When Apple redesigned the Mac interface with macOS Big Sur, the menu bar got a fresh look — and one small detail quietly disappeared for many users: the battery percentage. Instead of an exact number, Big Sur shows only a battery icon by default, leaving you to guess how much charge is really left. The good news is that the percentage readout was never removed. Apple simply moved the toggle to a new location in System Preferences, and bringing it back takes less than a minute.
Show the battery percentage in Big Sur’s menu bar
In macOS Big Sur, battery controls live under Dock & Menu Bar rather than the old Energy Saver pane. Here is how to turn the percentage on:
- Click the Apple menu in the top-left corner of the screen and choose System Preferences.
- Click Dock & Menu Bar.
- In the sidebar, scroll down and select Battery.
- Tick the checkbox labeled Show Percentage.
The number appears instantly next to the battery icon in the menu bar — no restart required. In the same pane you will also see Show in Menu Bar and Show in Control Center options, which control where the battery icon itself appears. If you ever want a cleaner, more minimal menu bar, simply return to this screen and untick Show Percentage to hide the number again.
A faster way to open the right settings pane
If you would rather not click through menus, press Command + Space to open Spotlight, type “Dock & Menu Bar,” and press Enter — you will land directly on the right preferences pane. From there, select Battery in the sidebar and toggle the percentage as described above. Apple documents these controls in its guide to changing Menu Bar settings on Mac, which covers every icon you can add or remove.
Keeping an eye on power matters beyond the menu bar, too. If you own several Apple devices, you can monitor the battery levels of all your devices right from your Mac, and iPhone owners can customize the battery widget on the iOS lock screen for the same at-a-glance convenience.
If it still doesn’t work
If the Show Percentage box is greyed out or your change does not stick, first confirm you are actually running Big Sur: click the Apple menu and choose About This Mac. On macOS Catalina and earlier, the setting lives in a different place — System Preferences > Energy Saver > Show battery status in menu bar. On a Mac managed by an employer or school, a configuration profile can also lock menu bar items; in that case you will need your administrator to change it. And if the battery icon itself is missing, make sure Show in Menu Bar is ticked in the same Battery pane — the percentage has nowhere to appear without the icon.
Frequently asked questions
Why did Apple remove the battery percentage in Big Sur?
It didn’t. The Big Sur redesign moved battery options from Energy Saver to the new Dock & Menu Bar section of System Preferences, and fresh installs default to showing only the icon. The percentage toggle is still there — just in a new home.
Does showing the battery percentage drain the battery faster?
No. The percentage is purely a display readout of data macOS already tracks, so toggling it on or off has no measurable effect on battery life — choose whichever look you prefer. If other settings on your Mac are misbehaving, by the way, here is how to quickly reset Bluetooth settings on Mac, another fix that lives a few clicks away in System Preferences.
Wrapping up
Whether you want the precision of an exact percentage or the calm of a simple icon, macOS Big Sur gives you the choice — it just hides the switch one level deeper than before. Toggle it once in the Dock & Menu Bar settings and your menu bar will show exactly what you want it to. For more Mac customization tips, outlets like MacRumors regularly cover hidden Big Sur settings worth exploring.
