If your Mac's battery isn't performing as expected, here's everything you need to know — from what to expect at delivery to tips from our in-house tech experts.
What to expect from your refurbished MacBook battery
Battery health (or battery capacity) refers to a battery's ability to store and deliver electrical energy. It is displayed as a percentage comparing your battery to a new one.
Every MacBook sold on Back Market must have an initial battery capacity of at least 85% at the time you receive your device.
Restart your Mac
If your MacBook charger suddenly becomes unreliable, your Mac shuts down unexpectedly, or you see a message about the battery that reads, “Service Recommended” with a warning icon, try restarting your Mac to quit any energy-draining apps that you might not even know are running.
Check your battery health and battery life
Battery health
Every Back Market vetted MacBook battery must have an initial capacity of at least 85% at the time you receive it. To check the state of your MacBook battery’s health, you can download the coconutBattery app and check the percentage bar under “Design Capacity” as shown in the image below.
Our tech wizards created a table that shows the relative battery life you can expect from your device by model. This table is solely for informational purposes and may not be perfectly accurate. Remember: battery life varies by use and configuration.
Battery life of your Mac by model
If you don’t know your MacBook’s model, you can find it on the device itself, on its Back Market product page, or in your order confirmation email.
Find the release year of your model:
Model | Release year | Battery life expectancy |
MacBook Pro | Before 2015 | 3-4.5 hours |
MacBook Pro | 2015–2020 (included) | 4-6 hours |
MacBook Pro | From 2021 | 8-10 hours |
MacBook Air | 2011–2012 | 3-4.5 hours |
MacBook Air | 2013–2020 (included) | 5-7 hours |
MacBook Air M1 | 2020 | Up to 9 hours |
Tips for optimizing your battery's performance
You can level up the performance of your MacBook charger by keeping an eye on how your device is running.
Check your Activity Monitor — here you can check your overall energy use and some other granular stuff.
Go to the Activity Monitor app on your Mac and select the “Energy” tab at the top.
Here, you can close the apps that are using the most energy.
See also the “CPU” tab (Central Processing Unit) to see how much of the CPU (i.e., the computer’s brain) is being utilized.
Update your apps and software: Make sure to update all your apps or each app individually. Older versions can slow down the performance of your device.
Update your macOS: Keep tabs on whether your MacBook is updated to prevent any unnecessary issues.
Keeping your MacBook updated ensures security, stability, and performance improvements. MacOS updates patch vulnerabilities to protect against malware and cyber threats, fix system bugs, and enhance overall efficiency. New updates also introduce features and optimizations, improving compatibility with apps and Apple’s ecosystem. Running an outdated OS increases security risks and may lead to performance issues, so staying up to date keeps your Mac running securely and smoothly.
Optimize your settings: Fine-tune your Mac’s energy, brightness, Wi-Fi, applications, and peripherals to keep your charger in tip-top condition.
Energy: The "Energy Saver" preference pane includes several settings that determine the power levels for your MacBook.
Your MacBook knows when it’s plugged in and runs accordingly.
When using battery power, it dims the screen and uses other components sparingly.
If you change this setting to maximize performance, your battery will drain more quickly.
Brightness: Dim the screen to the lowest comfortable level to make the most of your battery life.
Applications and external devices: Quit applications you’re not using and disconnect external devices (e.g., mouse, keyboard, printer).
Eject your SD card when you’re finished using it.
Don’t let other devices drain your MacBook: When you’re using your MacBook to charge other devices with a USB, make sure it’s plugged in and powered on, or those devices may drain your MacBook’s battery faster than normal. Additionally, if another device is connected to your MacBook when it’s turned off or in sleep or standby mode, the device’s battery may drain.