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%?
| Feature |  |  |  |  |  |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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)
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%.
Pick Desk (60%)
Click the Chargeberry icon in the menu bar and choose Desk. Charging stops at 60% and the charger runs the Mac.
Or choose your own number
Choose Custom and drag the slider anywhere from 50 to 100%, or set it in Settings › Charging.
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.
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.
- Health
- 83%
- Cycles
- 349 of 1000
- Temperature
- 30.8 °C
- Charger
- 30 W
A working model of Chargeberry, not a video, running the same charging rules as the app. Plug the charger in and out, change the limit, turn up the heat, try Charge to 100% and Full by. Time runs fast here: two minutes every second, and faster with S.
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.
