Apple has always been known for its design decisions. Sometimes those decisions lead to wonderful results and user experiences, but other times, they become a hindrance. Apple sometimes sacrifices logic and UX to maintain a sleek appearance and design on many of its products. You can see it in how the tech giant disables battery percentage displays by default on their Macs.
To some, not having their battery percentage readily visible isn’t really that big of a deal. But others who like to manage every aspect of their batteries will vehemently disagree. It’s worth mentioning that no matter what laptop you use, whether it’s a MacBook Air alternative or even a MacBook Pro alternative, good habits will help your battery last for much longer.
Seeing a percentage is a great way to know whether you have an adequate charge to make it through your day or if you need to bring your charger to plug in when necessary. Some people also like knowing what percent their battery is at so they can unplug at a certain point to maintain optimal battery health.
There’s no denying that seeing your battery percentage in your menu bar is convenient. But if you aren’t sure how to show battery percentage on MacBook computers, this step-by-step guide will show you how.
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This Article Covers:
How to Show Battery Percentage on MacBook Computers
Whether you want to learn how to show battery percentage on MacBook Air or how to show battery percentage on MacBook Pro, the guides below will help. Simply choose the guide for your specific macOS version.
If you’re unsure which version of macOS your computer is running, you can check by going to your top menu bar, then clicking on the Apple Icon > About This Mac.
About This Mac will show you a few details about your MacBook, including its model, serial number, CPU, memory, and of course, which version of macOS you are on. If you want to know more about your computer, you can click on the More Info button.
Once you know your macOS version, you can proceed to the appropriate tutorial on how to show the battery percentage on your Mac below.
Show Battery Percentage on Mac OS Ventura
macOS Ventura is the latest version of the Apple operating system. Whether you want to learn how to show battery percentage on Mac Air or how to display battery percentage on MacBook Pro, all you have to do is follow the guide below.
- Navigate to your System Settings by using the top menu bar or using the Spotlight search feature (most easily accessed with cmd + space bar).
- From your System Settings page, go to Control Center > Battery. Just keep scrolling until you find the right section.
- Once you find the Battery section, you have three options. Tick “Show Percentage” to display your MacBook’s battery. You can also choose whether to see your battery and its percentage only on your menu bar, only in your Control Center, or on both.
How to Hide the Battery Percentage Again on macOS Ventura
If you decide for any reason that you no longer want to see your battery percentage, you can just as easily hide it again. Simply go to System Settings > Control Center > Battery, then untick “Show Percentage”. That’s it!
Show Battery Percentage on a MacBook with macOS Big Sur or Monterey
If you’re running macOS Big Sur or Monterey, you’ll have to follow slightly different steps on your MacBook to show battery percentage. Here’s what you need to do:
- Navigate to System Preferences using the top menu bar or the Spotlight search function.
- Find the Dock & Menu Bar section and click on it.
- Click on Battery, located in the sidebar. If you don’t see it right away, keep scrolling until you find it!
- Select Show Battery Percentage.
How to Hide the Battery Percentage Again on macOS Big Sur or Monterey
Hiding your battery percentage again is as simple as reversing the steps above. Go to System Preferences > Dock & Menu Bar > Battery (on sidebar) > Unselect Show Battery Percentage.
Show Battery Percentage on MacBooks Running High Sierra to Catalina
On Mac, showing battery percentage was far simpler in macOS High Sierra to Catalina.
If your battery icon isn’t already showing in the menu bar, all you have to do is enable it by going to Apple Menu > System Preferences > Energy Saver. Then, you would have to select Show battery status in menu bar.
Once you had your battery status displayed on the menu bar, all you had to do was click on it and click Show Percentage — and that’s it!
Why Apple decided to move this setting on newer versions of macOS…well, we don’t know. Must be one of their famous design decisions!
How to Hide the Battery Percentage Again on macOS High Sierra to Catalina
Hiding your battery’s percentage on macOS High Sierra, Mojave, and Catalina is as simple as clicking on the battery icon in your top menu bar, then clicking Show Percentage to disable it. It’s really so simple, we wish Apple would change newer macOS versions back to this method!
Frequently Asked Questions
How many years should a Mac battery last?
Mac batteries can last for a very long time if cared for properly. Reducing the total number of battery charge cycles and preventing your battery from staying at a constant 100% reduces the stress on it significantly. You can use an app like AlDente or rely on Apple’s built-in battery optimization feature to manage your battery better.
How do I check Battery health on Mac 2022?
Before OS X became macOS, the only real way to check on your battery’s health was through third-party apps like Coconut Battery. And while you can still use those apps to gain more insight, you can also use Apple’s built-in features to check. Here are Apple’s guides for each macOS version from High Sierra.
The Bottom Line
Taking great care of your Mac’s battery can help it last longer before needing replacement. One of the best ways to maintain your battery in its best health is to be more aware of how much charge is left and unplug when you aren’t using your machine. You can also allow Apple’s automatic battery optimization to kick in or use third-party software that can manage every aspect for you (after some initial user input).
We highly recommend the third-party battery management app AlDente, which you can try for free (albeit with very limited functionality). You can purchase the pro version for a year or buy the lifetime license. AlDente is also on Setapp.
We hope that this guide on how to show battery percentage on MacBook computers has helped you, regardless of which currently-supported version of macOS you’re using. If you have any questions or know of a great third-party app for battery management, let us know in the comments below!
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