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- macOS 26.4 introduced a new feature to protect your battery
- It allows you to set a charging limit that prevents your battery from overcharging.
- The limit can be set between 80% and 100% and reflects an iOS feature
Apple users have been able to set charging limits on their iPhones for a while now – and now the feature will finally make the jump to Macs in macOS Tahoe 26, allowing users of top Macs to protect their devices from battery wear and tear.
The Load Limit feature was just revealed as part of the macOS 26.4 update, currently available in beta. We don’t know when the full version of macOS 26.4 will launch, but Apple’s .4 versions tend to drop somewhere in the spring (or between March and May).
Once your Mac is running macOS 26.4, you’ll be able to set a load limit from 80% to 100% in 5% increments, meaning you’ll be able to set a limit of 85% if you want. This would ensure that your MacBook would stop charging once it hits 85% instead of the usual 100% limit.
Why would you do that? Well, it is believed that regularly charging your laptop to maximum can add extra wear and tear to your battery, reducing its lifespan. By stopping your MacBook’s charging process at a lower limit, you can potentially slow down the degradation of your battery, helping your laptop last longer.
This is a feature that was previously offered by third-party apps like AlDente, but now Apple is finally integrating it into its Mac operating system.
How to set a fee limit
To get macOS 26.4, you’ll need to sign up for Apple’s macOS 26 beta program. Next, open the System Settings app, go to General > Software Update and download the beta from there. Once that’s done, you can find the new Charge Limit feature by going to System Settings > Battery, clicking the “i” button next to Charge, then setting a charge limit using the slider at the top of the window.
Interestingly, Apple also added a new feature to the Shortcuts app in macOS 26.4 that lets you set a charge limit in your workflows. For example, you can create a shortcut that automatically sets a higher or lower charging limit based on the Focus mode in effect – if you’re going to be busy or away from a charger and know you need more power, you can set a work or travel Focus mode, trigger a higher charging limit, and squeeze more power from your battery. This shortcut is also available in iOS 26.4.
There is one notable exception to the billing limit. As Apple states on its website, your device will “occasionally charge to 100% to maintain accurate estimates of battery state of charge” if your charge limit is below 100%. This is Apple’s advice for the iPhone, but it should be the same for the Mac.
And now that the Mac has feature parity with the iPhone in this regard, you’ll have ways to extend the battery life of your device, no matter which Apple product you’re using. If you’re worried about your battery dying prematurely, setting a charge limit might be worth it.
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