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But if your schedule varies—or if you keep your laptop plugged in for three days straight while editing video—Apple’s software gives up and charges to 100%. Keeping a battery at 100% for long periods creates high voltage stress, which chemically ages the battery faster. AlDente (named after the pasta state—firm, not mushy) is a free and open-source tool for macOS that gives you manual control over your charging limit.

Need to leave the office and go to a meeting? Use Discharge Mode to burn off that 100% charge down to 80% before you unplug, so you leave the house at a healthy voltage. But Wait, What About Calibration? You might have heard: "Don't keep your battery at a low percentage forever; it messes up the calibration." aldente

Heat is the silent killer. If AlDente detects your battery is too hot (e.g., during a Final Cut Pro export), it automatically stops charging to prevent thermal damage. But if your schedule varies—or if you keep

Or, even worse: you use your MacBook 90% of the time, connected to a monitor with the charger permanently plugged in. Need to leave the office and go to a meeting

Have you tried AlDente? What percentage do you lock your MacBook at? Let me know in the comments below!

While Apple’s built-in "Optimized Battery Charging" tries to help, it is notoriously passive. It learns your habits and might hold at 80% if you have a very rigid schedule (e.g., plugging in at 10 PM every night).