How To Fix Your Mac Fan That Is So Loud

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The importance of fan in the life of a laptop can’t be overemphasized because fans prevents the laptop from getting overheated.

That being said, aside from MacBook Pro or MacBook Air that will occasionally fire up its cooling fan to keep its thermals in check, every laptop need a fan.

However, if your MacBook’s fan has moved from the normal spinning to spinning loudly, then it is an indication that there is a problem.

If you are experiencing such, this article will provide you with a guide on how to fix your Mac fan that is so loud as ignoring the problem would be a risky thing to do.

Easy Ways On How To Fix Your Mac Fan That Is So Loud

Your fan can become loud due to reduced airflow, faulty hardware, the use of several apps, especially graphics-intensive tasks like video editing, gaming, and so many other reasons.

To care for your fan health, check out the various ways listed below to fix your Mac fan that is too loud.

1. Make Use Of Activity Monitor To Check CPU Usage

One of the reasons why your Mac fan could be loud is due to excessive multitasking.

You may be wondering what multitasking has to do with this – the Chrome browser is known to sap computing resources, and scores of open browser tabs contribute to this issue.

So, while surfing the Internet, close other apps, and then use resource-hogging apps to identify the activity monitor.

Step 1: Open Activity Monitor, and select CPU Column.

Step 2: Check apps that have the highest CPU usage, and close the apps you don’t need.

Having done this, the fan noise will die out in a few minutes.

2. Check If Your Mac’s Vents Are Blocked

If you place your Mac on soft objects such as a cushion or a bed, there is a tendency that the vents will be blocked, and when this happens, your Mac keeps getting hotter.

This is simply because fans in your Mac work by forcing out warm air and pulling fresh air in, and this can’t happen if the vents are blocked.

That being said, place your Mac on a hard, flat surface such as a table or desk to ensure that air flows in and out of the Mac vent.

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3. Clean Dust Out Of Your Mac

Another way to fix your Mac fan that is so loud is to check if the vent is clogged with dust.

Ordinarily, fans draw in dust as air while cooling, and with time, this air builds up and covers the motherboard as well as other components.

If you check, and there is dust there, you have to remove this dust to stop your Mac from overheating and generating loud fan noise.

To achieve this, get a can of compressed air and try to force some of the dust out but make sure you make use of a not-so-powerful vacuum cleaner but if you must use such, be careful.

However, if you have a Mac Pro, simply pop off the side and clean it out.

Please, note that this method cant be done if you are using other models.

4. Reset The SMC

If after you have cleaned the Mac, and ensured that they are free from dust, and you have regularised how you multitask, and your fan is still very loud, then the next option is try and set the System Management Controller (SMC).

The function of SMC is to control low-level functions on your Mac, and such functions include “thermal management” also known as the cooling fan.

To reset the SMC, kindly follow Apple’s instructions.

5. Check If You Are Using A Fake Apple Adapter

Third-party power adapters might be cheap. But in the long run, they do more damage than good. Make sure you use a genuine Apple adapter or MFI-certified accessory. Counterfeit adapters could lead to overheating, motherboard damage, and faster battery degradation.

6. Check For Mac Virus And Malware

It may interest you to know that certain Mac viruses and malware can lead to overheating.

Sometimes, cryptohackers use deception to install a code, and when that is done, the code makes your Mac’s hardware to mine cryptocurrency.

What the malware does is to steal your CPU resources.

Below is the way to scan your malware using MacKeeper:

Step 1: In MacKeeper, choose Antivirus from the sidebar

Step 2: Click Start scaN

Step 3: Allow the scan to run

Step 4: If you find anything, choose it and click Move to quarantine.

7. Check For Hardware Problems

If your components are faulty, they will sometimes produce excessive amounts of heat.

However, unlike most people would think, this isn’t the only potential hardware problem as Macs have numerous heat sensors inside them whose function is to signal the fans when to spin faster.

What do you think would happen If these sensors break down? It wi surely result in your Mac’s fans spinning faster and louder.

In this case, you need to find the root of this problem using macOS’s built-in Apple Diagnostics.

Although there are no guarantees that this will work, take a look at how to run Apple Diagnostics on an Intel Mac:

Step 1: Turn on your Mac, then press and hold the D key

Step 2: Keep holding it until a list of languages pop up

Step 3: Select a language, and Apple Diagnostics will run automatically showing you results at the end.

If you are using an M1 Mac, below are step to run Apple Diagnostics on it:

Step 1: Switch on your Mac by pressing and holding the power button

Step 2: Release the power button when you see the startup options

Step 3: Click Cmd + D to load Apple Diagnostics

Frequently Asked Question

What Will Happen If My Mac’s Fans Stop Working?

Your Mac will just continue to heat up if your fans cease functioning altogether. It will eventually turn off by itself to prevent components from being irreversibly harmed. If the vents on your Mac are obstructed, this may also take place.

Can I Control My Mac’s Fans Manually?

No, by default. Your Mac will turn the fans as quickly as it feels is necessary to keep it cool. However, you can download software that enables manual fan control for your Mac. This can be helpful if you know what you’re doing, but it’s also unsafe, which is why we aren’t here promoting any fan control options.

How Much Heat Is Normal?

Macs can produce a lot of heat while still running securely. For instance, Apple claims that a MacBook operates normally between 50oC and 95oC. So if your Mac seems warm while you’re using it, don’t worry

Why Is My Mac Fan So Loud?

Your Mac will be working very hard if you’re using computationally demanding programs, like HD video editors or top-tier games. This produces heat. The fans will start spinning up as soon as the fan sensor detects an increase in temperature to prevent the system from roasting itself to oblivion

How Do I Clean up my Mac without opening it?

Blast the dust off your iMac fan and air vents using compressed air. Once more, avoid using a vacuum as the static electricity could damage the electronic parts. Use only compressed air.

Conclusion

We have established in this article that if your Mac is overheating or the fans are loud even when it’s cold, it’s an indication that there is a problem which could be from the software or hardware.

I sincerely hope that one of the tips given to you in this article will be of great help to you.

That being said, if you have further questions, feel free to ask in the comment section.