Skip to main content

How to show the battery percentage of your Mac

The indicator that displays the exact battery percentage for your Mac system is one of the most useful tools available. It lets you know how long you have left before you need to charge it, and over time, it will let you know whether it's time to think about replacing your MacBook battery.

If you can't find the battery indicator on your MacBook, though, here's how to show it.

Related Videos

Difficulty

Easy

Duration

5 minutes

What You Need

  • Mac or MacBook

Enabling the Mac’s battery percentage indicator

There are a few ways to enable the battery percentage indicator for your Mac — it depends on what version of MacOS you’re running. For example, on older variants (Catalina, etc.), it can be switched on via the menu bar directly, while newer ones will require you to use System Preferences.

Step 1: For Catalina users, select the Battery icon on the top-right of your Mac and then choose the Show percentage option.

The Show Percentage option for the Mac's battery.

Step 2: For later versions (Big Sur and Monterey), open System preferences and select the Dock and menu bar option. Now hit both the Battery and Show percentage fields.

Enabling the Mac’s battery icon

If the battery icon is not showing up at all on your Mac, then here’s how to fix that.

Step 1: For those who have Catalina or below, select Energy saver within System preferences, and then tick the Show battery status in menu bar box at the bottom.

The Show battery status option for Mac.

Step 2: For Big Sur and above, select the Battery icon within System preferences instead. Now choose the Show battery status in menu bar option.

Configuring Energy Saver settings

If you find your Mac’s battery constantly depleted and want to better preserve and optimize the system’s battery usage, then you can do so via Apple’s Energy Saver settings.

Step 1: Select Energy saver from System preferences, and then adjust the settings to your liking. You have a few options to choose from via the Battery tab:

  • Turn the display off after a specific amount of time.
  • Put hard disks to sleep when possible.
  • Slightly dim the screen when the Mac is not being charged through a power outlet.
The Battery Energy Saver options on Mac.

Step 2: Adjacent to the Battery tab is Power adapter. Here, you also have a few settings you can turn on and off as well:

  • Prevent the computer from sleeping automatically when the display is switched off.
  • Put hard disks to sleep when possible.
  • Wake the Mac for Wi-Fi network access.
  • Enable Power Nap while plugged into a power adapter.
The Power Adapter Energy Saver options on Mac.

Step 3: A Schedule button on the bottom-right of the window can also set an exact time to start up/wake your system, in addition to when it automatically goes to sleep.

The Schedule button for Energy Saver options on Mac.

If you want to see the overall health of your Mac’s battery itself, then be sure to check out our guide on that as well as our article on how to show the battery percentage on your iPhone.

Editors' Recommendations

Best Buy is having a clearance sale on gaming laptops — from $580
Asus ROG Zephyrus G14 2023 front view showing display and keyboard deck.

Best Buy is having a ton of great gaming laptop deals this weekend. Everything from budget HP laptops to high-end Alienware devices are getting big price cuts. We've picked out our favorites below. Don't expect these deals to stick around all weekend though -- grab them while they're still available.
HP Victus Gaming Laptop -- $580, was $800

The HP Victus gaming laptop appears in our list of the best gaming laptops as a great budget option, because you'll be able to play the best PC games with its 12th-generation Intel Core i5 processor, Nvidia GeForce GTX 1650 graphics card, and 8GB of RAM -- though you may have to choose the lowest settings for some of the more demanding titles. The gaming laptop features a 15.6-inch screen with Full HD resolution and a 144Hz refresh rate, and a 512GB SSD with Windows 11 Home pre-installed.

Read more
This Lenovo 2-in-1 laptop just had its price cut to $630
lenovo ideapad flex 5 laptop deal walmart black friday sale 2020

If you want a laptop but also love the convenience and flexibility of a tablet, consider buying a 2-in-1. These are great combo devices that work exactly like both devices, saving you the money and hassle of buying both. You can save even more money if you shop Lenovo's 2-in-1 laptop deals. Right now the Lenovo IdeaPad Flex 5 is $298 off. You can grab it for only $632 instead of its usual $930. Let us tell you why we love it.

Why you should buy the Lenovo IdeaPad Flex 5
Lenovo's IdeaPad line of laptops offers budget and midrange devices, according to our explainer on the different Lenovo brands, and the Lenovo IdeaPad Flex 5 builds upon it by adding various forms to use in different situations. The device features 360-degree hinges connecting its 14-inch Full HD touchscreen to its body, so you can switch from laptop mode to tablet mode by folding the display all the way back. You can also use it in tent mode, where the screen is propped up by the body, and in stand mode, where the keyboard is facing down and flat on your desk so you can focus on what's on the screen.

Read more
Hurry! This popular Dell laptop is $199, and it could be a mistake
dell inspiron 15 3000 deal june 2022 7000 01

The Dell Inspiron 15, one of Dell's most popular laptops because of its reliable performance for a cheap price, is currently even more affordable. Originally priced at $300, you can get it right now for just $200. We're not sure how long the $100 discount will last -- in fact, it could be a mistake -- so before it goes offline, you should buy one of the top laptop deals in the market if you need a new machine.

Why you should buy the Dell Inspiron 15
There's no way that the Dell Inspiron 15 will challenge the performance of the high-end models of the best laptops, but that's because it's not built for that. With its Intel Celeron N4020 processor, Intel UHD Graphics 600, and 4GB of RAM, the laptop is designed to reliably handle basic functions such as browsing the internet and typing documents. The Dell Inspiron 15 also comes with Windows 11 Home in S Mode pre-loaded, so you'll have access to the most popular productivity apps, and a 128GB SSD, which should provide ample space for your files.

Read more