A noisy fan can indicate a couple of things about your MacBook, but there’s one thing that’s always going on: your MacBook is getting too hot. Now, this could be because of the fan not doing its job, or it could even be to do with your software. Below are 5 tips to help deal with fan noise on Mac.
Dusty Old Fans
One reason for your MacBook fans working overtime is because they’re not working efficiently. Over time, animal fur, dust, and millions of other potential debris enter inside the MacBook case. All of this dirt can gather around the fan, and other areas of the MacBook, meaning that the air circulation or actual rotation of the fan is restricted.
So, with the guidance of a Youtube tutorial, you can unscrew and remove the back of the MacBook to give it a clean. You want to make sure you’re not breaking any warranty agreements, or you could even pay a PC repair shop to do it for you. However, the most important thing here is to be proactive and not reactive – make the clean a routine (i.e. once every two months) to ensure it remains in good condition. This is one of the most important steps in giving your MacBook a long lifespan.
Air Circulation
Dirty inside the case isn’t the only cause behind poor circulation, the circulation may be restricted because of where the MacBook is placed. On bed sheets is a common cause of having fans being noisy, along with generally having it in a tight space with a lack of circulation. Make sure your MacBook is always on a flat hard surface so its feet can do their job, but beyond this, you can use a laptop stand to elevate the machine higher up for extra circulation.
Resourcing Power
Your MacBook may be overheating because of what’s happening with the CPU. The processor may be working extra hard due to many programs running at once, or because the memory is full up. So, head over to the Activity Monitor (press on Applications, then Utilities) and open the CPU tab to see what’s running in the background. Press the X sign to close down unnecessary background applications, and ensure you have enough spare memory.
Reset SMC
Your system management controller (SMC) is the driver that’s responsible for much of the MacBook hardware – including the fans and processor. So, if there’s an issue with the SMC, it could have implications on the CPU and/or fans. Check out how to reset the SMC here.
Hard Drive Space
Your Startup Disk/Hard Drive may be nearly full up, which can cause the MacBook to slow down and overheat. Check how much storage you have left by going into the storage settings, and deleting programs, cache, and logs that are no longer necessary. Some third-party apps can clean such junk files, along with background processes that are demanding yet unnecessary. A general, all-around clear-out could help keep your MacBook cool if the issue isn’t down to the hardware.