The next update for your MacBook is likely to introduce a new battery charge limiter to help preserve your laptop’s health, as regularly charging to 100% can shorten its lifespan.
Spotted in the macOS Tahoe 26.4 beta by MacRumors, the new feature, called Charge Limit, is separate from the existing Optimized Battery Charging.
The new feature for MacBook lets you set a firm charging limit between 80% and 100%. You can set it in 5% increments, so you can also choose 85%, 90%, or 95%.
This is a hard upper limit, and Apple’s software won’t override it unless you manually do so. Optimized Battery Charging is the existing option that learns your habits and will only push the battery past 80% when it predicts you may need the extra battery.
If that’s not a regular occurrence for your MacBook, you may find this new Charge Limit useful. For example, if you use your Mac plugged in for most of the time, you may find it helpful to set a Charge Limit, but you would need to remember to turn the feature off beforehand if you do intend to use the extra battery.
When this feature arrives, you’ll find it under System Settings > Battery. There’s a small i icon next to the word charging, which lets you tweak the settings. It’s not yet clear if there will be another way to override these features, or whether you’ll need to access this menu to turn them off.
Recommended by Our Editors
Expect this feature to land over the next couple of months as part of the official macOS Tahoe 26.4 rollout. Rumors suggest it may land toward the end of March. There’s also a chance Apple will wait to roll this out officially, so be aware it may take longer to see this feature on your Mac.
The beta for macOS 26.4 also brings back the option for a compact tab bar within Safari. It also displays a warning for any apps you use that run on Rosetta 2, Apple’s software that lets you run Intel apps on Apple’s silicon products. Those apps will be incompatible with macOS 28, so macOS 26.4 will begin issuing warnings to customers.
Get Our Best Stories!
Love All Things Apple?
By clicking Sign Me Up, you confirm you are 16+ and agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy
Policy.
Thanks for signing up!
Your subscription has been confirmed. Keep an eye on your inbox!
About Our Expert
Experience
I’ve been a journalist for over a decade after getting my start in tech reporting back in 2013. I joined PCMag in 2025, where I cover the latest developments across the tech sphere, writing about the gadgets and services you use every day. Be sure to send me any tips you think PCMag would be interested in.
Read Full Bio
