macOS warns you when the battery of a MacBook is low, at a level it picks. You cannot change that level, and there is no warning when the battery is full. To get a notification at your own percentage, use an automation in Shortcuts or a battery monitor. Here is each way.
What macOS does by itself
- A low battery warning for the MacBook. Apple does not document the level. People report it at about 10% in macOS Tahoe.
- A low battery warning for Magic accessories. A Magic Mouse, a Magic Keyboard or a Magic Trackpad gets a notification at a level macOS picks.
- No setting for either one. The Battery settings and the Notifications settings have no level to change.
- No notification when the battery is charged.
The warning at 10% leaves little time if the charger is in another room.
Three ways to set your own level
| Way | Needs | Low battery | Charged to a level | Other devices |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Shortcuts automation | macOS Tahoe 26 or later | Yes | Yes | No. This Mac only |
| Charge Limit | macOS Tahoe 26.4 or later, Apple silicon | No | Stops the charge. No notification | No |
| BatteryBud | macOS 14 or later, Apple silicon | Yes | Yes | Yes. Each device has its own alerts |
A notification at your own percentage, with Shortcuts
macOS Tahoe 26 added automations to the Shortcuts app on a Mac. One of the triggers is Battery Level.
- Open the Shortcuts app.
- Click Automation in the sidebar.
- Click the add button and choose Battery Level.
- Select Falls Below and set the percentage, for example 20%.
- Choose Run Immediately.
- Add the Show Notification action and type your message, for example “Battery at 20%”.
For a notification while the Mac charges, make a second automation. Select Rises Above and set 80%.
This works for the Mac itself. It does not cover your mouse, your iPhone or your AirPods. In macOS Sequoia or earlier, the Shortcuts app on a Mac has no automations.
Stop at 80% with Charge Limit
If you want a notification at 80% so that you can unplug the Mac, macOS can now stop the charge for you. Charge Limit needs macOS Tahoe 26.4 or later and a Mac with Apple silicon.
- Open the Apple menu and choose System Settings.
- Click Battery in the sidebar.
- Click the info button next to Charging.
- Select a Charge Limit from 80% to 100%.
- Click Done.
The Mac charges to about the limit and stops. The battery menu then shows that it charged to the limit. If the charge drops more than 5% while the Mac is on power, charging starts again. To fill the battery before a trip, choose Charge to Full Now in the battery menu.
Charge Limit sends no notification. It makes the notification unnecessary.
Low battery notification not showing
- The Mac is a desktop. An iMac, a Mac mini or a Mac Studio has no battery, so it has no warning.
- The version of macOS. Some people report no warning on some versions of macOS Tahoe, and others report a warning that repeats. Install the latest update.
- There is no switch to check. macOS has no setting that turns this warning on or off.
If you need the warning to be reliable, add your own with one of the two ways on this page that send a notification.
Alerts for every device, at the level you pick
BatteryBud is a battery monitor for Mac. It has four kinds of alert, and you set each one for each device.
| Alert | Example |
|---|---|
| Low battery | The MacBook drops below 25%. The Magic Mouse drops below 20% |
| Charged to a level | The iPhone reaches 80% |
| Not seen | The iPad has not been seen for 2 days |
| Battery health | The maximum capacity of the MacBook drops below 85% |
The alerts work for every device BatteryBud shows: this Mac, your iPhone and iPad, AirPods, keyboards, mice, game controllers and a UPS. So you get a warning for the iPhone that is charging in another room, which macOS does not give you.
BatteryBud reads batteries and does not control them. It can tell you that the Mac reached 80%, and it cannot stop the charge. Use Charge Limit for that.
To see how the level moved before an alert, see how to see battery history on a Mac.