Your Mac laptop keeps on dying? That could be a sign to replace your MacBook’s battery. When you find out that your MacBook’s battery can’t hold a charge like it was when you bought it, that’s normal, but that should occur when you have used it for many years.
Time to Replace Your Mac Laptop Battery?
The battery life of a MacBook last longer on a single charge but over time it will lose its capacity. Well, it’s an inevitable condition for every MacBook user. But the challenge is when it is time to replace the battery. They are not easy to replace, especially if you are not a techie. In fact, many people think that MacBook batteries are not meant to be replaced.
The good thing is that you MacBook will let you know when your battery will die completely.
Check the Condition of Your Mac’s Battery
It’s easy to check the condition of your MacBook’s battery. Your Mac will tell you when it needs a new battery and you should do exactly that.
Click on the battery icon in your top menu bar and check the following battery conditions:
- Normal: Your MacBook’s battery is fine
- Replace Soon: The battery condition is normal but holds less charge
- Replace Now: The battery is working fine but holds less charge that you bought it. You can still use the MacBook, but with caution
- Service Battery: The batteries condition is wanting and it’s time to replace it.
Low Battery Run-Time
When you bought your MacBook, you could use it for longer hours before you need to recharge it. Are you now able to use it for some few minutes before it calls for a recharge? That could be a sign to replace it. However, every user has his or her own preferences when it comes to recharging of a MacBook.
For instance, some users will recharge their laptops after it has gone extremely too low while others will recharge it immediately it goes low. The best time to replace your MacBook’s battery is when its run-time is down to 25%.
Sudden Shutdowns
It is expected for any battery-powered device to shut down when the battery life has gone low. If your MacBook shuts down unexpectedly, it could be calling for a recharge. But if the shutdowns are often, even after you have charged it, then you have no choice but to replace it. However, sometimes it happens that a MacBook gets overheated or encounters certain errors and it shuts down unexpectedly.
You could try troubleshooting the Battery while it is still charging to find out if the unexpected shutdown was as a result of the battery or anything else.
Overheating
Too much overheating of a MacBook can mean that the battery needs replacement. But sometimes overheating can be as a result of software or hardware issues. Nevertheless, if your MacBook gets too hot quickly even when doing small tasks, that could be a battery issue.
How to Monitor Your MacBook’s Battery
If you would want to monitor your MacBook battery to avoid any unfortunate happenings in future, Apple gives you that ability. Read this article to get to the Battery Information section in the System Information.
Here you will need to do some calculations by multiplying the “Full Charge × The Voltage and then divide the number you get by 1,000,000. Once you have done the calculations, you will get your battery’s current capacity in watt-hours so you can compare with the original capacity to know whether it’s still in good condition or you need to replace it.
Replacing your MacBook's battery
If you have experienced the signs above, you have done the troubleshooting and found out that your MacBook’s battery needs replacement; it’s time to take it to an Apple Store or an authorized Apple service provider for battery replacement. Apple devices are complicated and that’s why the company recommends people to have their batteries replaced by the company. But you will be charged a fee for the battery replacement; about $129.
However, if you choose to take your MacBook to an Apple Store for battery replacement, you need to ensure your device is still under warranty. You can then decide whether to replace the battery or the MacBook itself.