How to enable power saving mode on your Mac

If you have an iPhone, I’m sure you’ve used power saving mode to get the most out of your battery while away from a power outlet. Well, Apple has also brought this feature to Mac computers with macOS Monterey.

If you’re often away from home and away from a power source and find that your Mac’s battery is running low, use Power Saver Mode to reduce power consumption and extend battery life. Also, enabling power saving mode on Mac is very easy. Let me walk you through it!

What happens to a Mac in power saving mode?

Similar to iPhone’s Power Saver Mode, Mac’s Power Saver Mode optimizes battery life by changing your device’s power consumption. It lowers screen brightness, slows down system clock speed, and disables non-essential background tasks. Due to the reduction in processor speed and power consumption, a Mac in power saving mode will also run quieter.

While this helps squeeze out more power to keep your Mac running, it won’t fix existing battery drain issues on your Mac. It can also be helpful to check the status of your MacBook’s battery to see if it needs to be replaced.

Which Mac computers support power saving mode?

Because the update was introduced with macOS Monterey, your device must be running macOS Monterey or newer. It’s also understandable why this feature doesn’t work on Macs that are always plugged in, such as iMacs, Mac Minis, and Mac Pros.

How to enable power saving mode on Mac

• Go to “System Preferences”→ “Battery”.

• In the right pane, select Battery → turn on low power mode.

Power saving mode will only work when on battery power. However, you can also enable Low Power Mode while your Mac is connected to a power source. This can help conserve energy by allowing it to charge faster.

To do this, go back to System Preferences → Battery → select the Power Adapter panel and enable Low Power Mode.

How to Quickly Enable Power Saving Mode on Mac

Unlike the iPhone, you cannot enable this feature with a single tap. You can use the Cooldown app to quickly turn on power saving mode from your Mac’s menu bar.

Otherwise, click on the battery icon in the menu bar → Battery settings to quickly change the settings.

FAQ

While low power mode can help extend battery life, it will slow down battery performance. It may not be ideal for power intensive tasks such as heavy video and graphics rendering.

Power Save Mode works on Macs running macOS Monterey and later, except for Macs connected to a wall outlet, such as Mac Minis and iMacs.

Your macOS may not have been updated to macOS Monterey. So, update macOS and try again.

Completion…

If you’re running low on battery power or plan to spend hours away from a power source, turning on power saving mode on your Mac can extend battery life—hopefully long enough until you can plug it into a power source. How often do you charge your MacBook? Share your answers in the comments below.