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How to Check If Laptop Fan Is Working Properly?
Having a laptop is quite handy since you can carry it around anywhere you want without feeling any burden. However, a laptop can come with its slew of problems. One of the biggest problems that most laptop users face is when their fans stop working properly.
Your laptop will start to overheat and cause problems without a proper fan. That is why this guide will show you how to check if a laptop fan is working properly or not.
The easiest way to make sure that your laptop fan is working properly is to place your hand or a paper in front of the vent to see if the air is coming out. You can also hear its noise to see if the fan is working or not.
There are a few other solutions as well that you can try to see if your laptop fan is working properly or not. If you want to make sure that everything is in order and what happens if your fan stops working, continue reading to find out. With that said, let’s dive right in and take a look at how to check if a laptop fan is working properly or not.
What Happens if Your Fan Isn’t Working?
Before we talk about how you can see if your fan is working, let’s take a look at what happens if your fan stops working. Whether you are using a laptop or a computer, having a good fan is crucial since it is the main source of ventilation in your system.
The fan keeps your system cool and allows you to do your work or play games without any issues. One of the biggest things that happen when your fan stops working is that your laptop will start to overheat. While you might think that a little rise in temperature isn’t a big deal, it can affect your laptop a lot.
Due to overheating, your laptop may not perform like it used to and you will notice a significant delay or poor performance. If it gets extremely overheated, your laptop might shut down all of a sudden since it cannot run smoothly anymore.
If your fan stops working, you should turn off your laptop or stop using any application that takes a toll on the hardware. Until you get the issue fixed, it is highly suggested that you do not use your laptop a lot.
How to Check if Your Fan is Working?
Now that we’ve talked about what happens if your fan stops working, let’s take a look at how you check to ensure that everything is in order. If you feel like there is a problem, there are a few things that you can do right now to see if your fan is working or not. We have mentioned a few things that you can try, so, if one solution doesn’t work for you, move on to the next one.
Hear the Noise
The first thing that you will notice when either turning on your laptop or while using it is the noise of the fan. While most newer laptops try to dampen their noise as much as they can, you can still hear the sound of the fan if you turn on a heavy application.
This is the most basic and first thing that you should check before doing anything else. If you cannot hear the noise when starting your laptop, try to run a heavy game or an application that usually causes your fan to speed up.
Ideally, the noise is quite less but you should be able to hear it when you turn on the laptop. If it is too loud, that might also indicate some type of problem with the fan. If you do not hear the sound of the fan even after turning on a demanding application, it means there is something wrong.
Also, do not worry if you cannot hear the sound as soon as you start your laptop, wait for a while or run an application to see what happens. Most laptops take some time to heat up and spin their fan fast, so, make sure that you wait a bit.
Feel the Air Flow
If you cannot hear the sound of the fan, you can try to feel the air from the vents. Every laptop has an area where its vents are placed. From there, the hot air is let out so that the laptop does not overheat and continues to work smoothly.
The best way to check for the airflow is to place your hand in front of it or place a piece of paper. Either way, you should feel the air from the vents. If you use paper, the paper should blow backward due to the airflow. If you are using your hand, you should feel hot air hitting your hand.
However, do not fully place your hand on the vent or cover it in any way. If you cover the vent, your laptop will start to overheat eventually and start causing problems. This can also cause your fan to work harder; putting it under more stress.
If you do not feel the hot air when you turn on your laptop, launch a game or a demanding application to see if anything happens or not. Since most modern laptops have fans that run quite smoothly, you might not always hear them. However, you should feel the air no matter what if you place your hand or a paper in front of the vent.
Alternatively, if you feel faint air hitting your hand, it means that the fans are working but the vent might be obstructed. In that case, try to clear the vent and see if anything is in the way. If you cannot feel any air, that might mean that your fan is broken and it is not working.
Monitor the Temperature
Another good method of checking whether your laptop’s fan is working or not is to use a software to monitor the temperature. If the temperature gets high, your laptop will either stop working properly or shut down to cool itself.
Ideally, the temperature of your laptop should be somewhere around 98F (37C) to 130F (54C). If it is within that range, your fan is working fine. However, if you are not using demanding applications or have your laptop idle and the temperature is exceeding this range, you might have an issue.
The only time your temperature should go any higher than this is when you are playing a game or using an application that puts a toll on your hardware. Otherwise, there is a clear problem with the fan of your laptop.
If you are certain that your fan is working but it isn’t performing to its fullest or the area you live in is too hot, getting a cooler for your laptop will be beneficial. It will keep your temperatures within a good range while you play games even if you live in a hot area.
How to Ensure That the Fan is Working Fine?
If you are certain that your fan is working fine or you just got a new one, there are a few things that you can do to ensure that they work properly for the foreseeable future as well. First of all, you need to make sure that you perform routine maintenance of your laptop.
You should turn it off and carefully open it up. Carefully clean the components to make sure that no dust is stuck to any part of your laptop. Once that is done, place everything where you found it and run your laptop again. Cleaning your fans on a regular basis will allow them to have a longer lifespan and work properly as well.
Depending on which area you live in, you might have to clean them more frequently. Plus, continuously monitor the temperatures and other aspects of your laptop to see if anything is wrong or not. If you do not feel comfortable cleaning the fans, you can always take your laptop to a technical expert and ask them to help you out.
