Most of the time, Macs don't make much noise. Then at times, out of nowhere, your Mac fan can become noisy pretty quickly, which can soon get annoying, especially if there's no obvious reason. So why is your MacBook fan so loud all of a sudden?
Why is your Mac fan so loud?
Your Mac fan may kickstart when you're running intensive tasks or resource-heavy apps that make your Mac overheat. With MacBooks in particular, fan noise can sound as though your Mac wants to take off. By the way, in case of overheating, your Mac usually slows down.
If your fan has been louder than usual, there are some safe ways to reduce fan noise and cool down your Mac, which we'll cover in this article.
Popular solutions to Mac fan noise
The fan is designed to keep internal processes and systems cool, so that a Mac keeps working. But like any fan, it needs air and good circulation to make it work. So the quickest solution is to prop the Mac up, give the fan more air to work with. Unless you need to keep working — which isn't advisable as a Mac that overheats too much could. Software that Consistently Uses Processor. Software that is performing an activity that consistently.
There are several solutions for a loud Mac cooling fan, and you should be able to get it under control fairly soon.
Unless you have the tiny, fanless MacBook, then your MacBook Pro or MacBook Air will occasionally fire up its cooling fan to keep its thermals in check. But your Mac's fan has gone from. To get started, head to the Macs Fan Control download page and grab the Mac version (There's a Windows version, but is only intended for Macs running Windows with Boot Camp—other PC fans aren't supported.) The download comes in a ZIP archive, which you can unarchive simply by opening it. If your Mac is getting really hot all the time, you might use this test to check and see if a cooling fan is doing its job or not. A bad cooling fan will further damage your CPU as you keep it going in that state, so you might want to get that fixed pronto!
1. Improve air circulation
Sometimes we're all tempted to use our Macs in bed. But, it's important to remember that duvets and soft pillows can affect your Mac fan behavior. Any soft surface you put your Mac on can cover the air vents on your machine, making the fan run faster and louder.
So the quickest solution is to place your Mac on a flat surface, give the fan more air to work with. Unless you need to keep working — which isn't advisable as a Mac that overheats too much could switch off, to persevere hardware and data - give the Mac a few minutes to cool down.
For a more long-term fix, there are countless Mac holders and laptop stands for bed you can buy; they elevate a Mac off the surface and provide a better view angle, which helps improve your posture, solving several problems at once.
2. Free up memory and processing power
Another solution, also a useful short and long-term fix, is finding out what uses so much processing power. It can be an app or process that runs in the background and drains your CPU.
To find out what is taking up processing power, the first place to look is Activity Monitor.
- Open Activity Monitor (Applications > Utilities).
- In the CPU tab, you will see the list of all active tasks and apps. The most resource-heavy will be at the top.
- Click the task and press the 'X' sign in the top left corner to quit the processes.
Disable heavy memory consumers
There's a quicker and easier way to identify heavy-consuming apps and processes and quit them. Free download for terraria mac. CleanMyMac X has a feature that detects those intensive tasks as you use your Mac and helps you shut them down. The app is notarized by Apple and has a free version to try it out.
- Download a free version of CleanMyMac X.
- After you install and launch the app, go to Optimization.
- Click 'View All Items' and then select Heavy Consumers.
CleanMyMac X will identify the apps that heavily drain your CPU and thus overburden the fan. Check the box next to the app name and press Quit. That's all!
3. Test your cooling fans
If your Mac has been continuously exposed to heat, its cooling devices may become unstable. Overheating may not only damage the fan, but your whole machine: your Mac may shut down unexpectedly when the thermals fail to cool the laptop.
If your Mac has been overheating, and you're worried whether the fan is not damaged, one thing you could do is to run Apple Diagnostics.
How to run Apple Diagnostics (Apple Hardware Test)
To run Apple Diagnostics on your Mac, open this instruction on any other device, and get started:
Printer copier scanner fax for mac. Free store pick up or Australia wide delivery.
- Disconnect all external devices except keyboard, speakers, mouse, display.
- Go to the Apple menu and choose Restart.
- Press and hold the D key as your Mac reboots. Keep holding it down until you see the list of languages appear.
- Select your language. Apple Diagnostics will run automatically.
When it's finished, you will see the list of problems it has diagnosed.
4. Reset SMC settings
SMC stands for System Management Controller. This is a driver responsible for your Mac's hardware, including fans, processor, and motherboard. So one potential solution to loud fan noise is to reset SMC settings:
For Mac's with non-removable batteries (which is the majority in use now):
2. Free up memory and processing power
Another solution, also a useful short and long-term fix, is finding out what uses so much processing power. It can be an app or process that runs in the background and drains your CPU.
To find out what is taking up processing power, the first place to look is Activity Monitor.
- Open Activity Monitor (Applications > Utilities).
- In the CPU tab, you will see the list of all active tasks and apps. The most resource-heavy will be at the top.
- Click the task and press the 'X' sign in the top left corner to quit the processes.
Disable heavy memory consumers
There's a quicker and easier way to identify heavy-consuming apps and processes and quit them. Free download for terraria mac. CleanMyMac X has a feature that detects those intensive tasks as you use your Mac and helps you shut them down. The app is notarized by Apple and has a free version to try it out.
- Download a free version of CleanMyMac X.
- After you install and launch the app, go to Optimization.
- Click 'View All Items' and then select Heavy Consumers.
CleanMyMac X will identify the apps that heavily drain your CPU and thus overburden the fan. Check the box next to the app name and press Quit. That's all!
3. Test your cooling fans
If your Mac has been continuously exposed to heat, its cooling devices may become unstable. Overheating may not only damage the fan, but your whole machine: your Mac may shut down unexpectedly when the thermals fail to cool the laptop.
If your Mac has been overheating, and you're worried whether the fan is not damaged, one thing you could do is to run Apple Diagnostics.
How to run Apple Diagnostics (Apple Hardware Test)
To run Apple Diagnostics on your Mac, open this instruction on any other device, and get started:
Printer copier scanner fax for mac. Free store pick up or Australia wide delivery.
- Disconnect all external devices except keyboard, speakers, mouse, display.
- Go to the Apple menu and choose Restart.
- Press and hold the D key as your Mac reboots. Keep holding it down until you see the list of languages appear.
- Select your language. Apple Diagnostics will run automatically.
When it's finished, you will see the list of problems it has diagnosed.
4. Reset SMC settings
SMC stands for System Management Controller. This is a driver responsible for your Mac's hardware, including fans, processor, and motherboard. So one potential solution to loud fan noise is to reset SMC settings:
For Mac's with non-removable batteries (which is the majority in use now):
- Unplug the power cord.
- Go to the Apple menu > Shut Down.
- Once it has shut down, press Shift-Control-Option on the left side of the keyboard.
- Now press the power button and keep all four buttons pressed for 10 seconds.
- Release all of the keys and press the power button to switch on again.
For newer Macs with anApple T2 Security Chip (2018 and later Macs), the process is slightly different:
- Shut down your computer.
- Press and hold Control-Option-Shift for 7 seconds.
- Then press the power button and hold all four keys for another 7 seconds. You may turn on and off during the process.
- Release the keys, wait a few seconds, and turn on your Mac.
5. Free up space on your Mac
Free hard drive space is like fuel for your processor. When your drive is cluttered, the processor reaches its peak capacity and begins asking for some fresh air. The least-invasive method to fix a roaring fan is to delete junk on your startup drive. You'll be surprised how much space you can free up without deleting any important data.
A free edition of CleanMyMac cleaner could be helpful in this case.
It removes system junk, outdated cache files, broken downloads. In my case, I could find 13.97 GB worth of useless files.
Macbook Air Fan Control
After giving your Mac some brief rest and preventing heavy or unnecessary apps from running when they aren't needed, your computer should cool down and start operating normally. If those solutions still haven't solved the problem, then it could be a hardware malfunction. It is then worth taking the Mac to a certified Apple repair shop.
Some Apple products contain sensors that respond when they detect temperature changes inside your system or device, turning on fans to bring cooling airflow to critical components.
About fan noise
If your device's processor is working on intensive tasks—such as compressing HD video, playing a graphics-heavy game, or indexing the hard drive with Spotlight after you migrate data—the fans run faster to provide additional airflow. You might hear fan noise when this happens, especially if you're in a quiet environment. This rushing-air sound is a normal part of the cooling process.
Mac Air 13 Lowest Price
Ambient temperature, the temperature outside the device, also plays a role in the fans' responsiveness. If the ambient temperature is high, the fans turn on sooner and run faster.
If you hear the fans in your Mac Pro running at full speed and you aren't performing any intensive tasks, check the enclosure. Make sure that your Mac Pro is locked and fully seated, or that the top cover or access door is closed and locked on rack-mounted models.
Make sure the vents on your Apple product aren't blocked
Some Apple products have vents that let fans bring in cool air and expel hot air. Make sure that the vents aren't blocked to allow your device to perform at its best.
- Apple TV 4K has a fan and a vent at the bottom.
- Airport Extreme and Airport Time Capsule have fans and vents at the bottom.
- iMac has vents along the bottom edge and on the back.
- iMac Pro has vents along the bottom edge and on the back.
- Mac mini has vents at the bottom to bring in cool air from beneath the device and vent hot air from the back.
- Mac Pro has three fans on the front of the computer and vents on the front and back.
- MacBook Pro has vents along the side and on the back. MacBook Air computers have vents along the back near the clutch.
The surface your device rests on can block its vents, affecting fan behavior. If you use your device on a soft surface like a couch, pillow, bed, or your lap, its fans might run more. Using your device on a hard, flat surface like a table or desk is best for temperature control.
Fan For Mac Air
Learn more
Fan For Macbook Air
If the fans in your Mac run fast even when it isn't experiencing heavy usage and is properly ventilated, you might need to reset the System Management Controller (SMC) on your Mac. If you're experiencing this issue on an Apple TV 4K, Airport Extreme, or Airport Time Capsule, unplug the device, then plug it back in.
Fan For Macbook Pro
Learn more about the operating temperature of Apple notebook computers.
