An age-old question – will my Mac perform faster than before if I plug it into a power outlet? Let’s answer that.
Your MacBook Pro or MacBook Air Will Not Get a Performance Boost if You Plug it into Power
If you use a Windows PC, you already know plugging it into power immediately gives you a performance boost.
However, does the same thing apply to a MacBook Pro or MacBook Air? Will plugging either one to power make them any faster?
It does not.
But wait, while it may not give you extra performance, there are a few things you should know anyway.
Honestly, you don’t have to read beyond this at all since you’ve gotten your answer.
There are Some Advantages to Plugging in Your Mac
First of all, in order to achieve that advertised battery life, Apple does a bit of software wizardry in macOS. This includes pausing app updates, iCloud photo updates, and more.
Basically, in order to optimize performance and battery life both, such things have to be done.
But when you plug it in, you immediately get the advantage of background updates. This means your photos, messages, and app updates can happen freely since battery life is no longer an issue when plugged in.
However, your Mac will still prioritize performance and may slow down background app updates from time to time. It’s absolutely normal, and many users will not feel this at all.
Need More Power Anyway
But, you can get extra performance on your Mac by using the ‘High Power Mode.’ It’s an option that remains there for everyone to use, and it’s a great way to get extra performance out of your Mac when editing 8K video or something else that requires extra processing power.
This mode can be activated whether you’re on battery or plugged in. And once you enable it, you will notice your Mac’s internal fan ramping up, which is normal. Because in order to sustain that extra performance, you do need active cooling.
In order to enable High Power Mode, you need to own a compatible Mac and the MacBook Air is not in that list. However, these are the Macs compatible with High Power Mode:
- 2024 14-inch MacBook Pro
- 2024 16-inch MacBook Pro
- 14-inch November 2023 MacBook Pro with M3 Max
- 16-inch November 2023 MacBook Pro with M3 Max
- 16-inch 2023 MacBook Pro with M2 Max
- 16-inch 2021 MacBook Pro with M1 Max
- 2024 Mac mini
How to Enable High Power Mode
In order to enable the feature, launch System Settings, click on Battery on the left if you have a MacBook Pro, or Energy if you have a Mac mini. Now select High Power from the Energy Mode section as shown below:
Long story short: plugging your Mac into a power outlet will not make it faster at all. Whether you’re plugged in or running on battery, you get every ounce of processing power when needed.
The only advantage of plugging your MacBook Pro or MacBook Air to a power outlet is more frequent background updates. Nothing else.
