Since macOS Tahoe 26.4, a MacBook with Apple silicon can stop charging at a level you pick, from 80% to 100%. It takes 5 steps in System Settings and no extra app. The steps below follow Apple’s support article.
Set a charge limit in System Settings
- From the Apple menu, choose System Settings.
- Click Battery in the sidebar.
- Click the info button next to Charging.
- Choose a Charge Limit setting between 80% and 100%.
- Click Done.
Apple lists 2 requirements: macOS Tahoe 26.4 or later, and a Mac with Apple silicon.
What the limit does
Your Mac charges to within a few percentage points of the limit, then stops and shows "Charged to [%] Limit" in the battery status menu.
If the charge drops more than 5% while the Mac is on power, charging starts again and stops near the limit.
For a full battery before a long day out, choose Charge to Full Now from the battery status menu.
What the limit does not do
It does not hold every time. Apple says that with Charge Limit or Optimized Battery Charging, your Mac will occasionally charge to 100% to keep its battery estimates accurate.
It does not say much. macOS shows the status in the battery menu, and Apple’s article does not describe an alert when the battery goes past your limit or when the limit gets switched off.
Optimized Battery Charging is a different setting
Optimized Battery Charging is older (macOS Big Sur 11 and later). It learns your daily charging routine and delays charging past 80% when it expects the Mac to stay plugged in for a long time. When it does, the battery menu says "Charging On Hold".
It lives in the same place: System Settings > Battery > the info button next to Charging (Battery Health on some versions).
Charge Limit is fixed: you pick the number and it holds there. Optimized Battery Charging works from your routine and still aims to have the Mac full by the time it expects you to need it.
| Charge Limit | Optimized Battery Charging | Amply | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Needs | macOS 26.4 or later, Apple silicon | macOS 11 or later | macOS 26.4 or later, Apple silicon |
| Where charging stops | Near the level you pick, 80% to 100% | At 80% when it predicts a long time on power | Uses the macOS Charge Limit |
| What you see | "Charged to [%] Limit" | "Charging On Hold" | A plain sentence for each state |
| Tells you when the limit slips | Not in Apple’s article | Not in Apple’s article | A notification with 3 likely causes |
| Cost | Built in | Built in | $9.50 once (50% off $19), 14-day free trial |
What Amply adds on top
Amply uses this same Charge Limit and turns it on and off for you. Then it adds:
- A notification when the battery charges past your limit, with 3 likely causes, and an alert when the limit gets switched off.
- A plain sentence for every state. At the limit it reads "Your Mac runs on the charger and the battery rests."
- Hours above 80% this month, and battery health over 90 days, a year or since install, with a 1‑page PDF report.
- Charge to 100% once for a long day away from a charger, and Amply turns your limit back on afterwards.
If the built-in setting is all you need, use it. It costs nothing.