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Frequently Asked Questions

Quick answers to the most common questions about licensing and AlDente.

Billing and licensing

Yes. You can get the student discount through Student App Centre.

  1. Open paddle.net in your browser.
  2. Enter the email address used for your purchase.
  3. Within a couple of minutes, you will receive an email from Paddle. Click on the “Verify and show purchases” button.
  4. A new window opens showing all transactions with Paddle. Find the AlDente transaction you are looking for and click on the “Get help” button in the upper right corner.
  5. Write “Resend Invoice” in the chat.
  6. Your invoice/receipt has now been resent via email and should arrive within the next few minutes.

  7. Click on the “View Receipt” button within the email.

No worries, you can take your license to your new MacBook. Just deactivate your license on the old MacBook by following these steps:

  1. Open AlDente Settings → General.
  2. Click “Manage License”.
  3. Save your license key somewhere safe.
  4. Click “Deactivate”.

You can now activate AlDente Pro on your new MacBook.

If you forgot to deactivate the license on your old MacBook, contact Paddle, our merchant of record, at help@paddle.com.

There are a few common reasons:

  • The emails can take up to 30 minutes to arrive.
  • They ended up in your spam folder.
  • There was a typo in the email address you used at checkout.
  • A payment provider had a problem.

Please contact Paddle, our merchant of record, at help@paddle.com and include the email address you used for the purchase.

AlDente Pro needs to validate your license online at least once every 30 days. If your Mac is offline for more than 30 days, the license becomes inactive and AlDente switches to the free version. Once you’re back online, reactivate your license.

 

  1. Open paddle.net in your browser.
  2. Enter the email address used for your purchase.
  3. Within a couple of minutes, you will receive an email from Paddle. Click on the “Verify and show purchases” button.
  4. A new window opens showing all transactions with Paddle. Find the AlDente transaction you are looking for and click on the “Get help” button in the upper right corner.
  5. Write “cancel subscription” in the chat.
  6. Click on the provided “cancellation link”.

  7. A new window opens, click on the “Cancel Subscription” button.

  1. Open paddle.net in your browser.
  2. Enter the email address used for your purchase.
  3. Within a couple of minutes, you will receive an email from Paddle. Click on the “Verify and show purchases” button.
  4. A new window opens showing all transactions with Paddle. Find the AlDente transaction you are looking for and click on the “Get help” button in the upper right corner.
  5. Write “Resend Licence Code” in the chat.
  6. Click on the “Resend Licence Code” button.

  7. Your original order email has now been resent and should arrive within the next few minutes. This contains your License code.

Each purchase includes one license key that you can activate on up to three macOS user accounts at the same time, either on one Mac or across up to three Macs.

  1. Open AlDente Settings → General.
  2. Click “Manage License”, then “Change Email”.
  3. Enter your new email address and click “Update”.
  1. Open paddle.net in your browser.
  2. Enter the email address used for your purchase.
  3. Within a couple of minutes, you will receive an email from Paddle. Click on the “Verify and show purchases” button.
  4. A new window opens showing all transactions with Paddle. Find the AlDente transaction you are looking for and click on the “Get help” button in the upper right corner.
  5. Write “Update Payment Method” in the chat.
  6. Click on the “Update Payment Method” button.
  7. Click on the provided link.

  8. A new window opens. Enter the new payment method.

AlDente

General

macOS 11 Big Sur is supported up to AlDente 1.37.3 (download on GitHub).
Starting from AlDente 1.38, only macOS 12 Monterey through macOS 27 Golden Gate are supported. Beta versions of macOS are not officially supported.

AlDente supports all MacBooks with Apple silicon (MacBook Pro, MacBook Air and MacBook Neo) and most Intel MacBooks from 2013 onward, including the 12-inch MacBook. Search for your model or browse the list below.

How to find your MacBook model?

Supported MacBook Pro models

Apple silicon

2026
  • MacBook Pro (16-inch, M5 Pro/Max, 2026)
  • MacBook Pro (14-inch, M5 Pro/Max, 2026)
2025
  • MacBook Pro (14-inch, M5, 2025)
2024
  • MacBook Pro (16-inch, M4 Pro/Max, 2024)
  • MacBook Pro (14-inch, M4/Pro/Max, 2024)
2023
  • MacBook Pro (16-inch, M3 Pro/Max, 2023)
  • MacBook Pro (14-inch, M3/Pro/Max, 2023)
  • MacBook Pro (16-inch, M2 Pro/Max, 2023)
  • MacBook Pro (14-inch, M2 Pro/Max, 2023)
2022
  • MacBook Pro (13-inch, M2, 2022)
2021
  • MacBook Pro (16-inch, M1 Pro/Max, 2021)
  • MacBook Pro (14-inch, M1 Pro/Max, 2021)
2020
  • MacBook Pro (13-inch, M1, 2020)

Intel

2020
  • MacBook Pro (13-inch, 2020, Two Thunderbolt 3 ports)
  • MacBook Pro (13-inch, 2020, Four Thunderbolt 3 ports)
2019
  • MacBook Pro (16-inch, 2019)
  • MacBook Pro (15-inch, 2019)
  • MacBook Pro (13-inch, 2019, Two Thunderbolt 3 ports)
  • MacBook Pro (13-inch, 2019, Four Thunderbolt 3 ports)
2018
  • MacBook Pro (15-inch, 2018)
  • MacBook Pro (13-inch, 2018, Four Thunderbolt 3 ports)
2017
  • MacBook Pro (15-inch, 2017)
  • MacBook Pro (13-inch, 2017, Two Thunderbolt 3 ports)
  • MacBook Pro (13-inch, 2017, Four Thunderbolt 3 ports)
2016
  • MacBook Pro (15-inch, 2016)
  • MacBook Pro (13-inch, 2016, Two Thunderbolt 3 ports)
  • MacBook Pro (13-inch, 2016, Four Thunderbolt 3 ports)
2015
  • MacBook Pro (Retina, 15-inch, Mid 2015)
  • MacBook Pro (Retina, 13-inch, Early 2015)
2014
  • MacBook Pro (Retina, 15-inch, Mid 2014)
  • MacBook Pro (Retina, 13-inch, Mid 2014)
2013
  • MacBook Pro (Retina, 15-inch, Late 2013)
  • MacBook Pro (Retina, 13-inch, Late 2013)

Not sure which model you have? Click the Apple menu and choose About This Mac.

We recommend setting the macOS charge limit to 100% and turning off Optimized Battery Charging, so macOS and AlDente don’t interfere with each other. The macOS charge limit also doesn’t stay in effect while the MacBook is turned off.

We have reverse-engineered the new macOS charge limit and are evaluating how and when to integrate it into AlDente.

When it’s on, macOS tries to learn your daily routine and holds charging at 80% for a few hours overnight. If your schedule is irregular, this doesn’t work, and your MacBook still charges to 100%, just a little later. With AlDente, you decide how your MacBook charges. Please turn off Optimized Battery Charging in the macOS settings so it doesn’t interfere with AlDente.

When this feature is enabled, Apple will permanently reduce the maximum capacity by about 5% to slow down battery aging.

With AlDente, you can still use the maximum capacity when needed and stay at a healthy percentage while plugged in. Therefore, we recommend disabling this feature in settings and using the Charge Limiter setting of AlDente.

 

Open AlDente Settings → General and click “Remove AlDente”. Choose what to delete and confirm with your password.

For a step-by-step guide with screenshots, see How to uninstall AlDente.

Yes, AlDente is supported on Apple Silicon MacBooks.

 

Yes. Turn on Intel Mode in AlDente and set your charge limit. The limit then also applies while your Mac runs Windows in Boot Camp.

You can read more about the Intel Mode here.

You can always download the latest version here: Download AlDente

Yes. You’ll find detailed explanations of every feature on our Features page, and step-by-step guides on our blog.

 

Unfortunately, AlDente temporarily does not work after a macOS update for a small number of users.

To get AlDente to work again, please try the following steps which have worked for many users before:

  1.  Unplug and discharge your MacBook to less than your current charge limit in AlDente
  2. Turn off your MacBook and close the lid for a couple of minutes
  3. Unplug the power adapter from the outlet and wait a couple of minutes
  4. Turn on your MacBook and plug it in again
  5. Check if it stops charging at the charge limit set in AlDente


We’ve known about this issue for a while and haven’t been able to fix it yet, but we’re still working on it.

The first versions of AlDente Classic, up to AlDente Classic 2.0, are open source. Later versions of AlDente Classic, as well as AlDente Free and Pro, are not.

 

AlDente uses SwiftUI features that aren’t available on older macOS versions, so it requires macOS 12 Monterey or later. It might be possible to make AlDente run on older versions, but we’re not currently working on it.

It is possible to select various languages for particular applications in macOS, which is useful if you prefer to use an application in a language other than the default language of the macOS system.

We have published a step-by-step guide on our blog here: 

AlDente may temporarily prevent your MacBook from sleeping in certain scenarios to optimize user experience. You might notice the Sleep option being unavailable or appearing grayed out on some MacBooks. This might also affect other apps that manage sleep behaviors.

Calibration Mode: To guarantee an uninterrupted Calibration Mode, AlDente keeps the sleep function off throughout its duration.

Discharge: For situations like using your MacBook in clamshell mode, AlDente needs to temporarily turn off sleep to ensure consistent discharge.

Disable Sleep until Charge Limit: AlDente has limited control over the charging process during sleep. Hence, when the “Disable Sleep until Charge Limit” feature is active, sleep is turned off. This is done to ensure the MacBook charges up to the set limit before it goes to sleep.

Charge Limiter

While your MacBook is asleep or shut down, AlDente can do very little.

Take a look at our feature explanations on our blog regarding this topic:

This can easily be fixed by following these steps:

  • Apple Silicon MacBooks: Make sure your MacBook is plugged in. Turn off the MacBook, close the lid, wait 2 minutes, and turn it on again. Your MacBook will start charging again.
  • Intel MacBooks: Follow the official guide from Apple here: “Reset the SMC of your Mac“


Some users experience this behavior when something goes wrong during installing/uninstalling AlDente. Therefore, it is important to follow our guide on “How to uninstall AlDente“.

AlDente Free cannot control the charging behavior of your MacBook while it is in sleep or shut down. Therefore, it will continue to charge to 100% when you close the lid or shut it down. AlDente Pro has features called “Stop Charging when Sleeping” and “Stop Charging when App Closed” to counteract this behavior. You can read more about these features on our dedicated feature explanation page:

 

AlDente Free cannot control the charging behavior of your MacBook while it is asleep or shut down. Therefore, it will continue to charge to 100% when you close the lid or shut it down. AlDente Pro has features called “Stop Charging when Sleeping” and “Stop Charging when App Closed” to counteract this behavior. You can read more about these features on our dedicated feature explanation page:

Sailing Mode

The Sailing Mode is not intended to actively discharge your battery. Therefore, your MacBook will barely lose any energy even in Sailing Mode, since the power adapter is the main source of energy. So do not worry when the battery percentage does not change even if the Sailing Mode is activated. Sailing Mode is still doing its thing. You can read more about what the Sailing Mode actually does on our dedicated feature explanation page: 

Contrary to popular belief, cycling a battery within a “safe” range, such as 30% to 70%, wears it out faster than keeping it at a stable, healthy level such as 80%, because every cycle adds to its charge cycle count. That doesn’t mean you shouldn’t use your MacBook on battery. But when you work plugged in at a desk, a fixed charge limit is better than cycling within a range. You can read more about what Sailing Mode does here.

Appearance

Open AlDente Settings → Appearance → Other and turn off “Show Dock Icon”.

Open AlDente Settings → Appearance → Menubar and set “Main Icon Style” to “Don’t Show”.

Others

Yes, since AlDente 1.15, Apple’s Fast User Switching is supported. Please follow this tutorial to get it to work properly.

AlDente Classic is our original version of AlDente. First introduced in 2020 and further developed until March 2021. With a complete rewrite of the code of AlDente and the introduction of AlDente Pro, we renamed the original app AlDente Classic and use the name AlDente (Free) or AlDente Pro with synchronous versioning between these two from now on.

 

Keeping your battery at a lower percentage, such as under 80%, for weeks without doing full cycles (100%–0%–100%) can disturb the battery calibration. When this happens, your MacBook might turn off with 40–50% left or stay at 100% for hours, and your battery capacity can drop significantly. However, this is only due to a disturbed battery calibration, not a faulty or degraded battery. To avoid this issue, we recommend a full cycle about once a month, or every two weeks if your battery usually stays around 50%. Even if your battery calibration gets disturbed, 4–5 full cycles will recalibrate your battery and the capacity will go up again. AlDente Pro has a feature called Calibration Mode (you can read about Calibration Mode here), which automatically runs a full cycle when started. You can read more about the calibration of “smart” batteries here.

Discharge in clamshell mode is only available in AlDente Pro.

 

Unfortunately, users have reported that some third-party Thunderbolt docks are incompatible with some of the features of AlDente. These reports mainly, but not only, concern OWC docks. Some of the incompatibilities result in disconnects while using Discharge.

Additional resources

Feature descriptions

Visit our Features page to dive deeper into what AlDente offers and how it can benefit your MacBook. On GitHub you can read about our newest releases and updates.

AlDente feature overview
View on GitHub

Guides and tutorials

Looking for tips, tutorials, or the latest updates? You’ll find them on our blog.

Read the blog

Before you download: please read and confirm