Skip to main content

How-To: Find your MacBook’s battery cycle count and learn what it means about its battery life

Recently I noticed that my Late 2013 MacBook Pro with Retina Display seemed to be dying at a faster clip. Naturally, I assumed that the battery might be going bad.

After checking the battery cycle count, I learned that I was probably wrong about the battery being bad, as the cycle count was still well within the normal life span of my MacBook. Here’s how I was able to verify that everything was okay with my MacBook’s battery.

How to check your MacBook battery’s cycle count

Step 1: Hold the Option (⌥) key and click the Apple () logo in the upper left-hand corner.

Step 2: Click System Information.

Step 3: Under Hardware on the left side of the System Information page, click Power.

Step 4: Under the Battery Information header, find Health Information and check the Cycle Count.

As you can see from the screenshot below, my battery cycle count is resting at 466.

How to verify if your MacBook’s battery is still within its normal lifespan

Under Cycle Count below the Health Information section, you should see a Condition section. There, you can learn the current condition of your MacBook’s battery. In the screenshot above, you’ll see that my battery’s current condition is normal.

More importantly, you’ll want to visit Apple’s support document regarding battery life and battery cycle counts. It is here that you can learn about the actual battery count cycle figures that allow you to determine if your battery is still good.

For instance, my Late 2013 MacBook Pro with Retina Display can go 1,000 battery cycles before it is deemed to be consumed. Even then, it might still be possible to use the MacBook like normal, you’ll just need to expect degraded battery performance.

I’m pretty impressed that my MacBook’s battery can last 1,000 cycles. That might not seem like a lot on paper, but I’ve had this MacBook for several years, and I feel like I’ve charged it a million times. Still, this particular unit is sitting at only 466 cycles, which is less than half of the maximum life expectancy of its battery.

How battery cycle counts are determined

A battery cycle is the time it takes for a battery to go from 100% to 0%. That process could span multiple days. The important thing to keep in mind is that a battery cycle happens when you use all of the battery’s power. As Apple explains, it could span multiple days before a battery cycle elapses. This is why you may have powered and charged your MacBook a thousand times, while your MacBook’s battery only has a few hundred cycles to its name.

If it turns out that your MacBook’s battery cycle count is past its maximum capacity, then a quick appointment with the Genius bar at the Apple Store can get you a replacement battery if necessary. And if you’re having battery issues but not at the max cycle count, you might be able to get the problem diagnosed and fixed under warranty.

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

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

Comments

  1. crisrod63 - 8 years ago

    I guess I am doing pretty good. I had my Macbook Pro for a little bit less than a year and it only has 13 cycles used.

    • Mr. T (@t87) - 8 years ago

      Not really, since that basically means you are keeping your MacBook on charge (plugged in) too often. This is bad for the Li-ion battery because the electrons in it need to move more frequently.

      • Ryan Coleman - 8 years ago

        Also not really because the computers have amazingly intelligent charging circuits and that’s not a major concern anymore.

  2. applegetridofsimandjack - 8 years ago

    I checked that a month ago and it was at 1423 for a 4.5 year old 17 inch Macbook Pro. Battery lasts 4 hours on normal usage, 1.5 hours with heavy usage such.

  3. Jim Becker - 8 years ago

    I believe it only counts full cycles which doesn’t tell the whole story. There are lots of apps which will give you more information including battery capacity which is much more diagnostic than cycles. Also, it’s pretty easy to replace your battery yourself. I did it for my MacBook Air and believe me I am no technical whiz kid.
    Jim

  4. tonywmd23 - 8 years ago

    My 3-year-old retina pro 15″ counts in at 130 cycles.. It’s unbelievable regarding how intensely I use it! I practically use it plugged in all the time though. Compared to my last laptop, which was a SONY Vaio with an almost completely dead battery after 2-3 years, I’d say kudos Macintosh.

    • applegetridofsimandjack - 8 years ago

      I had a Vaio from 2009 to 2011 and in 2011 the battery lasted for 25mins. tops. I swear this is true. Just ridiculous.

      • Joe Smithee - 7 years ago

        My favorite old Vaio was so worn out the battery would not last long enough for the machine to boot it.

  5. Chase - 8 years ago

    you can also download battery monitor to easily access the various battery information.

  6. Christopher Armenia - 8 years ago

    I use an app called Coconut Battery. It pulls all that data and shows % of design capacity the battery is still charging up to. You can also plug iOS devices in and run the same report on those devices and save all the tests in history to track them over time.

  7. francoborgo - 8 years ago

    from
    https://support.apple.com/en-ca/HT204054
    If the cycle count on a battery exceeds its expected limit, the battery is considered consumed.

    and from
    http://www.apple.com/batteries/service-and-recycling/
    Your battery is designed to retain up to 80% of its original capacity at 1000 complete charge cycles.

    so after 1000 cycle on MacBook, the battery is considered consumed but still hold 80% of it’s original capacity

  8. Doug Aalseth - 8 years ago

    923 cycles on my 2012 MacBook Pro. Still working fine. Of course I’ve always made a point to not leave it plugged in all the time. I charge it, use it down to less than 10% and then charge it. I still get ~3-3.5 hours per charge.

  9. Howie Isaacks - 8 years ago

    Have you guys ever thought about taking a can of compressed air and blowing out the dust and particles before taking a photo of the innards of a Mac? Good post though.

  10. Ilko Sarafski - 8 years ago

    What if we don’t have Apple Store within 500km or so? (And it’s not even in our country)
    As others noted, there are many 3rd party apps that show much more. This article sounds more like for someone who is not a tech savvy or whatever. But anyway!

    P.s. Cycles don’t mean shit usually!

  11. shareef777 - 8 years ago

    I call BS on the 1000 cycle count. I’m at 750 cycles on my 2012 rMBP and don’t get 50% the time I used to be able to get when the machine was new.

  12. pdixon1986 - 8 years ago

    That’s not useful — you also need to maintain a healthy battery which means periodically going through a cycle to ‘exercise’ the battery – otherwise it will lose efficiency regardless of the count and status.

  13. Matthew Fox - 8 years ago

    Diagnosing at the Apple Store is always free. It’s just the service that needs a warranty or AppleCare to be free!
    Oh my rmbp I got a p004 error on Apple diagnostics but it passes on OS X and their official genus bar test
    The article should of mentioned you shouid also run Apple hardware test , with the power adapter plugged in to check the battery condition

    • Matthew Fox - 8 years ago

      There are sometimes where OS X won’t detect a battey error and sometimes where hardware test will detect an error.

  14. Anthony Forchielli - 8 years ago

    897 cycles and it says needs service. I guess i have to look into how much this costs. i have a mid 2012 rMBP 15″ that i use pretty non stop. The computer won’t wake if the battery is under 30 percent. still get okay life out of it, but i’m betting i’m just used to it.

  15. darwiniandude - 8 years ago

    These machines are fast. They can drain the battery super quick under load, even when new. The secret to long battery life is allowing more idle (or close to idle) time.

    Do not use Chrome. Use Safari. Normally a couple of extra hours there.

    But check other apps too, activity monitor, energy or CPU tabs.

  16. modeyabsolom - 8 years ago

    I’ve had my 13″ rMBP since late 2013 and I’ve only used 25 cycles. Which actually seems a lot to me because apart from a handful of times (and that’s pushing it!) I’ve never use my laptop on battery power, its always plugged into the mains…oh yes there was that time I took it abroad for a couple of weeks and a few others when I’m out of the house for a few days and hide it away…but then its turned off.

  17. Liam Deckham - 8 years ago

    Great article! For whatever reason, I always plug in my MB Pro 2014 – so my cycle count is 2 – Wonder if that is a good thing?

    • mytawalbeh - 8 years ago

      For proper maintenance of a lithium-based battery, it’s important to keep the electrons in it moving occasionally. Apple does not recommend leaving your portable plugged in all the time.

  18. Frank Levy - 8 years ago

    I learned a useful point from the Genius Bar: My 2013 Macbook Air was rapidly loosing charge (despite a battery in good condition) because my large Dropbox folder was constantly syncing and the syncing was drawing a large amount of power. To preserve operating time, sync the Dropbox periodically, leaving sync off the rest of the time.

  19. davmendmar - 8 years ago

    My MacBook Pro is supposed to be able to undergo 1000 battery cycles but it’s been asking for a battery repair at least since it arrived 300 cycles. It’s currently sitting at 550 cycles and has 60% of its design capacity. Still an impressive battery life for a 2010 laptop, being able to easily resist 4 hours of light use on a single charge when most computers of the time weren’t able to survive for 3 hours when new, but far from the 1000 cycles promise I read when I bought it. And I know I’m not the only one. Nowadays it may be better, but I don’t know a single person who bought a MacBook Pro like mine whose battery resisted the 1000 cycle mark.

  20. My Experience with “Genus” Bar: Our “genius” takes 3 days to replace the battery. All your data may get lost in the process so please take the backup.

    Went to http://www.theapplerepairs.in/, they replace with original parts (which even apple store doesnt – read more about it on their site) and handed the air back to me in under 10 mins.

    Its idiot bar i think..

  21. Rick Park (@rickpark000) - 8 years ago

    If my battery count is 18, does that mean its good? Is it the lower the better or the higher the better? Someone please explain.

  22. Jillian Liu - 7 years ago

    I am wondering whether it’s possible for the charge cycle count to be wrong. I had my Macbook Pro battery replaced by a local laptop repair company, and upon return the charge cycle on the “new” battery is 164! Now, I realize that I made a bad move, because this particular repair shop is not Apple Certified, but I have a sinking suspicion that I’ve been duped. Any advice?

  23. Dilip Rathore - 6 years ago

    my batter cycles is 873 for my 2013 Macbook Pro retina 15 inch. I will be traveling out from country for a year.. should I get my battery changed ? macbook is hold charge for around <2 hours.

Author

Avatar for Jeff Benjamin Jeff Benjamin

Jeff is the head of video content production for 9to5. He initially joined 9to5Mac in 2016, producing videos, walkthroughs, how-tos, written tutorials, and reviews. He takes pride in explaining things simply, clearly, and concisely. Jeff’s videos have been watched hundreds of millions of times by people seeking to learn more about today’s tech. Subscribe to 9to5Mac on YouTube to catch Jeff’s latest videos.