I had this functionality since I've bought this mac (macbook pro m3 2024) but this week I've realized it kept overcoming this bar.
I haven't found anything in the settings>battery>options nor before nor after the recent update
The best practice is to plug into power whenever it’s convenient and run on battery only when you cannot connect to power. Your Mac uses Optimized Battery Charging, which is enabled by default. That is designed to charge the battery in a way that balances increased battery lifespan with your personal usage patterns.
About battery health management in Mac notebooks - Apple Support
To confirm that Optimized Battery Charging is enabled, go to System Settings > Battery then click the (i) to the right of Battery Health.
If your Mac is usually plugged in, macOS will pause charging at 80% full since that’s better for the battery long term. If you frequently run on battery, macOS will charge the battery to 100%. That behavior will change depending on your usage. For example, I use my work MacBook Pro connected to a dock for most of the week, and charging pauses at 80%. If I run on battery a few hours for a couple of days, it will start charging to 100%. If I then keep the Mac plugged in for a couple of days, it will again pause at 80%. When your Mac decides to hold the battery at 80% charge, it will bring it to that level even if the battery is fully charged and the Mac is connected to power, which is what one of my Macs did here:
If charging is paused, you can override that by clicking on the Battery icon in the Menu Bar or Control Center (you may need to enable that in System Settings > Menu Bar) and select Charge to Full Now.
Once ‘trained’ the system is pretty responsive. For example, when my Mac was holding at 80%, a couple of short (30-45 minute) sessions running on battery one morning was sufficient to have macOS decide it was time to bring the battery to a full charge.
The bottom line is that your Mac will manage its battery charging to preserve the health of the battery while supporting your usage patterns. There's no need to micromanage it, let macOS handle it.
The best practice is to plug into power whenever it’s convenient and run on battery only when you cannot connect to power. Your Mac uses Optimized Battery Charging, which is enabled by default. That is designed to charge the battery in a way that balances increased battery lifespan with your personal usage patterns.
About battery health management in Mac notebooks - Apple Support
To confirm that Optimized Battery Charging is enabled, go to System Settings > Battery then click the (i) to the right of Battery Health.
If your Mac is usually plugged in, macOS will pause charging at 80% full since that’s better for the battery long term. If you frequently run on battery, macOS will charge the battery to 100%. That behavior will change depending on your usage. For example, I use my work MacBook Pro connected to a dock for most of the week, and charging pauses at 80%. If I run on battery a few hours for a couple of days, it will start charging to 100%. If I then keep the Mac plugged in for a couple of days, it will again pause at 80%. When your Mac decides to hold the battery at 80% charge, it will bring it to that level even if the battery is fully charged and the Mac is connected to power, which is what one of my Macs did here:
If charging is paused, you can override that by clicking on the Battery icon in the Menu Bar or Control Center (you may need to enable that in System Settings > Menu Bar) and select Charge to Full Now.
Once ‘trained’ the system is pretty responsive. For example, when my Mac was holding at 80%, a couple of short (30-45 minute) sessions running on battery one morning was sufficient to have macOS decide it was time to bring the battery to a full charge.
The bottom line is that your Mac will manage its battery charging to preserve the health of the battery while supporting your usage patterns. There's no need to micromanage it, let macOS handle it.
NOTE that charging to 80 percent is a side-effect, NOT the GOAL.
The goal is to have some hurly-burly (percolating activity) around using your battery, either by your actually using it, or by leaving it less than fully charged, so that the cells are not 100 percent charged 100 percent of the time. Battery Health Management will also from time-to-time let the battery decline slightly to 'get some exercise' and run lower (thought to be around twice monthly) if you do not do so by your ordinary use.
The feature tracks you actual usage. If you continue to not require 100 percent charge for a few weeks, it generally will revert to a lower "full" level. but it takes some experience, which takes some time
If your recent usage patterns demand top battery capacity, the battery will charge completely to be sure you are not stuck out in the wild with no power.
Executive summary: “If you keep your Mac plugged in continuously for several days, it will start pausing the charge at 80%. If you run a small amount of the time on battery, it will keep doing that. If you run some of the time on battery, it will charge to 100%.” © 2025 neuroanatomist
How to limit the re-charging at 80%
