Why Is My Laptop Fan So Loud? 5 Fixes

If you suddenly find yourself wondering “Why is my laptop fan so loud?”, then there is certainly a problem with your machine that needs to be addressed.

Laptop fans are essential components of the cooling systems of most laptops out there. While you may find some premium laptops that operate completely passively, the majority of laptops do require a fan to keep their temperatures in check.

A noisy laptop fan can certainly be an indication of several problems. This can be quite a varied issue that may stem from both hardware and software problems.

Why is my laptop fan so loud?

A laptop fan can become loud under the following conditions:

• Overheating CPU and GPU
• High Background CPU/GPU usage
• Misconfigured Fan Curve
• Dust Buildup inside the laptop
• Clogged Laptop vents
• Hard Drive Failures
• Malware
• Damaged or Loose Fan

Any one, or a combination of these issues can cause the laptop’s fan to spin faster than normal which in turn increases the noise produced by the fan.

Reasons for a loud laptop fan

The fan inside a laptop is an integral part of the cooling system that is responsible to keep the CPU and GPU temperatures under control. Most of the causes of a loud fan can be traced back to the thermal inefficiencies of the system.

Most manufacturers use a single heatsink design that extends over both the CPU and the GPU with the help of extended heat pipes.

Usually, a single blower-style fan is used to suck in cool air from the bottom of the laptop and blow it over the heatsink, thus cooling it down.

The following factors can contribute to an increased fan noise in the laptop.

Overheating

The preset fan curve of all laptops is configured according to the temperatures of the CPU. Although the fan behavior is certainly not consistent across all models of all brands, the general principle remains the same.

As the CPU gets warmer and warmer, the fan ramps up to increase the amount of cool air coming into the laptop from the vents (usually located underneath the chassis).

The additional airflow passes over the heatsink to cool down the CPU and even the GPU since both are connected).

This behavior is considered normal and it is present in almost all laptops out there. However, you will notice a severe increase in the fan noise if the CPU temperatures remain extremely high, and the fan is unable to cool down the components.

Additionally, your laptop might slow down to protect itself when temperatures are high. You can read more about this and answer the question “Why is my Dell laptop so slow?“.

Therefore, an overheating CPU (or GPU) will cause the fan to spin up at its maximum RPM thus increasing the laptop fan noise.

Dust

It is common knowledge that dust is the enemy of electronic components, especially those that operate within a confined space such as laptops and desktop PCs.

Your laptop’s fan will become louder and louder with an increased accumulation of dust inside the chassis.

There are two main issues with the dust buildup inside a laptop. Firstly, the dust can clog the fan blades themselves and decrease the efficacy of the fan.

A clogged fan will not be able to move as much air as a clean fan, therefore, it will have to spin up faster to compensate for it.

Secondly, the dust can clog up the intake and exhaust vents of the laptop. Generally, the intake vents are located on the bottom or rear of laptops.

These locations are extremely vulnerable to dust buildup, carpet or rug material buildup, hair, lint, and other unwanted materials.

Blocked or clogged vents will lead to increased noise since the fan will not be able to move air in and out of the laptop with ease. The situation will become worse with increased CPU temperatures.

Software Issues

Another reason for a loud laptop fan can be linked to the software that you have installed on your device. This issue goes hand in hand with the overheating component that was mentioned earlier.

Running demanding software such as modern games and productivity applications such as video editing software can cause a lot of stress on your CPU. Therefore, extended usage of these applications causes a high CPU engagement.

The constant high CPU usage forces your laptop’s cooling system to ramp up the CPU fan in order to keep the temperatures under control.

Hard Disk Failure

If you are not sure whether or not the loud sounds are being caused by the fan then the hard drive might be at fault in this situation. A failing hard drive can make a lot of noise that can emulate the noise of a fan.

If you hear continuous clicking, grinding, and whirring sounds from your laptop then it is a sign of impending hard disk failure.

Hard drives give a lot of clues before they give up the ghost, so you should immediately back up your data if such is the case with your laptop.

A hard drive sound can be differentiated from the fan sound by putting a load on the hard drive and listening closely for a clicking sound.

Searching for a file on the hard drive is a pretty simple way to put a load on the hard drive.

Malware

Some suspicious applications and third-party software may run additional background processes that use a lot of CPU resources.

These processes are often caused by malware that may be downloaded from the internet or transferred from an external storage device.

Downloading suspicious applications, unauthorized software, cracks, and other material from third-party websites can lead to the presence of malware in your system

Misconfigured Fan Curve

By default, your laptop’s fan curve is configured to provide the ideal balance of performance and silence. However, this fan curve can be altered in the BIOS, or by the use of third-party applications.

Even if you have not changed the fan curve yourself, it may be changed through the action of a third-party application.

Many such applications are commonly available to download for free and are often bundled with the laptop as bloatware.

Faulty or damaged fan

Finally, we have to consider the possibility of damaged hardware. In this scenario, the only component that can be damaged or faulty is the fan itself.

Many laptops use only a single fan on one side of the laptop to perform the cooling duties. However, some premium laptops may also use two fans.

A loud laptop fan can indicate a malfunction, fault, or physical damage to one or both cooling fans of the laptop.

In this case, you may hear grinding or clicking sounds of the fan if the blades are imbalanced or damaged. This can also be inspected by opening the chassis and taking a look yourself.

How to fix laptop fan noise?

Of course, this issue is not a very serious one and can often be solved by some simple steps. Unless the loud laptop fans are physically damaged, you can perform most of these steps in software and try to fix the issue.

Cool down your laptop

The primary way to reduce the fan noise of your laptop is to lower the temperatures of the CPU and GPU. You can do it in various ways.

• Quit any intensive 3D applications such as games
• Reduce the number of background processes
• Make sure the laptop’s intake and exhaust vents are not blocked
• Use an aftermarket cooling pad
• Move the laptop to a cooler environment
• Make sure the laptop sits on a flat surface

If the CPU temperatures stay within reasonable limits, the system should not ramp up the laptop coolers more than required.

Stop background processes

Sometimes, applications can run background tasks or processes that constantly use your CPU and GPU resources. This can increase their running temperature and thus cause your computer’s fans to ramp up.

Eliminating background processes is a fairly straightforward task. Open the “Task Manager” using Ctrl + Alt + Delete shortcut, and end any background processes that are using a lot of CPU resources.

Make sure you do not interact with any of the “Windows Processes” that are also mentioned there.

Clean your laptop

As we have established, dust is an enemy of electronic components. One of the key ways to improve your laptop’s thermals and reduce fan noise is to thoroughly clean your laptop.

For this purpose, you will need to consult a teardown guide for your particular laptop model. This information can be commonly found online.

Use a can of compressed air, some Q-tips, soft brushes, or a pair of tweezers to remove dust and debris from the different parts of the laptop.

Make sure to clean the blades of the fan itself, as well as the intake and exhaust vents of the laptop. Be very careful with the motherboard and the various tiny connectors that are found on it.

You should also remove any clogged debris on the heatsink of the laptop.

If you want thorough instructions on how to clean a touch screen laptop, we have also got that covered.

Keep in mind that opening your laptop by yourself will probably void your warranty, however, this cleanup process should be done regularly to keep your machine in optimal shape.

Remove Malware

It is possible for malware to be the cause of your laptop’s overheating and buzzing noise.

Malware and viruses can often run background processes that are hidden from the user, therefore contributing to thermal and noise issues.

Cybercriminals create crypto-mining malware intended for hijacking your laptop’s CPU power to mine cryptocurrencies.

In order to scan and remove malware, you can use the MalwareBytes program. It is a very effective malware remover that can be used for free.

Fix the fan curve

If you suspect that the fan is running at an abnormal speed at all times, then the issue might be related to a misconfigured fan curve. The default fan curve is usually tuned for silence unless you are running some intense applications such as games.

Many laptops do allow you to change the fan curve manually by accessing the BIOS. However, some laptops are still being shipped with a locked BIOS that does not allow this functionality.

For those devices, there are third-party applications available for fan control.

SpeedFan is a completely free fan-control software that can be downloaded and configured to override the default fan curve.

Be very careful when altering fan curves, however, as it can lead your laptop to overheat if you do not provide adequate airflow.

It is advisable to use a temperature-monitoring tool such as MSI Afterburner or FRAPS when you are manually altering the fan curve.

Replace or repair faulty fan

Alas, you have exhausted all the aforementioned methods but the problem still persists. This means that the problem is most likely with the fan itself.

It is possible to repair laptop fans but the technique and tools required for the job are not available to the average user. However, you can order a replacement fan from the manufacturer or from 3rd-party retailers on websites like Amazon.

There are replacement instructions available for most laptop models on the internet, so you can replace the noisy fans yourself without much hassle.

We do advise, however, that you file an RMA complaint if your laptop is covered by a warranty.

FAQs:

How can I clean my laptop without opening it?

You can clean your laptop without opening it if you use a can of compressed air. Gently use the compressed air through the vents of the laptop, which will blow the dust away from the components and out of the exhaust vents.

Make sure that the laptop is completely turned off when doing this.

How to tell if my laptop fans are damaged?

You can tell if your laptop fans are damaged by closely inspecting the sounds that are coming from the fans. A damaged fan will make loud noises that resemble grinding, whirring, or clicking sounds. If you hear any of these abnormal sounds while the fan is spinning, then it is most likely damaged.

Do laptop cooling pads work?

Laptop cooling pads generally do work, but their impact is not as significant as the product pages would like you to believe. It is better to alter your laptop usage habits instead of spending on an external cooling pad for the laptop.

How to disable startup processes in Windows 10?

You can disable startup processes by using the Task Manager in Windows 10. Access the Task Manager by using the Ctrl + Alt + Delete shortcut, then go to the Startup tab, and disable any of the processes that you deem to be unnecessary.