Laptop overheating or fan running loud

The fan roars, the base is too hot to rest on your lap, and it may switch itself off in the middle of a video call or a game. Heat is the fault; the shutdowns are the laptop protecting itself.

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Why laptops overheat

A laptop cools itself by pulling air through a small metal heatsink. Over a few years that heatsink fills with dust and fluff until very little air gets through. The fan runs faster and louder to compensate, and eventually cannot keep up.

Inside, the thermal compound between the processor and the heatsink dries out with age and stops conducting heat properly. Fans also wear: a fan that rattles, grinds or does not spin at all leaves the laptop with no cooling whatsoever. When the temperature climbs too far, the laptop slows itself down, then cuts out.

Checks worth trying first

Use the laptop on a hard, flat surface. Beds, sofas and laps block the vents underneath.
Open Task Manager (Ctrl + Shift + Esc) and look for a program using the processor constantly.
Check the vents for visible fluff. Hold the fan still if you use compressed air, so it is not spun too fast.
Feel for air at the exhaust vent. No airflow with a hot base means the fan has probably failed.

How we fix it

Strip and clean

The cooling assembly is removed and the heatsink fins and fan cleared of compacted dust.

New thermal compound

Old compound and pads are cleaned off and replaced on the processor and graphics chip.

Fan replacement

Worn or seized fans are replaced with the correct part for the model.

Tested under load

We run the laptop hard and log temperatures to confirm the repair before it goes back.

Long-term overheating can damage the graphics chip and the battery. If the laptop already shuts down from heat, it is worth dealing with before something else fails.

Common questions

Is a cooling pad a fix?

It can lower temperatures a little on a healthy laptop. It will not help if the heatsink is blocked or the fan has failed.

My gaming laptop has always run hot. Is that normal?

Gaming laptops run warm by design, but they should not shut down or throttle badly. If performance has dropped over time, the cooling system needs servicing.

Get a price from a technician

Tell us the make, the model and what has gone wrong. A technician replies with a price and the quickest way to get your laptop to us – normally the same working day.

020 7237 6805

Creative IT workshop
Unit 1, 80 Willow Walk, London SE1 5SY
Monday to Saturday, 9am–6pm