Your Mac is hot and the fan is loud: how to cool it down

Why it happens

Your Mac's fans speed up when the chip gets warm, and the chip gets warm when it's working hard. That might be a heavy job like video export, a browser tab stuck in a loop, or Spotlight and Photos catching up after an update. Soft surfaces like a bed or your lap block the vents, which makes it worse.

How to fix it

1. Press Command-Space, type Activity Monitor and press Return.

2. Click CPU, then click the % CPU column heading so the busiest item is at the top. An app sitting near 100% for minutes is what's heating your Mac.

   Activity Monitor›CPU

3. If it's an app you know, switch to it and quit it with Command-Q, then reopen it. If it won't quit, select it in Activity Monitor, click the X button and choose Force Quit.

4. Put your Mac on a hard, flat surface like a desk, with space around it. Don't leave it on a bed, sofa or pillow, and keep it out of direct sun.

5. On a Mac laptop, open System Settings > Battery and set Low Power Mode to Only on Battery or Always. Your Mac then runs a bit slower and cooler. If you see Energy Mode instead, choose Low Power from the On battery pop-up.

   Battery›Low Power Mode

6. On a desktop Mac with Apple silicon, like an iMac, Mac mini or Mac Studio, open System Settings > Energy and turn on Low Power Mode. Intel desktop Macs don't have it, so skip this step there.

   Energy›Low Power Mode

Still not fixed?

1. Just updated macOS? Spotlight and Photos re-scan everything for a day or two, which keeps the fan going. Leave the Mac plugged in and awake and it settles down.

2. If kernel_task is at the top, that's macOS slowing things down to protect a hot Mac. It isn't the cause; quit the other busy apps and it drops back as the Mac cools.

3. Restart your Mac. A process that's stuck in the background often clears with a restart.

4. Run Apple Diagnostics to test the hardware. Unplug accessories and shut down. On Apple silicon, hold the power button until the startup options appear, then press and hold Command-D. On an Intel Mac, hold D as soon as you press the power button.

5. If the fan roars even when nothing is running and the Mac feels cool, if it grinds or rattles, or if the Mac shuts off from heat, it's likely hardware: dust inside or a failing fan. Contact Apple Support or a repair shop for a clean or a fan check.