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User profile for user: pz2000
pz2000 Author
User level: Level 1
8 points

MacBook air 2018 overheating on simple use, Activity manager checked, clean fans, antivirus installed

Hey guys, I have a problem. My 2018 Macbook air, on simple every day usage, runs in quite high temperatures. I use safari, never keep many tabs open, up to 3 documents open simultaneously. No games, or high-demand apps. Activity manager does not show anything up. Downloaded macs fan control app: the outcome is, that after blasting it on full capacity, after 10 minutes, the temperature is still around 50 celsius. Usual temperature running very little tasks is around 60-70 celsius. Having multiple safari tabs open, couple of docs, get it up to even higher temperatures, and for "fanless" design - this little tablet-size thing runs louder than a ps4. I keep it on a desk, so it has proper vetilation, fans clean. I have tried pretty much everything I could find, to rid of this Boeing 747 sound. Maybe anybody has any suggestions? Cannot bring it to warranty, have to use it every day. Thank You.

MacBook Air 13″, macOS 10.14

Posted on Jan 5, 2021 12:21 PM

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User profile for user: John Galt
John Galt
User level: Level 10
147,288 points

Posted on Jan 5, 2021 7:25 PM

First, uninstall whatever "anti-virus" junk you may have installed. Rule 1 of Macs is don't install junk.


There is nothing wrong with temperatures in the range you describe. 70° C is perfectly ok. However, even at that temperature your Mac's exhaust fan should not be blasting at full speed as you describe.


Activity manager does not show anything up.


That's very helpful information, which justifies an SMC Reset: How to reset the SMC of your Mac - Apple Support. The SMC has executive authority over a variety of hardware functions including exhaust fan operation. Resetting it will reset the (possibly erroneous) parameters it uses to do that.

Finally: either uninstall or simply don't use "Macs Fan Control". Those things serve one and only one purpose: to mask an underlying problem that must be fixed. Circumventing the Mac's cooling system by arbitrarily increasing exhaust fan speed is 100% guaranteed to accelerate eventual hardware failure.


Cannot bring it to warranty, have to use it every day.


Contact Apple anyway: Get Support. In the unlikely event your Mac is indeed suffering from some kind of hardware fault and it remains eligible for AppleCare support, you will want to have a record of it.

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Question marked as Top-ranking reply
User profile for user: John Galt
John Galt
User level: Level 10
147,288 points

Jan 5, 2021 7:25 PM in response to pz2000

First, uninstall whatever "anti-virus" junk you may have installed. Rule 1 of Macs is don't install junk.


There is nothing wrong with temperatures in the range you describe. 70° C is perfectly ok. However, even at that temperature your Mac's exhaust fan should not be blasting at full speed as you describe.


Activity manager does not show anything up.


That's very helpful information, which justifies an SMC Reset: How to reset the SMC of your Mac - Apple Support. The SMC has executive authority over a variety of hardware functions including exhaust fan operation. Resetting it will reset the (possibly erroneous) parameters it uses to do that.

Finally: either uninstall or simply don't use "Macs Fan Control". Those things serve one and only one purpose: to mask an underlying problem that must be fixed. Circumventing the Mac's cooling system by arbitrarily increasing exhaust fan speed is 100% guaranteed to accelerate eventual hardware failure.


Cannot bring it to warranty, have to use it every day.


Contact Apple anyway: Get Support. In the unlikely event your Mac is indeed suffering from some kind of hardware fault and it remains eligible for AppleCare support, you will want to have a record of it.

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MacBook air 2018 overheating on simple use, Activity manager checked, clean fans, antivirus installed

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