MacBook Pro Overheating [FIXED]?

My son got a 2011 MBP running LION. I am not sure if he plays too much game or is just play up by the computer. It just went died.

I got it reload again after reinstall over internet. It went died again. Then my son was complain it has overheating problem sometime.

I check the software update .. there is a firmware update as in Aug-2013. So I load up the new firmware ... and finger crossing ... not sure if will eventurally fixed the problem. But I was a little disappointed for non-performance by Apple for good money I paid for initially.

Will let you guys know if it fixed problem next week.

Hello !Just try few steps :

1.GO to Applications >Utilities>Activity monitor

and see which app is consuming percentage of CPU more than required ...

In My case it was iCloud

So what I simply did is following

2.Open System Preferences >iCloud and SignOut ....

In my case it worked...

3.Also Make sure in System Pereferences>Energy Saver

under Battery And Power Adapter

Restore it to default ....

If you find any other app (in activity monitor) killing your processor just google how to delete that(in case you find any difficulty)

My 15" 2013 MacBook Pro (Retina, Sierra) was heating badly and the cpu usage was, at times, exceeding 300% (quad 4 processor), especially when following the National Review website, where there are multiple pop-up videos. I fixed this by disabling all plug-ins except Silverlight (I vaguely remember this being needed for something) and that reduced the cpu usage to consistently well under 100%, and the excessive heat's gone away. The path is Safari>Preferences>Security>Plug-In Settings, then un-check everything you're not using. So far this doesn't seem to have disabled anything I need, and if it does, I'll just enable the required plug-in. There are apps that notify and allow you to enable the required plug-in as needed, but I'll see how well this works before I opt for one of these.

Never mind the above! If I was allowed to delete it, I would. My "fix" appeared to work for a while, but then the excessive heating during National Review returned. The advertisers must have been asleep at the time I checked.

I had a similar issue following an update and was at my wits ends. The processors was clearly overworking and heading.

I fluked a solution that worked for my poor overworked 2.7 GHz quad core i7macbook with 16GB ram...

If you are not storing national or trade secrets on your Macbook, turn OFF FileVault. It seems to thrash the machine as it tries to encrypt everything on your machine.

System Preferences > Security and Privacy > FileVault.

If FileVault is running, click the padlock the bottom, enter your credential and if flick the switch to off... et viola, no more crispy fried prawn balls. 😀

I updated to Sierra last year. I had no problems, computer ran as before except for needing software updates. Then in Sep 2017, I got an iPad pro and decided it was time to try out the keychain sync over iCloud which I never had used before. I set it up on my iMac, Mac Mini, MBA, iPhone and iPad Pro. For the past couple of weeks I began noticing my MBA was running though battery life about 6 times faster than before and also that the fan was constantly LOUD, even after start up with no open software programs, and underside of the MBA was hot enough to redden my thighs in short order.

Today I was wondering if the overheating was the fan or the battery or both so I started searching and came across people with this problem after the Sierra update. So I tried all the posted solutions from Apple Support and forums.

Finally, the only one that worked, was force quitting the keychain access in Activity Monitor and then disabling Keychain sync in iCloud. It worked like magic. The fan is not audible in the least anymore and the battery life has held over the past hour (-7%) instead of dropping 30-40% an hour. And the underside of my MBA is no longer hot.

It would seem, at least in my case, that activating the keychain sync over iCloud was somehow related to high fan speeds, reduced battery life and my MBA heating up more than usual. By turning off these features, the problem was resolved. At least for me.

I have used a password manager program nearly 20 years so killing off the keychain sync was no biggie for me. It was more a convenience of being able to use Safari autofill across devices. I returned to using my password program set to launch in my preferred browser and using the password manager's app on my devices.

I hope my experience will help others.

I don't see Automatic Graphics Switching in:

System Preferences > Energy Saver >

Do you mean Automatically Reduce Brightness Before Display Goes to Sleep?

I assume not, but I can't find this button to toggle off- my MBP also overheats a ton since I added Lion.

Nevermind- I have a MBP with an Intel Core 2 Duo, but not a i5 or i7 processor, so I don't think I have this feature in System Prefs.

Presumably you have a 13" MBP, which doesn't have two GPUs to switch between.

It's a 15" MBP actually - 2.5GHz Intel Core 2 Duo - not sure about two GPUs to switch between.

But I have the exact same problem, and it started right when I upgraded to Lion- I assumed it was a software issue, but Apple keeps saying they don't think it is- now, after reading this, I'm sticking to my initial thought.

I too use my MBP on my lap and it runs between 160°F-195°F with hardly anything open. It's always the CPU, and when I open Activity Monitor in Utilities, the Finder takes up most of the activity at 80-90% - as akashelby said, it's like the computer can't stop itself from running all the time, instead of stopping when there are little functions happening.

Then when I close it to go to sleep, if the cord is pluggin in, it runs hot all night- around 180°F. If I close it to sleep and unplug it, it's cool within 30 minutes or less. What's with that?

I've run a gamut of test through TechTool Pro, and today they ran diagonistic tests at the Apple store to no avail. They want me to leave it threre for a few days but I need it to work.

I hope this gets figured out because I believe it's damaging our laptops and shortening the life of the device.

The 2.53GHz mid-2009 15" MBP doesn't have two GPUs either. It's the only unibody 15" model that doesn't.

If your computer isn't shutting down abruptly at CPU temperatures of about 100 C, it isn't too hot. It will shut down for its own protection before overheating. As long as it isn't doing that, it's working as designed and not overheating.

I like countless others had the overheating problem.

95c-100c on a bad day, Running idle at 75c on a good day.

Changed the settings per the OP's recomendation. and have seen a significant reduction in temp's.

Now while running videos on a second screen on my MBP Late 2011 I am getting temps of around 57-70, While still being able to use the main screen for my day to day jobs.

Before doing this If i was not able to touch the top left hand side of my macbook pro while watching a video, I would have burnt my hand.

Phoned Apple care. And they didnt want to know. Told me to take it to the Genius bar to have it checked because they wouldn't take my word for it. (because i love sending stuff back to manufacturers)

This is the first and only solution I had found after 2 months of searching.

I would also recommend using ClicktoFlash Extension in Safari, plus if your a firefox or chrome user, start using safari to watch videos.

I now use Safari to watch videos on my second monitor while I use Chrome to browse and do day to day jobs.

Thank you to the OP for finding this out.

inyourbus wrote:

my MBP Late 2011

Still under warranty. I'd take it to the store or AASP for checking in a flash.