Top 10 Reasons why Laptops Overheating: How to Fix Them Fast?

Sonu ki Tech Tips
21 Sept, 2024

Laptop overheating is a big problem, especially if you use a laptop daily, whether you are playing games, multitasking or doing any simple work, overheating has a bad effect on the performance of the laptop and its internal components also start getting damaged. Let us know what the Top 10 Reasons for Laptop Overheating and How to Fix Them Fast, along with this we will also discuss some causes and effects so that you can understand this problem better and solve it.

Top 10 Reasons Your Laptop is Overheating and How to Fix It

Things To Do with Your Laptop to Avoid Overheating

  1. Avoid using laptop on soft surfaces like beds or pillows to prevent overheating.
  2. Keep your laptop away from direct sunlight.
  3. Give your laptop some breaks if you are continuously running.
  4. Ensure your laptop's air vents are not blocked.
  5. Clean your laptop’s vents regularly.
  6. Don’t ignore warning signs like loud fans or slow performance—these can indicate your laptop is overheating.
  7. Use energy-saving.
  8. Unplug your laptop once it's fully charged.

1. Dust Buildup in Fans and Vents

Laptops have one or more fans that work to remove the heat from the processor and CPU. Over time, dust also accumulates in the vents of the laptop, which blocks the air flow. When the air flow is not proper, the temperature inside the laptop starts increasing. Apart from this, if dust accumulates on the blades of the fans, then it does not work as efficiently and also makes a lot of sound when the fan runs.

Effect on Laptop: 

Accumulation of dirt on cooling fan can rapidly increases the temperature of the processor and CPU. This makes the laptop work slow and sometimes it can also suddenly shut down due to heat. If the laptop is used in such a condition for a long time, the motherboard and other main hardware can also get damaged.

Solution:

  • Clean the vents and components of the laptop with compressed air every three or six months or you can also get this work done by visiting a technical shop.
  • Keep in mind that while cleaning the laptop, do not insert any sharp object as it can damage it.
  • Never clean your laptop with wet cloth.
  • If possible, get the laptop cleaned from inside by a professional so that all the parts can be cleaned properly.

Example: If you use your laptop in a place like bed, lotus, then dirt and dust accumulate in it. This dust blocks the vents, and the laptop starts heating up. If your laptop is getting hot, then it may be due to lack of airflow.

2. Poor Ventilation (Blocked Airflow)

The laptop is designed in such a way that hot air can escape from its bottom and edges. When the laptop is used on a soft surface such as a bed, sofa or directly on the lap, the bottom vents below it gets blocked. Due to this, the processor and other hardware do not get the air required for cooling. If air does not go inside, then how will cooling done?

Effect on Laptop:

When the air flow below the laptop gets blocked, the heat inside starts increasing. The result is that the processor gets hotter and thermal throttling starts. This slows down the performance of the laptop, which can affect your work.

Solution:

  • Always keep the laptop on a hard or flat surface such as a table so that the air flow remains correct.
  • If you have to use the laptop on a bed or sofa, then use a laptop stand whose bottom part remains in the air.
  • You can also use cooling pads available in the market which help in keeping the laptop cool.
Example: Some people keep their laptop on the sofa while watching a movie, due to which the windshield gets locked. This increases the heating of the laptop, and it may slow down, or it may shut down on its own. If your laptop does not heat up that much, then you can use it anywhere.

3. High Room Temperature

The cooling system of a laptop works properly only when the environment around it is cool and if the room temperature is too high, then the internal components get heat. The laptop draws cold air inside it, if it takes in cold air, if not then the cooling will not work properly.

Effect on Laptop:

Working in a hot environment puts more pressure on the cooling system of the laptop, this not only slows down the laptop but also damages the hardware in the long run. Due to hot air, the dust accumulated inside the laptop also gets heated more and this affects the processor.

Solution:

  • Always use the laptop in a cool or airy place.
  • If you are using a laptop in summer, then use AC, fan so that the room temperature remains normal.

Example: If you are using a laptop without a fan or AC in summer, then the problem of laptop heating arises quickly, especially if there is too much heat in the room, the cooling system of the laptop will not work properly. Try to use the laptop in cold places.

4. Heavy Applications Usage 

When you run many heavy programs like AutoCAD, video editing or any high-speed game simultaneously then GPU and CPU have to work very hard. A lot of heat is generated in these components.  It will be better that you do not do those heavy tasks in your normal laptop.

Effect on Laptop:

When CPU and GPU overheat, thermal throttling gets activated, which means that the performance of the laptop gradually decreases so that CPU is not able to generate much heat, this has a direct impact on your work and the laptop becomes very slow.

Solution:

  • Whenever you do heavy work on laptop like video editing or gaming, make sure that only essential programs are running.
  • Monitor CPU and RAM usage with the help of task manager and close unnecessary background processes.
  • And if your laptop often does such heavy tasks, then close it or reboot it every 5 - 6 hours so that it can get some rest.
Example: Many people run 20-30 Chrome tabs, heavy software and videos simultaneously, this puts pressure on CPU and RAM and the laptop gets hot quickly. If you also do this, then the laptop needs to be given some rest every 20-20 hours.

5. Failing or Worn-Out Fans

The fans inside the laptop are designed in such a way that they can reduce the heat. If the fans are not working properly or are running slow, then the heat inside the system starts increasing. Sometimes the fans slow down due to dust and can fail completely in some cases.

Solution:

  • If your laptop’s fan is making strange noises or seems to be spinning slowly, it may need to be replaced. Take your laptop to a professional for repair or replacement of the fan.

6. Old or Worn Thermal Paste

Thermal paste is used in laptops to transfer heat properly between the processor and the heat sink. When the thermal paste gets old or dries up, it is not able to transfer the heat properly. The result of this is that the processor and its components start drying up quickly.

Effect on Laptop:

Dried out or old thermal paste reduces the setting capacity of the laptop. The result of this is that the processor and CPU get overheated and thermal throttling starts in the system. Running the laptop in such a condition for a long time can damage the hardware.

Solution:

  • If the thermal paste of the laptop changes in two or three years, it would be better to get it done by a professional.

Example: Today, whenever you feel that the laptop is getting too hot, getting it checked for thermal paste can be a good option. And if your laptop has become very old and you have never changed its thermal paste, then you will have to face its heating problem, especially if you are using your laptop for gaming or heavy tasks, then it is necessary to check the thermal paste.

7. High-Performance Settings 

Windows laptop has different power modes, like balanced mode, power saver mode and high-performance mode. In high performance mode, the CPU and GPU work to their full capacity, which produces more power, although it should be used when you have to do heavy work, but sometimes users always keep it on.

Effect on Laptop:

By keeping the performance mode on continuously, the GPU and CPU continuously get high power due to which the laptop faces heating problem. Because of this, the battery also gets consumed quickly and the performance of the laptop gets negatively affected.

Solution:

  • When you have to do normal work like browsing or office work then use the balanced mode.
  • High performance mode should be used only when gaming, video editing or using heavy software.
  • Configure the power settings correctly so that the laptop does not consume more power than required.
Example: If you always use your laptop in high performance mode, then you may have to face heating problem, for this use balanced mode so that there is proper power consumption and heating problem is also reduced.

8. Using of Old Components in Laptops 

As the laptop gets old, the capacity of its hardware components such as processor, motherboard and fans gradually decrease. With time these components become less powerful than their capacity and heating problem increases. Apart from this, thermal paste also loses their efficiency due to old hardware. 

Effect on Laptop:

Older laptops face more heating problems because the fans and cooling system cannot work as well. This results in the laptop's performance gradually declining, and it starts to become slow or hang.

Solution:

  • If your laptop is more than 5 or 6 years old, it might be time to consider buying new hardware or a new laptop.
  • It's often difficult to upgrade the cooling system in older laptops, so you can use an additional cooling pad.
Example: If your laptop is more than 5 years old and is constantly facing heating problems, the reason for this could be its worn-out components. For this, you should consider updating the laptop or get it checked by a professional.

9. Outdated drivers or BIOS

BIOS and driver updates are often required for the laptop's cooling system to work properly. If your laptop's drivers and BIOS are outdated, then the processor and GPU cannot be managed properly. Especially the graphics card drivers, which manage the cooling of the GPU, if they are old, can increase the heating problems.

Effect on Laptop:

Due to outdated drivers and bios the laptop's hardware does not get proper cooling which leads to overheating problem and becomes serious. Apart from this the thermal management is not proper in the laptop which also affects its performance.

Solution:

  • Keep updating all the drivers of your laptop especially the GPU driver regularly.
  • Update the laptop's bios from the manufacture's website so that the coding system can work properly.
Example: If your laptop is having continuous heating problem and you have not updated the driver or bios for a long time then first of all update them. It is a small step, but it can have a better impact on the cooling of the laptop.

10. Bad Battery Health

The laptop's battery gets damaged over time. An old or damaged battery can generate excess heat. Especially when the laptop is kept on charging, the battery also gets damaged due to which there is an imbalance in the power consumption, due to which the laptop has to work harder and it gets heated up quickly.

Effect on Laptop:

Due to the battery, there is an additional load on the internal parts of the laptop, due to which it generates more heat. As a result of this, the laptop gets heated up quickly and sometimes it even shuts down suddenly.

Solution:

  • If you think that your laptop is overheating due to a bad battery, then you should consider replacing the battery.
  • Do not keep the battery on charge continuously, this can decrease its life.
Example: If your laptop is overheating while being charged then the battery life has also reduced, or it may be due to a bad battery health, then it would be better to replace it so that the overheating problem can be solved.

Top 10 Reasons Your Laptop is Overheating and How to Fix It

Conclusion:

There can be many reasons for the laptop getting overheat, but all these problems can be easily fixed by identifying them at the right time. By adopting the above 10 reasons and solutions, you can improve the performance of your laptop and save it from damage, whether it is accumulation of dust, damage the fans, wrong use of performance mode, solution of all these reasons can reduce laptop overheat and increase the life of your laptop.

There can also be any main reason for the laptop getting heat up like attack of virus and malware, putting the battery on charging during usage etc.

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