Laptop fans are basically a cooling instrument that cools the internal components of your computer system. The fan extracts the heat from the motherboard, and the processor and blasts hot air through the fan vent, this is the same mechanism as the radiator that blows hot air out of a car engine
The fan keeps loud noise to a minimum, so if your fan is muted, you can’t feel and hear the air rushing out of the vents, and most importantly the laptop tends to get hot, most likely the fan has stopped working properly and you need to do something about it. right?
Also, The fan plays an important role in the laptop system’s life and usage, as overheated laptops fail to perform up to the mark and cause more problems ie. that it often quits suddenly, the application crashes, and worst of all, it can damage the laptop hardware.
How to check my laptop fan is working or not? This question is generally asked by many laptop users who hear the sound of the fan while using the laptop.
Here are some methods:
5 Methods To Check Laptop Fan Is Working Or Not
Listening to the sound of your laptop
A whirring fan makes some noise
Just turn the laptop on put your ear to the side with the fan and start checking the noise coming from your fan.
If the fan doesn’t start right away, don’t worry because the fan works when your laptop heats up with some heavy software, it could be gaming software, video editing software, or any other software that is the heavy kind of software.
Fan noise is generally smooth; If you notice a streaky, loud noise, the fan may be broken, damaged, or dirty, so you may need to open the cabinet yourself or get a technician to repair and replace the fan
If you hear fan noise, sure, they worked. However, you need to pay attention to the sound quality.
Did the sound crack?
Have you heard a crooked catching sound?
Do you feel that something is stuck and making a strange sound? Ask yourself these questions, because a laptop always sounds smooth and perfect. Any discrepancy means you need to check it or correct it.
Also Read: Why Is Your Laptop So Slow? Try These 20 Fixes
Feeling Air Coming From Laptop
Laptops or computers are usually designed for ease of use, so fan noise is minimal and hard to detect.
You can easily check fan noise using these two methods:
Put a piece of paper in front of the fan output. Maybe you will not be able to hear the fan, but you will be able to see if a piece of paper is being blown about, even if it’s just a little bit. This will also tell whether the fan is working or not.
Another way is to place your hand in front of the fan exhaust point of the laptop and feel the warm air in your hand when the fan is running.
These are two simple ways to check if the laptop fan is working or not.
Checking for Dust and Debris
If none of the above steps have shown any problems with your laptop fan, the next step is to check for dust and dirt. Over time, dust and debris can accumulate on the fan blades, preventing them from rotating properly. To clean the fan, turn off your laptop and unplug the power source. Then, carefully open the laptop and blow out any dust and debris with a can of compressed air.
Also Read: How to Clean Laptop: Pro Tips and Step-by-Step Guide
By Checking The Temperature Of Laptop
The three methods above are physical but if you don’t want to physically test the laptop fans, you can use software to check the performance of your laptop.
If the fan is running but the temperature rises, this could cause a possible motor problem, you know there are a lot of things in the laptop cooling system.
If you want to know about it, download any hardware monitoring system (mentioned following) and check if the temperature is above 125 degrees even if you are not doing anything you are supposed to be aware that the fan or something throughout the system is broken.
Also Read: Is It Okay To Use a Laptop While Charging? Why Or Why Not?
Using Online Tools For Checking Laptop Fan Working
There are many software designed to test the hardware performance of your laptop. They may be free or paid, but taking a few steps is a very easy way to test in-depth hardware performance.
We recommend downloading and running Real Temp and Core temp, and the good news is this software is free you don’t have to pay a penny for it. This software checks your laptop’s processor speed and temperature in seconds.
Using this software, you can gain in-depth knowledge of how your PC or laptop is performing, and you can see if there are any faults with your system and if so, eliminate them easily.
Other software to check a working laptop fan for Windows users:
SpeedFan, easytune5, Argus Monitor, HWMonitor, Zotac, etc, are some software that Windows users use to monitor the speed, temperature, and other hardware performance of the fans. These softwares not only check your laptop’s fan but also give you complete control over your laptop’s hardware.
When you use this software you will know how dangerous heat is for your laptop so when you reach that temperature you should shut down your computer immediately to cool it down.
Also Read: Best 20 Laptop Shortcut Keys That You Are Not Using
FAQ
You can usually hear the fan running when your laptop is on. If it’s making more noise than usual or if you feel hot air coming out from the side or bottom, it’s a good sign that the fan is doing its job.
Generally, you don’t need to manually turn on your laptop fan. It’s designed to work automatically based on the temperature of your laptop. If you’rе facing overheating issues, it’s better to check for dust or software issues.
The lifespan can vary, but on average, laptop fans can last anywhere from 3 to 5 years. However, factors like usage, dust, and overall laptop maintenance play a role in determining its lifespan.
Several things can contribute to laptop fan failure, including accumulated dust, normal wear and tear, power issues, or even a manufacturing defect. Overheating due to heavy usage without proper ventilation is a common cause.
You can use a can of compressed air to blow out dust from the fan vents without opening your laptop. Hold the fan in place with a paperclip or similar object to prevent it from spinning while you clean. Make sure to do this in a well-ventilated area.
If your laptop is consistently overheating, making loud or unusual noises, or if the fan isn’t spinning at all, these are signs that your laptop fan may be faulty. It’s a good idea to address this issue to prevent damage to your laptop components.
