MacBook Pro is draining battery while it's turned off - Battery discharges 30% overnight

There are many with ideas here that it is normal for a MacBook to drain its battery when not in use or that MacBook is intended to be used powered all the time, etc.. All these ideas are ridiculous since I have a MacBook Pro which is 12 years old, it has original batteries and it keeps its power for months (maybe half year) with a minimum loss of power of 1-2%. So it is just to accept the obvious that Apple has became a poor quality producer with inflated prices. I am not going to buy a new Apple.

Open the terminal and type the following line (it will ask for your login password):

sudo pmset schedule cancelall

(the last word is as I wrote "cancelall").

I did this and the battery time seems ok now after 1 day. I will test more days to see.

Good luck!

I already answered your DIRECT question, but I repeat here: I don't have Microsoft Exchange, Word, Excel or any other Microsoft application. I use Matlab, LibreOffice and Synology drive, nothing else. I saw that you use the expression "fully shutdown" when the computer is shut down. I expect that the Mac has only ONE type of shutdown, and Apple or any other software installed on the Mac should not start my computer during the night when I sleep, and drain my battery. Thank you for your kind help.

Geofo17 wrote:

However, I am just a frustrated MacBook user like you,

Well no, I am not a frustrated MacBook user, rather quite satisfied macOS user...I only asked a question, that's all. I use the MBP mostly for home office, image editing and some such stuff. As I don't carry the MBP to cafes and whatnot, I'd most probably buy a MacMini in the future. 😊

This is a good idea. I also use Mac Mini sometime and it has very good performance, is completely quiet, no problems with batteries, keyboard or displays, which I can change. I don't know why but the Mini is more performant on Matlab than an equivalent MBP with the same processor. My frustration is on other levels: (1) there are a lot of expectations about AI from companies like Apple but as everybody can see from this discussion group the company is not able to fix a rather insignificant battery error. AI and Apple are way away from each other. (2) Even if the software on my Mac is licensed and it belongs to Apple, I own the battery and the computer hardware. As an owner, according to juridical definition, I have the right to exclude other entities from using my property. I express this exclusion by shutting down the computer. But the computer starts when I sleep and uses my batteries without my permission and Apple cannot explain how this happen and who is the intruder. A wrong moral compas.

You own the MacBook, so when you shut it down, it should stay shut down. But, even without Apple intervening, the battery would drain a bit while the device is shut off. But, that someone else is starting your device is somewhat daunting, even if that is Apple servers themselves. Anyway, I think there's way to stop this, even though it might be using just a bit of power, disconnect the internet connection, wifi in the device or the router, or both. But, that's a headache.

By the way, do you pull the plug off your MacMini when it is not in use?

<< disconnect the internet connection, wifi in the device or the router, or both. >>

The evidence provided so far suggests that internal wake-up timers may have been set on your Mac by software already running on your Mac, or your Mac never went to sleep to begin with, in some cases because of software already running on your Mac.

Your Mac can not be awakened or attacked from the internet, even when it is fully awake. Disconnecting the physical connection to the internet is un-necessary and not an appropriate reaction to this issue.

Grant Bennet-Alder wrote:

Your Mac can not be awakened or attacked from the internet, even when it is fully awake.

Any device can be attacked from the internet.

Disconnecting the physical connection to the internet is un-necessary and not an appropriate reaction to this issue.

So, what might be the solution/reaction to this issue? By the way, when I put the MBP (or any computer for that matter) to sleep/shut down, there are no 3rd party apps running in the background. Usually, all apps, after being used are shut off.

<< Any device can be attacked from the internet. >>

That is just not correct.

Your computer's actual IP address is NEVER sent onto the internet. Your Router uses its own Internet-visible IP address to "act as your agent" on the internet. This feature is called Network Address Translation.

When your Mac is connected behind a Router you control, any unsolicited responses coming from the internet toward your computer are discarded by default. Only responses to your Direct queries are passed through to your computer.

<< What is the issue you've found with Microsoft Exchange? >>

one of the TIMERs set up to go off in the middle of the night to wake up one of the readers Macs had a task name that suggested it was part of Microsoft Outlook. This one:

'com.apple.alarm.user-invisible-com.apple.calaccessd.travelEngine.periodicRefreshTimer

that appears to be set by Outlook Calendar feature, to synchronize calendar information in the middle of the night.

... but that lead is rapidly going stale because other readers are reporting wake-up problems without microsoft packages installed.

Grant Bennet-Alder wrote:

<< Any device can be attacked from the internet. >>

That is just not correct.

Your computer's actual IP address is NEVER sent onto the internet. Your Router uses its own Internet-visible IP address to "act as your agent" on the internet. This feature is called Network Address Translation.

When your Mac is connected behind a Router you control, any unsolicited responses coming from the internet toward your computer are discarded by default. Only responses to your Direct queries are passed through to your computer.

I asked around. This is the reply I got.

Yes, a computer can still be vulnerable to attacks from the internet, even if it is behind a router that uses its own public IP address. The router acts as a gateway between your local network and the internet, and it typically employs Network Address Translation (NAT) to manage traffic. However, if certain ports are open or if there are vulnerabilities in the router or the devices connected to it, an attacker could potentially exploit those weaknesses.

Certain ports are commonly targeted by attackers because they are associated with specific services or applications. Here are some of the well-known ports that can be vulnerable if not properly secured. Port 21 (FTP): Used for File Transfer Protocol. If not secured, it can allow unauthorised access to files: Ports 21, 22, 23, 25, 53, 80, 443 and 3389. I don't know much about ports, but that's the reply I got.

I found another forum on the Apple community which discussed exactly the same issue in 2022 related to wakeup events on Mac which were draining the battery. This other forum went on to discuss in vain different solutions until 2023. No explanations from Apple on this other forum. The forum tested everything possible, no solution. Conclusion: draining the batteries is a function introduced by Apple exactly with this purpose: to drain batteries until the computer is dead. This concludes my participation to Apple forums, I'm going forward with a Linux OS on Lenovo portable. I wish good luck for everyone in finding why Apple is starting your computers without your consent.

Geofo17 wrote:

I found another forum on the Apple community which discussed exactly the same issue in 2022 related to wakeup events on Mac which were draining the battery. This other forum went on to discuss in vain different solutions until 2023. No explanations from Apple on this other forum. The forum tested everything possible, no solution. Conclusion: draining the batteries is a function introduced by Apple exactly with this purpose: to drain batteries until the computer is dead. This concludes my participation to Apple forums, I'm going forward with a Linux OS on Lenovo portable. I wish good luck for everyone in finding why Apple is starting your computers without your consent.

I've been using Linux since 2005, and I've been with Windows even longer. I decided to get myself a MacBook Pro to experience macOS. It's true that Apple is primarily a hardware company, so they need to sell hardware to stay afloat, but I find macOS to be somewhat more pleasant than Linux. There are handful of Mac applications that I can't access on Linux or Windows. By the way, Linux can also drain batteries, depending on the specific distribution you choose. Even though Linux is open-source, the major players in the industry still hold significant influence. While we might not refer to Debian or Arch as companies, their committees and decision-making bodies operate much like private enterprises, making choices that we, the users, have little say over.

Since I ventured into the Mac ecosystem for macOS, I can utilise any Mac product, so my next purchase will likely be a Mac Mini. I've already got the accessories sorted, like the Magic Mouse and Magic Trackpad.

At the end of the day, it's your choice whether to stick around or not, but if I were in your shoes, I wouldn't leave.

<< However, if certain ports are open or if there are vulnerabilities in the router or the devices connected to it, an attacker could potentially exploit those weaknesses. >>

Most of those ports are not open by default on a Mac, so NAT Network Address Translation, as you and I both mentioned, provided by a Router YOU control, will suffice to protect you from ordinary anonymous attacks across the internet, which is what I wanted to be sure users understood.

Bad guys can NOT just 'crawl through the wires and hit you from afar'. And nothing can be sent to your Mac when your Mac is off.

The VAST majority of users who find their Mac has been attacked were attacked by software they downloaded AND approved for use. Nothing can become executable unless you provide your Admin password to "make it so". Be vigilant and you will most likely be safe.