How to turn on Low Power Mode on a Mac

Updated 2026 · 4 min read

Low Power Mode throttles the CPU and dims the display slightly to squeeze more runtime out of your battery. On Apple silicon Macs it works even when plugged in — useful for keeping a MacBook cool and quiet on a desk.

Turn it on from the menu bar (fastest)

If you have the battery icon in your menu bar, this is the quickest route: click it and toggle Low Power Mode at the top of the dropdown.

If the battery icon isn't there, add it first: go to System Settings → Control Center → Battery and set "Show in Menu Bar" to Always or When Active. Once it appears, the toggle is one click away whenever you need it.

Turn it on in System Settings

For a permanent setting — or to choose when it kicks in — go to System Settings → Battery → Low Power Mode. You'll see three options:

Never — Low Power Mode stays off (the default).
Only on Battery — activates automatically whenever you unplug.
Always — stays on even when you're plugged into power. Good for keeping thermals low on a desk Mac or reducing fan noise.

On macOS 13 Ventura and later this dropdown is right in the Battery pane. On macOS 12 and earlier the option may appear under Energy Saver instead.

Turn it on with Terminal

You can toggle Low Power Mode from the command line too. Open Terminal (Applications → Utilities) and run:

# enable Low Power Mode
sudo pmset -a lowpowermode 1

To turn it back off:

# disable Low Power Mode
sudo pmset -a lowpowermode 0

Note that sudo is required — power management settings are system-level. You'll be prompted for your password. The -a flag applies the change to all power sources (battery and AC); use -b for battery-only or -c for AC-only if you want finer control.

What Low Power Mode actually does

When Low Power Mode is on, macOS does a few things behind the scenes:

Reduces maximum CPU and GPU clock speeds slightly — you won't notice on everyday tasks, but sustained exports or compilations will take longer.
Dims the display to a lower brightness floor (you can still increase it manually).
Slows or pauses background tasks, iCloud sync bursts, and mail fetching.
May reduce screen refresh rate on ProMotion displays from 120 Hz to 60 Hz.

The trade-off is real but manageable. Most browsing, writing, and video calls feel identical. Exporting a Final Cut Pro project or running a Xcode build will be noticeably slower.

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When to use it

A few situations where Low Power Mode earns its keep:

On a flight or in a meeting — when you have no charger and need to stretch every percentage point.
Near end of battery — macOS will suggest it automatically when you drop below 20%, but you can get ahead of it.
Always, on a desk — if you use a MacBook Pro plugged in all day and want the fans to spin less, "Always" keeps thermals lower without meaningfully affecting most tasks.
Overnight or idle — if you leave your Mac on but aren't using it, Low Power Mode prevents it from running hot for no reason.

To turn it off again: the same menu-bar icon lets you toggle it back immediately, or set the System Settings dropdown back to Never.