Get a notification when your MacBook battery reaches 80%

BatteryGuard sits in the menu bar. It tells you when to unplug and when to plug in, shows how many watts your charger really delivers, and keeps a quiet record of your battery’s health.

Coming soon for Mac See how it works

Coming soon · $4.99 once · macOS 14 Sonoma or later · Apple silicon and Intel

The BatteryGuard panel open under its menu bar item, which reads 76% · 41 W. The panel shows 76%, Charging, reaches 80% in 12 min; a 96W USB-C Power Adapter giving 41.2 W, of which 23.4 W goes into the battery and 17.8 W runs the Mac; alerts to unplug at 80%, plug in at 20% and for a weak charger; maximum capacity 96%, 214 cycles.

Reminders at the levels you choose

Set one alert to unplug at 80% and another to plug in at 20%, or pick any level you like. Each alert fires once per charge and can repeat every few minutes until you act, so it doesn’t get lost behind a full-screen app.

Unplug at 80%, plug in at 20%
A charger is connected, with its wattage
The charger is too weak for this Mac
The battery is draining while plugged in

Three BatteryGuard notifications: Battery at 80%, a good time to unplug, with Snooze 30 min and Not today buttons; This charger is too weak, the 30 W adapter gives less than this Mac is using; Battery at 20%, plug in soon.

See what your charger really delivers

A 96 W adapter doesn’t always give 96 W. The cable, the port and the battery level all change it. BatteryGuard shows the adapter’s rating, the power going into your Mac right now, and where it goes: into the battery or into running the Mac.

Adapter96 W96W USB‑C Power Adapter · 20 V

Into the Mac now41.2 WThe Mac asks for less as it nears 80%

Into the battery+23.4 W

Running the Mac17.8 W

With a weaker charger, the numbers make it obvious: if the Mac is using more than the adapter gives, the battery drains even though it’s plugged in. BatteryGuard tells you when that happens. Why a MacBook charges slowly

Works alongside Apple’s Charge Limit

On macOS Tahoe 26.4 and later, MacBooks with Apple silicon can stop charging at a limit between 80% and 100% in System Settings › Battery. BatteryGuard doesn’t change how your Mac charges and never asks for an administrator password. It reads the battery and tells you what’s going on.

On Intel MacBooks and on macOS 14 and 15, where there’s no Charge Limit, the 80% alert is the simple way to keep the same habit. Why a MacBook stops at 80%

80%Plugged in, not charging

macOS is holding the charge at your limit. The Mac runs on the charger: 12.6 W in, nothing going into the battery.

How it looks in BatteryGuard when Charge Limit is on.

Your battery’s health, month by month

BatteryGuard reads the maximum capacity and cycle count your Mac reports and saves one reading a day, on your Mac. After a few months you see the trend, not just today’s number.

What maximum capacity means · How to see the cycle count

Maximum capacity96%

Cycles214

SinceDec 2025

Example data. Your readings stay on your Mac.

Which charger does your Mac need?

One page per MacBook: the battery size, the adapters Apple puts in the box, what you need for fast charging, and what happens with a smaller charger.

Questions

Does BatteryGuard stop charging at 80%?

No. It sends a notification. To stop charging automatically, turn on Charge Limit in System Settings › Battery, on a Mac with Apple silicon and macOS Tahoe 26.4 or later.

Does it need an administrator password or a helper tool?

No. It reads the same battery and charger information that System Information shows. Nothing is installed outside the app.

Which Macs does it work on?

MacBooks with Apple silicon or Intel, on macOS 14 Sonoma or later.

Are the watt readings exact?

They’re what the battery and the charger report to macOS. That’s close enough to compare chargers and cables, but it isn’t a lab meter.

Is it a subscription?

No. You pay $4.99 once, plus tax where it applies, and use it on every Mac you have.

Does it send my data anywhere?

No. The app makes no network requests, and the battery history stays on your Mac.

BatteryGuard for Mac

$4.99 once, plus tax where it applies. You get the DMG right after payment.

Coming soon for Mac

Coming soon · $4.99 once · macOS 14 Sonoma or later · Apple silicon and Intel