Should I shut down or sleep my Mac overnight

Bottom line, it’s your decision to make. Whatever you decide is okay and won’t damage or reduce the lifetime of the battery. Opinions galore are out there which reinforces the idea that it’s okay to do what you prefer.

Loooongtime Mac user here.

Sleeping the MacBook overnight is fine. If you don’t expect to use it for days at a time then shutting it down is probably best.

I've only shut off my MacBook Pros when I leave town without one, which until recently was "never." Otherwise they sleep every night.

The one I recently retired is 12 years old and still works perfectly. It just can't run the latest software.

Macs work best when treated with benign neglect. When you're not using them, just ignore them. Shut it down, don't shut it down, close the lid, leave it open... it doesn't matter. Do what you want. They don't care. It's how Apple designed them.

I don't routinely shut mine down. It's a completely superfluous action and utterly unrelated to their purpose. Too much effort.

Enjoy your new Mac.

I haven't shut down my M1 MacBook Air since new in 2020 except when disconnecting from my home set up to head on the road and the same is true with my recently purchased M4 MacBook Air. While on the road, I will shut down when not in use as it adds a level of security should it get lost or stolen.

I actually take advantage of not shutting down at home because at night when I sleep have automated various backup tasks, update tasks and other tasks to be done so they don't interfere with daily usage.

So, just do want you feel is best for you and gives you peace of mind as whatever you choose won't decrease the life of your Mac.

Longtime Mac user here.

I shut down my Mac whenever I will not be using it for about an hour or more. I see no point in not shutting down my computer when not using it.

The choice is yours. Do whatever you prefer.

When I am gone for more than an hour, or overnight, I shut all of my Macs down. Been doing this for years without issue. You will make up your own mind though…

Longtime MacBook user here.

My own “shutdown” habits mirror BobTheFisherman’s and VikingOSX’s.

That said, my laptop usage patterns developed decades ago on Windows laptops; when “snooze” “sleep” and “hibernate” generally caused FAR more problems than they ever solved.

My 2 cents...I will just close the lid and let it sleep at night. I have done so for years with no effect on battery life (MacBook Air M2 (2022), 9 charge cycles with Apple Battery Health at 100%). It's never powered off for any extended period of time (possibly 30 minutes at the most).