If your MacBook is constantly getting hot under the collar, here are some ways to keep your MacBook cool.
MacBooks infamous to warm up a bit and not only that, when the cooling fans kick in, it feels like a passenger plane preparing for takeoff in O’Hare.
The good news is that your MacBook is probably not overheating because if it did, it would suddenly shut down and restart itself. Otherwise, it performs just fine, and even if it feels hot to the touch and the cooling fans are working overtime, you probably have nothing major to worry about.
However, over time, components may degrade more rapidly when exposed to heat more frequently, rather than when they are slightly cooler. If there’s one thing you’d probably want to remove from your MacBook, it’s a longer lifespan, so it’s important to keep your MacBook cool under pressure.
Fortunately, there are several ways to keep your MacBook cool and prevent it from getting too hot. Some methods involve simple changes to your habits, while some methods can be accomplished with some accessories.
Here are some ways to keep your MacBook cool and feeling fresh.
hold it high
Most of the heat your MacBook emits is dissipated from the bottom of the laptop, as this is where the components are located. However, it’s important to keep your MacBook at least a little high so that the heat from the bottom can escape easily.
To do this, you can slide a few small pieces of wood under the back of your MacBook to give it some support. If you’re looking for a more permanent solution that looks better overall, a laptop stand might do the trick.
The Griffin Elevator is my favorite laptop stand as it has the same aluminum design as the MacBook line and is really easy to assemble too. A little expensive for what it is ($35 at Amazon), but it’s one of the best looking laptops around, and it gets your MacBook high enough for heat to escape quickly and easily.
Avoid Soft Surfaces
If you’re using your MacBook in bed or on your lap, you may want to rethink this. It’s a bad idea to place your MacBook on any soft surface, such as a pillow or any other fabric, as these do pretty much the opposite of what a cooler does.
A pillow or duvet traps that heat instead of radiating it and helping it escape, and if your MacBook is sufficiently embedded in a duvet, it can block the vents in your MacBook.
Not only will it get hot, your machine is most likely overheating.
If you want to use your MacBook while in bed, you might consider getting a lap desk like the one below. This. This will allow you to use your MacBook however you want, but will withstand harsh service and keep it cool.
Clean Cooling Fans
One reason your MacBook may get hot is because there is dust inside blocking the cooling fan and/or vents.
You can clean them easily, but it involves removing the bottom cover and exposing the internal components to remove dust. The same looks daunting, but it’s actually really easy and we even have a video that shows you the process.
All you have to do is unscrew the bottom screws with a P5 pentalobe screwdriver and remove the bottom cover. From there, just take a can of compressed air and blow the fan and vents to clear the dust. Be sure to hold the fan steady with your finger while spraying to make sure the fan doesn’t move. Compressed air can cause the fan to spin faster than designed, possibly damaging the motor and breaking the fan.
Otherwise, do not be afraid to use the compressed air fully and be sure to remove all possible dust.
Buy Laptop Cooler
If you have the chance to spend some money, getting a laptop cooler to keep your MacBook cool can be a great accessory.
Laptop coolers have evolved greatly over the years. They were complete garbage a few years ago, but they’re getting better and better.
This custom laptop cooler, for example, comes with five fans and is reasonably priced. Perhaps the most important thing is the fans located close to the top corners as this is where your MacBook generates the most heat, so you want to make sure you can get a laptop cooler that can focus on those areas of your MacBook.
If you’re concerned about noise, yes, a laptop cooler will produce some noise, but hopefully nothing like the noise your MacBook makes when the cooling fans are completely blown.
Do Not Use Fan Control Software
I’ve seen many users suggest installing fan control software if they want to keep their MacBook quieter, but this is the worst possible idea if you want to keep your Mac cool. In fact, using fan control software to make the cooling fans quieter will probably hurt your MacBook more than fix the problem.
Image Credit: MacUpdate
When you use this software to mute your fans, you turn them off when your MacBook really needs warming up. This means your MacBook is more prone to overheating.
Instead, you need to let your MacBook control the fan speed itself. It knows better than anyone how fast the fan has to spin to cool internal components. It may be as loud as a jet, but for a good cause.
