Check your MacBook's battery cycle count
See how many charge cycles the battery has used and its health condition.
01Command
$ system_profiler SPPowerDataType | grep -iE "cycle count|condition"02What it does
A charge cycle is one full 0–100% drain, whether in one sitting or accumulated. system_profiler SPPowerDataType exposes the same numbers as System Settings → Battery → Battery Health. Apple rates most modern MacBooks for 1,000 cycles before the battery is considered consumed; compare your count against the max for your exact model on Apple's cycle-count page. A "Service Recommended" condition means the battery holds noticeably less charge than new.
03Risk
04Undo
✓No undo needed — this command does not change persistent state.
05Sources
- macOS system_profiler command referenceEvidence: system_profiler SPPowerDataType reports battery information including cycle count and condition.
- Determine battery cycle count for Mac notebooksEvidence: Apple defines a charge cycle and publishes the maximum rated cycle count for each MacBook model.
Last verified: 2026-09-16 · Category: System & Settings
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