Liwu

Mac Low-Battery Notification Not Showing: How to Get a Warning Back

Published · Liwu behavior checked against 2.12.0 ()

macOS has no setting for the battery level at which it warns you, and since macOS Tahoe 26.1 owners report on Apple's forums that the low-battery warning no longer appears for them, or appears only with a few percent left. We found no statement from Apple about a change. Until there is one, the dependable warning is one you set up yourself: keep the percentage in view, add a Shortcuts automation at a level you pick, or use an app that warns at your level.

Verified: Apple documentation and forum threads checked October 13, 2026. Shortcuts labels checked on macOS 26.7.1. Liwu 2.12.0 behavior checked October 13, 2026. We did not run a Mac down to find where the system's own warning now appears, so this guide gives no number for it.

You want With macOS alone With Liwu
A warning for the Mac at a level you choose A Shortcuts automation on Battery Level A level from 5% to 50%
Accessory levels at a glance Bluetooth in Control Center, or the Batteries widget A row in the menu bar popover
A warning when an accessory runs low macOS decides; owners disagree on whether it still arrives One level for all accessories that report to macOS

What owners report

  • The Mac's own warning. A thread from November 2025 titled "Tahoe 26.1 no longer displays low battery notifications" has dozens of owners marking the same problem. Its author recalls a warning at about 12% on macOS Sequoia that stayed on screen. A second thread from December 2025 describes the same loss; one reply there says the warning now arrives at about 2%, and a reply in the first thread recalls about 10%. The accounts do not agree on a number.
  • Before 26.1, the opposite. In the same threads, owners say the first Tahoe releases showed the warning again and again, and that 26.1 then cut it back.
  • Accessories. A thread from October 2025 reports no low-battery alerts for a Magic Mouse after updating to Tahoe. Replies differ: one owner still gets these alerts on 26.1, and another says the battery percentages disappeared from the Bluetooth menu.

What Apple documents is narrower. Battery settings show "the current battery level and any battery alerts at the top", and none of the options listed there sets a warning level.

What you can do with macOS alone

Keep the percentage in view

Open System Settings → Menu Bar, select Battery, click Battery Options, and turn on Show Percentage. It is not a warning, but a number in the menu bar is harder to miss than an icon.

Add your own warning with Shortcuts

In macOS 26, Shortcuts on the Mac can run automations, and Apple lists Battery Level among the triggers.

  1. Open Shortcuts and choose Automation in the sidebar.
  2. Create a new automation and choose Battery Level.
  3. Choose Falls Below and set the level, for example 20%.
  4. Choose Run Immediately so that it does not wait for you to confirm.
  5. Add the Show Notification action and write the message you want to see.

Check the automation once after you create it: set a level just below your current charge and let the Mac reach it on battery.

See accessory levels

  • Bluetooth. Apple's instructions for its own keyboard, mouse and trackpad: click Control Center in the menu bar, then Bluetooth, or click the Bluetooth menu if you have added it to the menu bar.
  • The Batteries widget. Control-click the wallpaper, choose Edit Widgets, and pick Batteries in the widget gallery.

Both show a level when you look. Neither lets you choose when to be warned.

What Liwu adds

Liwu is a menu bar app for MacBooks. This describes Liwu 2.12.0 on an Apple silicon MacBook running macOS 26.7.1; see compatibility for which Macs and macOS versions Liwu runs on. The alerts below are free.

A warning for the Mac at your level

In Liwu's main window, open General. Under Notifications, turn on Send notifications and allow them when macOS asks. The Low battery kind is on by default, and its This Mac level can be set from 5% to 50% in steps of 5. It starts at 20%.

  • Liwu warns once, with a sound, when the Mac is running on battery and reaches that level.
  • It then stays quiet until the Mac has been plugged in, or has risen 5 points above the level. A charge that hovers around the level does not produce a notification each time it crosses.
  • If you open the lid and the Mac is already below the level, that is one warning.
  • A Mac on power never triggers it. This matters with a charge limit: a Mac held at 30% on the adapter is not low on battery.
  • Quitting and reopening Liwu does not repeat a warning already given.

Accessories

Liwu lists accessories that report their battery level to macOS and warns when one runs low. It does not use Bluetooth access of its own: it shows what the system reports, under the name the system gives.

  • In the popover. While at least one such accessory is connected, a row in the popover shows its name and level. A level at or below your warning level is highlighted, and an accessory that is charging shows a small bolt. You can hide the row in General → Appearance.
  • The warning. One level, set under Low battery next to the Mac's, applies to every accessory. Liwu warns when an accessory that is not charging reaches it, then not again for that accessory until it has charged, risen 5 points above the level, or been disconnected, and never more than once an hour.

Limits

  • Liwu has to be running. The app does the watching. Launch Liwu at Login in General keeps it there after a restart.
  • macOS delivers the notification. If notifications for Liwu are turned off in System Settings, nothing arrives; Liwu's settings say so and offer a button to open that page.
  • Only on battery. A Mac that is plugged into a weak charger and still losing charge does not trigger the warning.
  • Not every accessory reports a level. An accessory that reports nothing to macOS does not appear, and Liwu makes no promise about particular products.
  • One level per group. There is one level for the Mac and one shared by all accessories; there is no second, later warning.

FAQ

At what percentage does a Mac warn about a low battery?

We found no level published by Apple, and owners' accounts since macOS Tahoe 26.1 range from about 10% to about 2% to no warning at all. That is why this guide suggests a warning you control.

Can I change the low-battery warning level in System Settings?

No. Apple's list of Battery settings has no such option. A Shortcuts automation on Battery Level, or an app, is the way to choose a level.

Did a later macOS update bring the warning back?

We found no statement from Apple either way, and we did not test it. If the warning works on your Mac, you need nothing from this guide.

Does Liwu need Pro for these alerts?

No. Low-battery alerts for the Mac and for accessories, and the accessory row in the popover, are free.

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