macOS supports a UPS that connects by USB, with no extra software. When it finds one, it shows the battery level of the UPS in the menu bar and in the Energy settings, and it can shut the Mac down before the UPS is empty. Here is each place, and what is missing.
The menu bar
On a desktop Mac, a battery icon appears in the menu bar when macOS finds the UPS. An iMac, a Mac mini or a Mac Studio has no battery of its own, so this icon is the UPS.
- Connect the data cable of the UPS to a USB port on the Mac.
- Click the battery icon in the menu bar.
- Read the battery level of the UPS.
The Energy settings
- Open the Apple menu and choose System Settings.
- Click Energy in the sidebar.
- Read the UPS level. Scroll down if you do not see it.
On a MacBook, people report that the UPS level is in the Battery settings and in the battery menu.
Set when the Mac shuts down
A UPS gives you minutes, not hours. macOS can shut the Mac down by itself, so that an outage while you are away does not end with a hard power cut.
- Open the Apple menu and choose System Settings.
- Click Energy, then click UPS Options.
- Select one or more options, and move each slider to the time or the battery level you want.
- Click Done.
The options shut the Mac down after a time on the UPS battery, at a time remaining, or below a battery level. If you select more than one, the Mac shuts down at the first one that is reached.
When the power fails, the UPS beeps and macOS shows one warning that the Mac is running on UPS power.
Terminal
Open Terminal and type one of these commands.
| Command | What it shows or does |
|---|---|
pmset -g batt |
The power sources, with the level of the UPS and if it is on AC power |
pmset -g ups |
The shutdown settings for the UPS |
pmset -g pslog |
A running log of power source changes |
sudo pmset -u haltlevel 25 |
Shuts the Mac down when the UPS battery drops to 25% |
sudo pmset -u haltafter 5 |
Shuts the Mac down after 5 minutes on the UPS battery |
sudo pmset -u haltremain 10 |
Shuts the Mac down when 10 minutes remain |
UPS not showing on a Mac
If there is no battery icon and no UPS Options button, macOS has not found the UPS.
- Check the cable. The UPS needs its USB data cable to the Mac, not only its power cable. Some APC units use their own data cable, and people report that a different cable does not work.
- Connect the cable to the Mac directly, not through a hub.
- Hold the Option key, open the Apple menu and choose System Information. Click USB, then Power. A UPS that macOS has found is in both lists.
- Restart the Mac with the UPS connected.
What macOS does not show
- No condition of the battery. macOS shows the charge level. It does not tell you that a 4-year-old battery will last 2 minutes and not 20.
- No alert you can set. You get one warning when the power fails.
- No history. You cannot see when the UPS last ran on its battery, or for how long.
- Nothing in the menu bar on a MacBook besides the MacBook’s own battery.
A lead-acid UPS battery lasts about 3 to 5 years. APC advises replacement after 3 to 4 years, or when the UPS shows its replace battery light.
CyberPower’s PowerPanel Personal for Mac adds event logs, notifications and scheduled shutdown for CyberPower units. APC’s PowerChute Personal Edition is for Windows, so an APC unit on a Mac uses the built-in support.
Keep the UPS in the menu bar
BatteryBud is a battery monitor for Mac. From version 1.2.0 it shows a UPS that is connected by USB. The UPS gets its own Power group in the list, next to your other batteries.
The usual low battery alert works for it. Set a level, for example 50%, and BatteryBud tells you when the UPS is running down. You can also pin the UPS to the menu bar with its percentage, which helps on a MacBook, where the menu bar shows only the MacBook’s own battery.
BatteryBud reads batteries and does not control them. Keep the shutdown settings in macOS, with the steps above.