Your MacBook has a few built-in features to help keep its battery health intact. It will automatically shut down your laptop if it gets too hot, as higher temperatures reduce battery life and performance. It will also slow down charging when the battery reaches 80% if it determines that you don’t need a full charge. While these features are good enough for most people, there are a few battery management apps that give you much more control over your MacBook’s battery health.

Battery Toolkit is the best free app I’ve found for managing your MacBook’s battery. It lets you keep your MacBook’s battery percentage between two predefined values, stop your MacBook from charging even when plugged in, and even force your MacBook to charge to 100%. Some of these features require you to pay for other battery management apps, such as AlDente.

Battery management apps are best used by people who want to keep their MacBook plugged in at all times. Many people use their MacBook with the lid closed, with the laptop connected to a monitor, external keyboard, and mouse. In these situations, it can be a bit of a hassle to repeatedly plug your Mac on and off to prevent overcharging. Why go through all that trouble when an app can manage your battery for you?

Once the app is running, set it up in a way that works for you. Click the Battery Toolkit icon in the top menu bar and select Settings. Go to the Power tab and set a minimum and maximum percentage. That way, your MacBook will start charging when it reaches the minimum value and stop charging when it reaches the maximum value. I have it set to keep my MacBook between 30 and 80%, but you can choose whatever values work best for your usage. Click OK when you're done.