The latest macOS update excited a lot of users as it came loaded with several new features and design changes. But the update did not go well with everybody who installed the update. Some macOS Monterey users have reported that their PC had severe battery drain issues after the update.
Battery life problem arising due to an update is nothing new for Apple as they have been guilty of tweaking the software in updates that deteriorates the battery life. Well, that may not be the case with the new update, but several users have reported a hit on their PC’s battery life after the update. So here in this article, we will look into all the possible things you can try from your end to help improve the battery life. Now without any further ado, let’s get into it.
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How to fix macOS Monterey Battery Life issues?
We will discuss all the simple solutions, as well as the complex ones.
Reboot your Mac:
The first thing you need to try, if you have not tried it already, is a system reboot. In most cases, a simple restart or reboot can clear out most software inconsistencies. So if you have not restarted your Mac in a while, you should do it immediately. After the restart, check whether your issue is resolved or not.
If the reboot does not help you, try the next solution mentioned below.
Update your apps:
The apps that are currently on your Mac might be outdated. And outdated apps will have several bugs in them. A battery drain bug is also a possibility when it comes to applications. So you need to update every application on your Mac to ensure that no possible battery drain bug is affecting your system.
For updating the apps, you can visit the Apple App Store, go to the section that displays all your apps and then click on update next to every app that shows the option. Once you have updated all the applications, check whether the battery life issue is resolved.
If updating the applications does not work, try the next solution.
Turn on Low Power Mode & Turn off High Power Mode:
The Lower power mode is available on Mac devices to reduce energy consumption, optimize battery life, and operate in a low-performance mode. It is available on macOS Monterey and later versions of macOS. To turn on this mode, follow the steps mentioned below:
- Click on the Apple logo and select System Preferences.
- Go to the battery option in the left pane of the window.
- Check the box next to “Low Power Mode.”
Now besides the low power mode, we get a high power mode with Macbooks with M1 Max CPUs. This allows your Macbook to get the maximum power, driving every bit of the CPU and RAM. But having this feature turned on can also significantly drain your battery life. So you need to turn it off on your device if it is set to an on state. To do this, follow the steps mentioned below.
- Click on the Apple logo and select System Preferences.
- Go to the battery option in the left pane of the window.
- Navigate to Power Adapter and choose the option Automatic.
If changing these settings also does not help with your battery life issues, try the next solution mentioned below.
Check battery usage:
Information about your application’s battery usage will help you understand which applications are draining your battery the most. If you can identify that, you can choose which applications to delete from your device to improve your battery life. To get the information about your battery usage, navigate to the battery section in Mac’s System preference menu. There you will find the Usage History feature. Under this, you will find your Mac’s battery usage information over the last 24 hours or the last ten days.
If you see a particular application draining most of your battery, you should uninstall it and install a replacement application. And if you see high battery use from your system, you should contact Apple customer service. They should be able to help you out.
If uninstalling the battery-draining applications does not help your problem, try the next solution.
Disable Location Services:
When location services are turned on for any device, it drains its battery. You don’t need to enable location services for all the applications. Having it turned on only for essential applications is enough. But to improve your battery, you can turn it off entirely. Let’s take a look at how you can do it.
- Click on the Apple logo and select System Preferences.
- Go to Security & Privacy.
- You will see a lock icon at the bottom of the screen. Click on it.
- Enter your Apple ID and password on the next page to confirm your identity.
- Now click on Privacy and then select Location services.
- Disable the Location services option and confirm your choice.
- Again click on the lock icon and close the window.
If you do not witness any change in your battery life even after turning off the location services, try the next solution mentioned below.
Disable Transparency and Motion Effects:
Transparency and motion effects on Mac also drain a lot of battery. If you have it turned on; you can try turning it off entirely to improve your battery life. To turn it off, follow the steps mentioned below.
- Click on the Apple logo and select System Preferences.
- Select Accessibility.
- On the left pane of the window, click on Display.
- Uncheck the boxes next to Reduce Motions and Reduce Transparency.
Now check whether that helps with your Mac’s battery life issue. If you are still facing problems, try the next solution.
Use only Safari:
Google Chrome has been guilty of using too many system resources. Many Windows users have even started using browsers other than Chrome, as Chrome also takes a hit on their RAM and battery usage. So with Macbooks, we get Safari as the built-in browser. In most cases, you should refrain from using Chrome or any other browser on your Mac. Keep using Safari as your default web browser for any of your needs. Apple has optimized Safari for the Mac environment well, and using that as your default browser will ensure the best battery life for your device.
Try the next solution if using Safari as your default browser also does not help with the battery life.
Disable iCloud Photo Sharing:
When photo sharing is turned on for iCloud, it will share all your albums and photos across every Apple device you own and have your account on. This means that if you click a picture on your iPhone, that will be shared with your Mac. This will happen automatically in the background, which in turn will drain your Mac’s battery in the background. So it is best to have this feature disabled if you wish to preserve the battery life of your Mac. To do this, follow the steps mentioned below:
- Click on the Apple logo and select System Preferences.
- Click on Cloud.
- Navigate to Photos and choose Options.
- Disable iCloud Photo Library, iCloud Photo Sharing, and My Photo Stream.
- Click on Done, and that is it.
If turning off Photo sharing across devices does not help with the battery drain issue, try the next solution.
Turn Off Automatic updates:
Having automatic updates turned on for your Mac will mean that your system will continuously keep searching for new updates in the background and installing them. This will use a lot of your system’s resources, which will also drain your battery life. And having the update set to manual will fix this as you can manually decide to check for new updates and install them accordingly. So let’s look at how one can turn off automatic updates.
- Click on the Apple logo and select System Preferences.
- Click on App Store.
- You will see a lock icon at the bottom of the screen. Click on it.
- Enter your Apple ID and password on the next page to confirm your identity.
- Disable everything here. This includes things such as “Install macOS Updates”, “Download newly available updates in the background”, “Install system data files and security updates”, and more.
Once this is done, check how your Mac is behaving. If it is still witnessing battery drain issues, try the next solution.
Check for any new updates:
Sometimes when Apple pushes out new version updates, it does so in increments. And the initial builds are often buggy with lots of issues. So go to the update section of your MacBook and check whether any new macOS update is available. If a new update is pending, then it is possible that Apple has solved the battery drain issue you are facing and has pushed out the latest update addressing that issue. So you need to install this new update immediately and check whether that solves your battery life problems.
If no update is pending for your device, try the next solution.
Reset PRAM:
If the battery drain issue is not going away even after trying all the above solutions, you should consider resetting the PRAM and NVRAM. This will clear out some of your Mac’s settings, but it will not clear out any data. But this reset can fix most software-related issues on your Mac.
Let’s take a look at how you can reset PRAM.
- Shut down your Macbook completely.
- Press and hold the Command + Option + P + R keys and the Power button on your keyboard.
- Let go of the keys once the Macbook boots up totally.
- Now, restart the Macbook again.
If resetting the PRAM does not fix your problem, try the next solution.
Reset SMC:
SMC reset is another trick to help you fix your battery drain issue. Let’s take a look at how you can do it.
- Shut down your Macbook.
- Plug in your charger, and do not remove it.
- Press the Shift + Option + Control + Power keys at once.
- Turn on the Macbook, and that’s it. The SMC reset is complete.
If even this does not help, try the final option mentioned below
Downgrade:
As the battery drain issue showed up after you updated your Mac, there is a chance that you can go back to the battery life you once had in your Mac if you downgrade the device completely. Downgrading the device to an older version will be challenging, and you will need some files. The files we are referring to are the OS files that belong to the previous version of macOS that you want to install on your MacBook.
Downgrading an OS does come with its risks, though. If there were any security issues with the previous build or some bugs in it, they would show up on your Mac again. There is also the issue of compatibility, as some applications may not work well with older versions of macOS. So you should consider downgrading as an option only in extreme scenarios when you need your battery life back. However, you need to know that if the battery drain occurs due to hardware issues and not the update, then downgrading won’t help you.
So these are all the solutions that one can try to fix macOS Monterey battery life issues. If you have any questions or queries about this article, comment below, and we will get back to you. Also, check out our other articles on iPhone tips and tricks, Android tips and tricks, PC tips and tricks, and much more for more helpful information.