How to Show Battery Percentage in Your Mac's Menu Bar - MacRumors
Skip to Content

How to Show Battery Percentage in Your Mac's Menu Bar

by

If you're the sort of person who likes to know exactly how much battery life your MacBook Pro or MacBook Air has left, then you'll want macOS to show the percentage next to the battery level icon in the menu bar. This article explains how.

2018 2018 macbook pro battery
If you look at the right-hand side of the menu bar in macOS Monterey, you'll notice a battery level icon indicating the amount of charge your Mac has left. This provides you with a good approximation, but you would get a more accurate representation of how much battery life you have if there was a percentage next to the icon.

Since macOS Big Sur was released, Apple has the battery level percentage turned off by default, but you can easily enable it by following the steps below.

  1. Launch System Preferences from your Mac's Dock, from the Applications folder, or from the Apple menu bar ( -> System Preferences...).
  2. Click Dock & Menu Bar in the preferences panel.
    sys-prefs

  3. In the sidebar on the left, scroll down to the "Other Modules" section and click Battery.
  4. In the Battery options, click the checkbox next to Show Percentage. Make sure the box next to Show in Menu Bar is also checked.
    sys-prefs

Now that's done, you'll see the percentage next to the battery icon in the menu bar, giving you a more accurate idea of how much juice your Mac has left before you have to plug it in to charge again.
show battery percentage mac3

Did you know that you can also get a battery percentage on your iPhone? Check out our dedicated article to learn how.

Popular Stories

Four iPhone 18 Pro Colors Mock Feature

iPhone 18 Pro Launching Later This Year With These 10 New Features

Tuesday May 26, 2026 6:32 am PDT by
While the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max are not launching until September, there are already plenty of rumors about the devices. It was initially reported that the iPhone 18 Pro models would have fully under-screen Face ID, with only a front camera visible in the top-left corner of the screen. However, the latest rumors indicate that only one Face ID component will be moved under the...
Apple Watch Blood Glucose Monitoring Feature 2

Apple Watch for Diabetes: The Latest on Apple's Plans for Non-Invasive Blood Sugar Monitoring

Tuesday May 26, 2026 9:30 am PDT by
For many years now, it has been rumored that the Apple Watch will eventually gain non-invasive blood sugar monitoring capabilities, which would enable millions of people with diabetes to track their blood glucose levels without needing to prick their skin with a needle or wear a dedicated continuous glucose monitor. According to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman, Apple recently shifted oversight of...
apple wallet drivers license feature iPhone 15 pro

Apple Just Expanded iPhone Driver's License Feature to Arkansas

Wednesday May 27, 2026 9:41 am PDT by
In select U.S. states, residents can add their driver's license or state ID to the Apple Wallet app on the iPhone and Apple Watch, and then use it to display proof of identity or age at select airports and businesses, and in select apps. Starting today, the feature is available in Arkansas, which is the 14th state to offer it. However, it may take some time to roll out to all users. To...