5 Things You Should Never Do With Your MacBook Pro

The MacBook Pro is already an expensive machine, so naturally Apple raised prices for the current models, and then with a newly redesigned Mac expected in late 2026 or early 2027, it’s only natural that prices for this machine will just keep going up. This is why, if you want to buy a MacBook Pro, or you already have one, it’s good to know about some mistakes that people make that can greatly shorten its lifespan that you need to avoid.

Besides those, as a MacBook Pro owner since 2010, I’ve been through a lot of dos and don’ts with the machines I’ve owned, and these are some of the things you should never do with yours, including putting on a webcam cover, cleaning it with an alcohol-based product, or even using it outdoors during a heatwave. Just because Apple made a premium product doesn’t mean it’s indestructible.

For example, when I owned the last 16-inch MacBook Pro with an Intel chip, it didn’t have a MagSafe cable. I accidentally stumbled over the machine, only to see its display break completely. When Apple released the M1 Pro MacBook Pro, which is the laptop I still own, I told myself I would never use a USB-C cable if I had the proper MagSafe cable, and this has saved my life ever since. Here are some other things you should never do with your MacBook Pro.

Apple makes the MacBook Pro with almost no space for anything between the display and the keyboard when you close it. You can take a look and see there’s literally a fraction of a millimeter available; this is why Apple tells you not to add a webcam cover. After all, a thick plastic sliding webcam cover, silicone keyboard skins, or even tempered glass screen protectors can alter the mechanical physics of your closed machine and break its hinge, cause the keys to malfunction, or make your worst fear become a reality: the display breaking.

Once an accident like that happens, repairing your MacBook costs almost the same as buying a new one. Basically, to ensure your MacBook Pro works perfectly, you should avoid anything that would prevent it from closing properly. Some could even argue that placing stickers on your MacBook is also not the best idea. What you should do, instead, is ensure your MacBook is up to date and check the permissions of apps. macOS guarantees that every time the microphone or the camera is being used, a green or orange light will appear, and you can always control which app is taking over these functions.

The MacBook Pro still doesn’t have a touchscreen display. Even so, people can often touch the screen to point to something or, in the process of opening or closing the lid, leave some fingerprint marks. As with most premium Apple products, the MacBook has a delicate anti-reflective coating that Apple designed to minimize glare and improve contrast under diverse lighting conditions. When you use harsh liquids like isopropyl alcohol, glass cleaners, or generic pre-moistened screen wipes, you can initiate a destructive chemical reaction.

Over time, these solvents can strip away the anti-reflective layers, resulting in damage to the display, and even though I never experienced that, the Mac community famously labels it the “Staingate.” That said, once the coating is ruined, it can’t be repaired. Furthermore, if you have a MacBook with a nano-texture display, you need to be extra careful.

You should never spray any liquid directly onto the screen or the chassis. Whenever you want to clean your MacBook, shut it down and disconnect it from power. With a dry, clean, high-quality microfiber cloth, like Apple’s polishing cloth, gently wipe the screen in a circular motion to lift away dust and oil. For stubborn smudges or dried droplets, Apple says the microfiber cloth can have a bit of water on it. Still, you can’t soak it, as you need to ensure the fabric is damp to the touch but not wet enough to express droplets when squeezed.

If you switched from Windows PC, relax, you now have a Mac. This means that some of the golden rules for Windows computers don’t necessarily apply to a MacBook. Forget about installing heavy third-party antivirus suites, firewall monitors, or software that optimizes the system and offers RAM-cleaning. After all, macOS manages memory in a different way than Windows. It treats unused RAM as wasted RAM, dynamically caching system files and compressing memory allocation with a lot of efficiency.

When you install third-party software, you are actively fighting the operating system’s built-in intelligence. This forces the Mac to re-cache essential system processes from the SSD, consuming extra CPU cycles and draining your battery life for no performance gain. On the other hand, if you use your MacBook like a Mac, then you’ll trust that macOS is designed to handle itself. This is why you should only download software from the official Mac App Store or directly from verified, reputable developer websites and read permissions prompts carefully.

Besides that, you can use Apple’s native, built-in storage management tools located right inside System Settings to safely review and delete large files, as macOS looks a lot more like how users handle storage on the iPhone, always ensuring that app permissions are correct and only the apps you know and trust can access your data and tools on the Mac.

MacBooks, as with most Apple products, work better in ambient temperatures between 50 and 95 degrees Fahrenheit. While I think my MacBook works better in temperatures closer to the minimum than the maximum, you should be careful when using your laptop during heatwaves or in outdoor environments when there’s direct sunlight on it. Today’s computers use lithium-ion batteries, and if you put these machines past these boundaries — such as inside a parked vehicle on a warm afternoon, on a heat-trapping blanket, or running heavy tasks while the machine is not well-vented — then the MacBook’s internal temperature skyrockets, accelerating unwanted chemical reactions that permanently degrade the battery’s maximum capacity.

Moreover, when internal thermal sensors realize that the chassis can’t dissipate heat efficiently, the system engages in aggressive thermal throttling. This was something that constantly happened with Intel Macs because the chip inside was too powerful and there was little to no room for a proper thermal cooldown. This changed when Apple switched to its own silicon and updated the internal design.

Still, in bad environments, not even Apple Silicon Macs can sustain proper CPU and GPU speeds. This is why you should always prioritize ventilation and ambient airflow when working. On a hot day, you should seek out shade or AC, and never let direct sunlight hit the chassis. Ideally, you should use the MacBook on a flat surface like a wooden desk or a metal stand, allowing the vents along the sides to cool the device.

Last but not least, updating your Mac software regularly is a must. While it’s understandable why the IT departments of companies usually take forever to update computers to ensure that everything runs as smoothly as possible, regular users shouldn’t keep hitting the “Remind Me Tomorrow” button whenever a macOS software update notification pops up. After all, while Apple keeps adding new features and emojis for Mac users, the truth is that modern Macs feature more critical updates than before.

In late June, Apple released macOS Tahoe 26.5.2, which helped to patch possible AI-assisted attacks. Most macOS updates consist of crucial firmware optimizations, kernel bug fixes, and other security patches like this one to close zero-day vulnerabilities. When you leave your system outdated, you are keeping your personal files, passwords, and more exposed to known security exploits that have already been documented and patched.

The best way to ensure your MacBook Pro is safe is to take a proactive approach to system maintenance by having software updates installed automatically. In System Settings, under General and Software Update, click the “Automatic Updates” toggle on. There’s also a “Security Responses and System Files” tab that should also be turned on, which ensures that Apple can deploy critical security patches instantly without requiring a full macOS reboot, so you can keep your MacBook Pro secure and fully optimized with minimal interruption to your workflow.