Laptop Heat: Preventing An Overheating Laptop

Did you recently spend your savings on an expensive laptop?

If you did, you’ll want to maximize the lifespan of your machine. It’s a hefty investment, so taking care of it is paramount. If your laptop is getting hot, your primary aim is to cool it down before its circuits get fried.

Don’t panic yet.

We put together a guide that aims to prevent your overheating laptop from getting worse. Read on and find out how:

1. Check and Clean the Laptop Fans.

When the laptop gets hot, put your hand next to the vents of the fan. If you feel hot air spilling out, your laptop fan works as intended. Otherwise, feeling little to no air might mean either dust clogs the vents, or the fan broke down.

To fix this, open your laptop and use compressed air to blow out the dust. If the fan broke, search for a replacement by looking at the local parts shop or shopping online. You can get an expert to do this for you if you’re not confident with your technical skills.

How to Fix Internal Cooling.

If you want to clean the fans on your own, your first move is to check the laptop’s manual. You can also contact the manufacturer and ask how to open the laptop.

Before attempting to clean the laptop, shut it down. Remove the battery and unplug the power strip to ensure your safety. It’s important to ground yourself to prevent getting hurt by static electricity.

If your laptop uses built-in batteries, you’ll likely find a separate cover for the fans. Remove the screws to expose the fans.

Clean the Fans.

Start by using a cotton swab dipped in alcohol to clean the fans carefully. You can use 70% isopropyl alcohol. However, do not use this type of alcohol for cleaning your monitor because most modern screens feature a protective coat that alcohol could damage or warp.

Before reconnecting the laptop to a power outlet, ensure that the alcohol has evaporated. As for hard to reach places, use a vacuum cleaner to get rid of the dust clogging the fans.

Check the fan’s rotation and ensure that it only rotates that way. This prevents the fans from getting damaged. But if you’re cleaning the fan using canned air, stop it from spinning by holding it gently.

Clean the Exhaust Port and Intake Grills.

The exhaust port is easy to clean since you can use a vacuum cleaner to suck out the air. It’s the port that sits on the laptop’s side. When using the machine, you’ll find the exhaust port by checking the side opening blowing out hot air.

The intake grills are the tiny openings that allow the revolving fans to suck air into the laptop. They’re either on the sides or at the bottom. Spray these with canned air to clear them out.

2. Put Your Laptop in an Elevated Spot.

Overheating often happens when the laptop’s underside lacks proper ventilation. It’s an easy problem to solve since all you need is to elevate your computer. A home solution is to use a book and put it underneath the laptop.

If you want to get more technical, buy a laptop cooling mat. This will give more ventilation underneath the laptop and prevent overheat. The best part is that cooling mats come in various shapes and sizes, meaning you’ll find one that suits your laptop.

3. Use Lap Desks.

Another way of giving your laptop enough ventilation is through a lap desk. Laptops have small rubber feet at the bottom. Their main function is to increase the airflow under your laptop by giving it some elevation.

But when place it on your lap while using it, you restrict the airflow. This leads to an overheating laptop, which can also hurt you if it gets too hot. But if you get a lap desk, you maintain constant airflow and keep your laptop cooler.

4. Controlling the Fan Speeds.

When there’s constant airflow underneath your laptop, the fans won’t run at full speeds. The implication of high-speed fans is that the laptop’s CPU is hard at work. This can cause a hot laptop, so it’s important to get software that can control your fan speeds.

5. Avoid Constant Intense Processes.

When your laptop overheats, the reason might be the intense processes you’re using. If you want to maintain your laptop’s temperatures, avoid these processes since it places undue stress on your laptop. For example, browsers with a lot of open tabs can make the CPU work harder than usual.

As a result, the CPU becomes hotter, prompting the fan to increase its speeds. To avoid these intensive processes, find alternative programs that do the same things. Also, limit the number of programs you open since it can overload your laptop.

Also, check the applications that automatically launch when your laptop starts up. Some of these can make your machine work hard as soon as it boots up. A good method of fixing this is to either free more disk space or prevent them from running at startup.

Doing these will reduce your processor’s workload and prevent the laptop from heating. If all else fails, restore your computer back to its factory settings. It’s the last resort since it will delete your installed software and files.

Unplug Your Charger.

When using your laptop, always ensure that it’s with its original laptop charger. Using others, even when compatible, can cause the laptop to become more heated. If you’re using the laptop at home, disconnect the plug and use it only when its battery is low.

When charging the battery, it produces heat because of the energy transfer. That’s why using it while charging can lead to overheating. Be mindful and keep this at a minimum to ensure the longevity of your machine.

Stop Your Overheating Laptop Today!

These are some important tips to stop your overheating laptop from getting worse. Follow these to preserve your machine and make the most out of its lifespan. If you lack technical expertise and you think its cooling system broke, call an expert and let them fix it for you.

But it doesn’t end here. We encourage you to continue reading our guides here to get all the tech tips and tricks you need to make your life easier.

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