How to Fix MacBook Pro Battery Life Issue; Touch Bar Consuming Too Much Power?

By Mara T - 12 Dec '16 04:29AM

One of the biggest problems that owners of MacBook Pro are experiencing lately is its shortened battery life. Supposedly, a MacBook Pro should have up to 10 hours of battery life but many are saying their unit only lasts for 3 hours. According to reports, the Touch Bar seems to be consuming too much power and a little settings tweak could fix it.

Fix the MacBook Pro Battery Life Issue by Resetting NVRAM

To reset the NVRAM, Apple has shared a procedure how to do it on their website but were going to make things easier by posting the instruction here too. The first step is to shut down and turn the unit back on. Then press down the Command button, Option, R and P button as the computer starts up. Hold all the buttons for about 20 seconds before releasing it. It is important to hold down the 4 buttons all at the same time to make this procedure work. That should reset the NVRAM so users will now have to check if that fixed the issue.

Fix the MacBook Pro Battery Life Issue by Resetting Dock Preferences

Now if the first solution didn't work, the next thing to do is reset the dock preferences of the MacBook Pro with instructions take from a 2012 article of Cult of Mac. To do that, just access the Terminal App in the unit by searching cd~/Library/Preferences/ and then press the return button. Next type "rm com.apple.desktop.plist" and hit return again. Lastly, type "killal Dock" and press the return button again.

Fix the MacBook Pro Battery Life Issue by Resetting the System Management Controller

If the first two solutions still does not help fix the battery life of the unit, the next recommended thing to do is to reset the system management controller. To do this, the user will need to shut down the MacBook pro again and plug in the power adapter to power up the laptop. Then press Shift, Control and Option button while holding the power button all at the same time. Quickly press the power button after pressing the 4 buttons to turn on the laptop. And that should reset the system management controller.

The solutions presented in this article does not guarantee a 100% fix. Some units may be experiencing the battery problem with a different cause. It's best to ask a professional when none of the solutions works.