macOS Tahoe 26.1 Improves Battery Life Significantly of MacBook Air & Pro
If you were one of the MacBook Air or MacBook Pro users who found MacOS Tahoe causing excessive battery drain and battery life reductions with MacOS 26.0 and MacOS 26.0.1, then you’ll want to update to macOS Tahoe 26.1 right away, as it will likely resolve the most significant battery life problems.
Multiple user reports online, with yours truly included, have found that battery life of MacBook Air and MacBook Pro has been restored to expected durations with the installation of macOS Tahoe 26.1. On my particular MacBook Air, Tahoe 26.1 means a return to 12 hour battery life, which is a significant improvement from the 2 hour battery life that I routinely experienced with the initial macOS Tahoe 26 release and the 26.0.1 update.
You can observe your own MacBook Pro or MacBook Air battery life and expected time remaining in Activity Monitor by going to the “Energy” tab, and looking at the bottom of that window:
If you’re a Mac laptop user you might also want to show the battery percentage remaining in the menu bar, though that menu bar item in MacOS no longer provides any time estimates, which is why the Energy section of Activity Monitor is recommended first.
Not all MacBook Pro and MacBook Air users encountered battery performance problems and issues with macOS Tahoe 26 or macOS Tahoe 26.0.1, adding to the mystery. While some third party apps and extensions are undoubtedly impacting some macOS Tahoe users battery life, even a fairly straightforward workflow of Safari, Messages, Notes, ChatGPT, Finder, and Mail app would be sufficient to pummel the battery life remaining on my particular MacBook Air.
While macOS Tahoe 26.1 appears to have introduced a visual bug or two, and some problems with virtual machines, the resolution of battery life problems is a welcome change.
If you’ve been experiencing reductions in battery performance and battery life with macOS Tahoe, don’t miss installing the macOS Tahoe 26.1 update, as it should resolve major battery issues for you as well.
What has been your experiences with battery life and battery drain in macOS Tahoe? Did you experience significant battery problems with the initial 26 releases, and did macOS Tahoe 26.1 resolve those problems for you? Share your thoughts, experiences, and more, in the comments below.
