Check Activity Monitor to see which apps use the most power
Activity Monitor is the built-in tool on every Mac that shows you exactly which programs are consuming battery power. Open it by pressing Command + Space, typing "Activity Monitor," and pressing Enter. Click the Energy tab at the top of the window.
The list shows every running process ranked by energy impact, from highest to lowest. The "Energy Impact" column is what matters — higher numbers mean faster battery drain. You'll see both the percentage of CPU each process uses and an overall energy score. Apps at the top of the list are your battery culprits. If you see something unfamiliar, search the process name online before closing it.
Leave Activity Monitor open while you work normally for a few minutes. The numbers update in real time, so you can watch which apps spike when you open certain websites or files. This tells you whether the drain happens all the time or only during specific tasks.
Key Takeaways
- Activity Monitor's Energy tab shows which apps drain your battery fastest, ranked by energy impact score.
- Browser tabs, video playback, and background processes like Spotlight indexing are the most common battery drains on Macs.
- Check System Settings > General > Login Items to remove apps that start automatically when your Mac boots.
- Reducing screen brightness, closing unused browser tabs, and disabling Bluetooth when not in use can extend battery life by hours.
Look at browser tabs and extensions for hidden power use
Web browsers are often the biggest battery drain on a Mac, especially if you have many tabs open. Each tab runs code in the background, and some websites auto-play video or refresh constantly. Open your browser's task manager to see which tabs use the most power. In Chrome, press Shift + Escape. In Safari, go to Window > Activity and look for tabs with high CPU or memory use.
Browser extensions also drain battery even when you're not actively using them. Go to your browser's extension settings and disable any you don't use daily. If you have ad blockers, tracking blockers, or VPN extensions, these run constantly and add up quickly. Disable them temporarily to see if battery life improves.
Disable background app refresh and automatic updates
macOS runs several maintenance tasks in the background that consume power. Go to System Settings > General > Background App Refresh and turn off any apps you don't need updating constantly. Mail, Messages, and calendar apps often refresh every few minutes, which adds up over hours of battery use.
Check System Settings > General > Software Update and turn off "Automatic updates" if your Mac is on battery power. macOS can read and install updates in the background, which uses significant CPU and storage activity. You can still update manually when plugged in.
Check for Spotlight indexing and disable it if needed
Spotlight is macOS's search tool, and it indexes your entire hard drive in the background. When you first set up a Mac or after a major update, Spotlight can run for hours and drain battery quickly. Go to System Settings > Siri & Spotlight and look at the bottom of the window — if it says "Indexing," Spotlight is currently running.
You can pause indexing by going to System Settings > Siri & Spotlight > Exclude and adding your entire hard drive to the exclusion list, though this makes search slower. A better approach is to wait for indexing to finish (check Activity Monitor for the "mds" process), which usually takes a few hours. If indexing runs constantly even after waiting, restart your Mac.
Reduce screen brightness and disable unnecessary wireless features
Your Mac's screen is the single largest power consumer. Reducing brightness by 25 percent can extend battery life by one to two hours. Go to System Settings > Displays and lower the brightness slider, or use the keyboard brightness keys (usually F1 and F2). Enable "Auto-brightness" so your Mac adjusts the screen based on ambient light.
Bluetooth and Wi-Fi also drain battery when left on. If you're not using wireless headphones or peripherals, go to System Settings > Bluetooth and toggle it off. Similarly, turn off Wi-Fi in System Settings > Wi-Fi if you're not connected to a network. Disabling both can add 30 minutes to 1 hour of battery life on a full charge.
Review login items and remove apps that start automatically
Many apps are set to launch automatically when your Mac starts, and they stay running in the background consuming power. Go to System Settings > General > Login Items and look at the "Allow in the Login Items" section. Remove any apps you don't need running all the time — you can always launch them manually when needed.
Pay special attention to cloud sync apps like Dropbox, OneDrive, or Google Drive, which constantly monitor your files. Messaging apps and email clients also run in the background. Removing even three or four of these can noticeably extend battery life. You can always add them back if you find you miss them.
Restart your Mac if battery drain is sudden or unexplained
Sometimes a process gets stuck and consumes power indefinitely. If Activity Monitor shows nothing unusual but your battery drains much faster than normal, restart your Mac. A restart clears temporary files, stops stuck processes, and resets system services. Shut down completely, wait 10 seconds, and power back on.
If battery drain returns when ready after restart, the problem is likely a specific app or a hardware issue. Open Activity Monitor again and watch for the same process to spike. If you see the same app draining power every time, uninstall it or contact the developer. If no app stands out and battery life remains poor, your Mac's battery itself may be aging and losing capacity.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why does my Mac battery drain faster after a macOS update?
After an update, Spotlight re-indexes your drive and macOS runs background optimization tasks. This can last several hours. Check Activity Monitor for the "mds" (Spotlight) or "kernel_task" processes. If either shows high CPU use, your Mac is still optimizing. Let it finish before judging battery life. This is normal and temporary.
Is it safe to force-quit apps that drain battery?
Yes, force-quitting an app in Activity Monitor stops it when ready and is safe. Right-click the app and select "Force Quit." However, you may lose unsaved work in that app. If an app consistently drains battery, uninstall it instead of force-quitting it repeatedly. Force-quitting is a temporary fix, not a solution.
Can I tell if my Mac battery is failing?
Hold Option and click the battery icon in the menu bar to see your battery's condition. If it says "Normal," your battery is healthy. If it says "Replace Soon" or "Replace Now," your battery is aging and losing capacity. A failing battery drains faster than normal even when no apps are running. Battery replacement typically costs $100 to $200 depending on your Mac model.
Does closing browser tabs really save battery?
Yes, significantly. Each tab runs JavaScript and loads images, which uses CPU. Closing 10 unused tabs can reduce energy impact by 10 to 20 percent depending on what those tabs contain. Video-heavy sites like YouTube or streaming services drain battery fastest. Close them when not actively watching.
Why does my Mac get hot when battery drains fast?
Heat and battery drain go together — high CPU use generates heat and consumes power. If your Mac is hot and battery drains quickly, check Activity Monitor for processes using over 50 percent CPU. Dust buildup in vents can also trap heat and force the fan to work harder, which drains battery faster. Use compressed air to clean the vents if your Mac is warm to the touch.