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Fan Running Constantly
- Thread starter Lynne326
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By running non stop do you mean that are running at a fast speed and producing fan noise? Or do you mean that they are just running all the time in general. If it’s the latter, then the fans are working as they should. Your fans should never be idle (not spinning) otherwise your computer would overheat and cause possible damage.
If on the other hand they are running at high speed constantly then perhaps you have a run away app that is consuming too much CPU time. Open up Activity Monitor and check out which process is using up a lot of the CPU.
If there is no app or process that is causing the issue then it could be that there is too much dust build up inside the computer. This will require you opening it up to some degree and using compressed air to remove the excess dust, allowing for the fans to properly cool the equipment.
If on the other hand they are running at high speed constantly then perhaps you have a run away app that is consuming too much CPU time. Open up Activity Monitor and check out which process is using up a lot of the CPU.
If there is no app or process that is causing the issue then it could be that there is too much dust build up inside the computer. This will require you opening it up to some degree and using compressed air to remove the excess dust, allowing for the fans to properly cool the equipment.
Thank you, can you tell me what to look for in the activity monitor specifically? The fan used to run off an on, maybe it was so low sometimes that I didn't hear it, but now it's running anytime I have it open. I changed out my HD for a SSD a few months ago, and I believe I cleaned off the dust then, but I will open it up and look again.
[doublepost=1546638376][/doublepost]I found out how to reset the PRAM and did that. I also reinstalled Chrome which was "not responding" in the activity monitor. So far so good with the fan. Thanks everyone!
"I also reinstalled Chrome which was "not responding" in the activity monitor."
I'll bet that's part of "the problem".
Use a browser other than Chrome.
I'll bet that's part of "the problem".
Use a browser other than Chrome.
@Lynne326
What version of MacOS are you running?
Click the Apple icon in the upper-left, and select "About this Mac". If you can, take a screen-shot and post it in a reply here.
Let's start with a view of what's running on the system, and the top users of CPU, when the fans are running.
Open Activity monitor and sort the process list by CPU%. The easiest way to open Activity monitor is to use Spotlight search (click on the little magnifying glass icon in the far-upper-right region of the screen, and then start typing "Activity monitor". It should bring up a results list with the Activity Monitor.app. Select the Activity Monitor.app.
Once the Activity Monitor app starts, click on the CPU tab, and then click on the % CPU column header (sorting the task list by % CPU, with the highest at the top of the list) see screen-shot below.
Take a screen-shot of the activity monitor and post it in a reply to this thread.
What version of MacOS are you running?
Click the Apple icon in the upper-left, and select "About this Mac". If you can, take a screen-shot and post it in a reply here.
Let's start with a view of what's running on the system, and the top users of CPU, when the fans are running.
Open Activity monitor and sort the process list by CPU%. The easiest way to open Activity monitor is to use Spotlight search (click on the little magnifying glass icon in the far-upper-right region of the screen, and then start typing "Activity monitor". It should bring up a results list with the Activity Monitor.app. Select the Activity Monitor.app.
Once the Activity Monitor app starts, click on the CPU tab, and then click on the % CPU column header (sorting the task list by % CPU, with the highest at the top of the list) see screen-shot below.
Take a screen-shot of the activity monitor and post it in a reply to this thread.
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Did that help?
Personally I would not use Chrome as it does use a lot more resources than safari and Firefox.
I too avoid chrome. Moreover it is a major spying machine from google.
I cleaned my 5 year old MBP which had lots of dust inside. The fan blades were covered in dust
https://photos.google.com/photo/AF1QipMge1Ro5UXes5vApWTNyxmtr2NPCXhndxO3RrHS
which would definitely affect cooling effectiveness. Highly recommend cleaning your laptop. Maybe good idea to clean once every year or two.
I cleaned my 5 year old MBP which had lots of dust inside. The fan blades were covered in dust
https://photos.google.com/photo/AF1QipMge1Ro5UXes5vApWTNyxmtr2NPCXhndxO3RrHS
which would definitely affect cooling effectiveness. Highly recommend cleaning your laptop. Maybe good idea to clean once every year or two.
Interestingly... you avoid Chrome, citing spying concerns. But, you share your photos with Google photos. Hmmmm.
based on just the age of the machine, I would say that there is a lot of dust built up inside the cooling ducts and its causing the fans to run and even throttle your CPU. Take the back cover off and blow the fan and cooling fins out with a can of air.