In the past few months I’ve transitioned from a desktop iMac to wonderful new MacBook Pro. Although I love the portability of the MacBook, one thing that took some time to adjust to is the limited time you have to use your laptop before you have to charge it. Of course, at home that’s not really an issue, but on the move it can be a real challenge when you’re away from a power outlet. I see many people with laptops (normally Windows laptops) who literally cannot use their machines for more than 15 minutes without plugging the charger in.

Recently, my MacBook started to give me strange timings on my battery charges. It would show me I had less than 10% of charge left, yet would charge to 100% in less than 10 minutes. This kind of inaccuracy doesn’t help at all, especially if you’re going to take your laptop away on a journey with you. What my MacBook needed was a battery calibration.

Simply, charge the Laptop to 100% and leave the charger plugged in for at least 2 hours. You can use the laptop while this is going on. Once the two hours (it can be more) are finished, remove the charger, and let the laptop battery drain down until it’s empty. You can use it normally during this time. When the battery is empty enough, your MacBook will go into hibernation, and switch itself off. Let it stay like that for at least 5 hours. What this procedure does is to make sure that the battery reports correctly how much it is charged and how long it will provide power for. It is recommended that you do this calibration regularly to keep your battery in good working order.