MacBook Air M4 emits high-pitched electronic noise varying with brightness and workload

My MacBook Air M4 is making a high-pitched electronic noise. I got this MacBook last year and it was completely silent until yesterday!

I was using my laptop in charge while connected to my hard drives and phone (using all ports)until I noticed a very high noise coming out of the upper left portion of the keyboard I thought it was the charger or something I plugged all out and updated the os but the sound is still there.


The noise is not constant and seems to change depending on the screen brightness and system workload.


At around 25% brightness, there is no noticeable noise. At 50–75% brightness, the noise becomes audible, while at some brightness levels (such as around 80%) it can disappear completely. At 100% brightness, it becomes louder again.


The noise also becomes significantly louder when I open applications that increase system workload, such as Activity Monitor and especially Final Cut Pro.


The noise does not seem to be related to the speakers or audio playback; playing music does not change it.


The MacBook is otherwise functioning normally. There are no display problems, overheating issues, charging problems, or performance issues.

MacBook Air 13″, macOS 27.0

Posted on Sep 27, 2026 8:07 AM

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MacBook Air M4 emits high-pitched electronic noise varying with brightness and workload

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