# How to set a Mac charge limit below 80%

> macOS’s own Charge Limit stops at 80%. For 60% or less you need an app: most can on macOS 14–26, and batt, BatFi and AlDente can on macOS 27.

URL: https://chargeberry.app/guides/mac-charge-limit-below-80/
Author: Ayesha Gagan (https://chargeberry.app/about/)
Published: 2026-11-06 · Updated: 2026-11-06

Guide

# How to set a Mac charge limit below 80%

macOS’s own Charge Limit stops at 80%. For 60% or less you need an app: most can on macOS 14–26, and batt, BatFi and AlDente can on macOS 27.

A MacBook that hardly ever leaves its charger doesn’t need 80% of its battery ready at all times. Holding it lower, at 60% or even 50%, keeps it under less strain. macOS can’t do that on its own, so you need an app, and on macOS 27 which apps can do it has changed.

## Which apps can hold a limit below 80%?

Limits below 80% by macOS version, November 6, 2026
| Feature | Chargeberry | AlDente | BatFi | batt | macOS |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| macOS 14–26 | 50–100% | Yes | 50–100% | Yes | No |
| macOS 27 | No | With a toggle (1.39) | Yes (BatFi 4) | 10–99% (0.9.0) | No |
| Price | $5.99 | Free (limiter) | $15 | Free | Free |

From each developer’s own pages and release notes. On macOS 27, every app that goes below 80% does it through macOS’s own charge-limit service or by cutting wall power, and macOS may still charge to 100% now and then.

## Setting 60% with Chargeberry (macOS 14–26)

1.  ### Install Chargeberry and approve its helper
    
    Download it, drag it to Applications, open it and follow the short welcome. It needs a MacBook with Apple silicon on macOS 14 to 26 for limits below 80%.
    
2.  ### Pick Desk (60%)
    
    Click the Chargeberry icon in the menu bar and choose Desk. Charging stops at 60% and the charger runs the Mac.
    
3.  ### Or choose your own number
    
    Choose Custom and drag the slider anywhere from 50 to 100%, or set it in Settings › Charging.
    
4.  ### Top up before a trip
    
    Choose Charge to 100% Now, or set Full by a time, and the low limit comes back when you’re done.
    

**On macOS 27?** Chargeberry’s lowest limit there is 80%, because it sets macOS’s own charge limit. If you need 60% on macOS 27 today, use batt (free), BatFi or AlDente. Read [what changed in macOS 27](https://chargeberry.app/guides/macos-27-battery-charge-limit/).

## When does a limit below 80% make sense?

-   **A desk Mac that’s always plugged in.** 50–60% is plenty for moving between meeting rooms, and the battery barely works.
-   **A Mac you’re putting away.** Batteries keep best around half charge. Hold it there before storing it.
-   **A battery that’s already worn.** A lower limit won’t bring capacity back, but it slows what’s left from wearing further.

If you unplug every day, 80% is usually the better balance: you keep most of the range and still avoid sitting full. You can switch any time; it’s one click in the menu.

> According to Chargeberry’s own tests, when the process holding a charging switch was killed, normal charging came back within 1 second, so a low limit can never leave a Mac stuck unable to charge.

— Measured by Chargeberry: Chargeberry’s crash-safety test, part of its hardware self-test, run on a MacBook Air (M1, 2020) on October 28, 2026: a client holding the charge switch, then the charger switch, was killed with kill -9 while the switches were read back from the battery controller. Last verified October 28, 2026.

## Questions about limits below 80%

**Is a 60% limit better for the battery than 80%?**

Generally yes, a little: lithium-ion batteries are under less stress at lower charge levels, so a Mac that sits at 60% all day ages more slowly than one at 80%. The difference is largest for Macs that are almost always plugged in. The trade-off is less range when you unplug.

**Why can’t macOS go below 80%?**

Apple hasn’t said. Its Charge Limit offers settings between 80% and 100%, and Optimized Battery Charging holds at 80%. For anything lower you need an app.

**What is the lowest limit Chargeberry allows?**

50%, on macOS 14 to 26. Desk (60%) is the preset for a Mac that never leaves the desk. On macOS 27 Chargeberry uses macOS’s own limit, so 80% is the lowest there.

**Can I keep a MacBook at 50% for months?**

Yes. Holding a battery around half charge is the gentle way to keep it, as long as it’s plugged in or used now and then so it doesn’t run flat. Charge to 100% when you need the range.

**Does a low limit survive a restart?**

With Chargeberry, yes: its helper starts with the Mac and holds the limit again, before you even log in. Only while the Mac is fully shut down does nothing hold it.

## Sources

-   [Apple: About Optimized Battery Charging and Charge Limit on Mac](https://support.apple.com/en-us/102338), checked November 6, 2026
-   [batt 0.9.0 release notes (macOS 27)](https://github.com/charlie0129/batt/releases/tag/v0.9.0)
-   [BatFi](https://micropixels.software/batfi)
-   [AlDente 1.39 release (macOS 27)](https://github.com/AppHouseKitchen/AlDente-Battery_Care_and_Monitoring/discussions/1814)
-   [Battery University: How to prolong lithium-based batteries](https://www.batteryuniversity.com/article/bu-808-how-to-prolong-lithium-based-batteries)