How to Check Your Mac's Battery Usage History in 2026: Track Power-Hungry Apps Step-by-Step

MacBooks are built for portability, but battery life can suffer from resource-intensive apps running in the background. Whether you're working remotely or traveling, knowing which applications guzzle power helps you manage usage effectively. macOS provides a built-in tool to view battery usage history, revealing exactly how your Mac spends its energy over the past 24 hours or 10 days. This feature, available since macOS Ventura and refined in later versions like Sonoma and Sequoia, empowers users to spot culprits like video editors, browsers with too many tabs, or rogue processes.

Apple's Activity Monitor and Battery settings offer granular insights without needing third-party apps. This native approach ensures privacy and accuracy, aligning with Apple's focus on user control over hardware performance. In an era of hybrid work, extending battery life by even an hour can boost productivity significantly.

• Your Mac must be running macOS Ventura (13.0) or later. Check via Apple menu > About This Mac.
• A MacBook with a battery (not iMac or Mac Studio).
• Admin privileges for full access to Activity Monitor.

Before diving into history, glance at the basics. Click the battery icon in the menu bar or go to System Settings > Battery. Here, you'll see remaining time, charging status, and options like Low Power Mode. Enable it for up to 20% longer runtime during light tasks.

1. Open System Settings from the Apple menu or Dock.
2. Select Battery from the sidebar.
3. Click the info (i) button next to Battery Health.
4. Scroll to the Battery Usage section. Toggle between Last 24 Hours and Last 10 Days.
5. Review the bar graph and list. Apps are sorted by power consumption, with color-coded bars: green for efficient AC use, orange for battery drain.

This view highlights top offenders. For example, if Safari shows high usage, it might be due to extensions or streaming tabs. The data resets periodically, providing a fresh snapshot.

For deeper diagnostics, launch Activity Monitor from Spotlight (Cmd + Space, type 'Activity Monitor').

1. Click the Energy tab at the top.
2. Sort columns by 12 hr Power, Energy Impact, or 12 hr Energy. High values indicate battery hogs.
3. Check Preventing Sleep columnapps blocking sleep mode waste power.
4. Double-click an app for the Inspector window, showing real-time CPU, GPU, and power stats.

Pro tip: Use the search bar to filter apps. Quit unnecessary ones via the X button. Activity Monitor updates live, making it ideal for troubleshooting during sessions.

• Energy Impact: Measures overall system load (0-100 scale). Above 20 is notable.
• 12 hr Power: Average watts over 12 hours. Streaming apps often exceed 10W.
• App Nap: macOS throttles inactive apps; check if it's working.

• Manage Apps: Force quit high-impact apps or uninstall via Launchpad.
• Browser Tweaks: Limit tabs in Chrome/Edge; use Safari for efficiency.
• Display & Peripherals: Dim screen to 50%, disconnect Bluetooth devices.
• Software Updates: Install latest macOS for battery optimizationsSequoia improved idle drain by 15%.
• Reset SMC/PRAM: Fixes calibration issues (search Apple Support for steps).

Regular checks can extend battery cycles. Apple's batteries last 1000 cycles before 80% capacity; monitoring prevents premature wear.

If history doesn't appear, ensure Optimized Battery Charging is off temporarily. For M-series chips (M1-M4), power efficiency is superior, but Rosetta apps spike usagenative versions fix this. Third-party tools like coconutBattery complement but aren't necessary.

By mastering these tools, Mac users gain control over performance, ensuring longer unplugged sessions. This built-in functionality underscores Apple's hardware-software integration advantage.