Test out how long your battery charge lasts by fulling charging your laptop to 100%. Then, set a time and use your laptop as normal until it dies of low battery. If it only lasts a couple of hours — or a couple of minutes — it’s time to replace your battery.
If your MacBook is seven years or older, it probably won’t be worth it to replace your battery. Instead, you may just want to always use your computer while it’s plugged into the charger until you are ready to replace it with a new laptop.
3. Your MacBook Regularly Overheats
If your computer regularly shuts down due to overheating or is hot to the touch, it might be time to replace your MacBook battery.
In some cases, it’s expected that your laptop will overheat or run hotter than normal. If you are running multiple programs at once, your laptop may not be able to keep up. Or, if you’re in an extremely hot location and not allowing normal airflow to the fan area of your laptop, it can easily overheat.
But, if your laptop regularly overheats when you’re just browsing the internet or writing in a Word document, then your battery is likely the culprit.
4. You Receive a Service Battery Warning
One obvious way that Apple lets you know it’s time for a battery replacement is with the service battery MacBook Pro warning.
If you click the battery icon in the upper right-hand portion of your screen, it will give you a few more details about your battery. While most people only use this to see how much battery life they have left, by clicking on the icon, it may also give you a warning.
If you see no battery warning, your MacBook’s battery is in good condition. But, if you see the words Service Battery, Replace Soon, or Replace Now, this is your laptop letting you know something is wrong.
The warnings themself are pretty self-explanatory.
Service Battery means your battery is working okay but you should consider taking it into an Apple store to be checked out. Replace Soon means that your battery is not working as it should and this will need to be addressed in the near future. Replace Now means that your battery is barely working and you need to replace it immediately if you want to continue to use your computer.
5. The Battery Cycles Are High
If you haven’t received a service battery warning yet but are curious about the condition of your MacBook’s battery, you should look into your computer’s battery cycles.
To start, go to the Apple menu and select “About This Mac.” While on the Overview screen, click “System Report.” This will bring up a long list of reports, but you want to select the “Power” report on the left-hand side of the menu.
Here, you’ll get a breakdown of your battery information. Under “Health Information” you’ll see the specific number of battery cycles you’re laptop has completed under Cycle County.
A battery cycle is the number of times your computer uses its full battery. So if you always stop using your computer and charge it when it reaches a 50% battery, it would take two buses to reach one full battery cycle.
Each Macbook model has a certain number of battery cycles it suggests before a battery replacement. So, look up your specific computer model and find it’s maximum cycle count.
By frequently checking in on your battery cycle count, you can replace your battery before any of the above issues start to happen. This will allow you to keep your MacBook in a top-performing state for as long as possible.
Stay Productive With a New MacBook Pro Battery
After reading this article, you now know if the time has come to finally replace your MacBook Pro battery.
Some of the signs are more obvious, such as your laptop refusing to turn on due to your MacBook battery not charging or it no longer holds a charge for very long. If your MacBook overheats or is often hot to the touch, this could also be a sign of a bad battery. You can also look for a service battery warning or look at your laptop’s specific battery cycles to tell if it’s time for a replacement.
Was the issue you’re experiencing with your laptop, not on this list? If so, it might not be your battery that’s malfunctioning. Head to the Tech section of this site for more articles to help you troubleshoot your specific problem.
