Why is my Mac's fan constantly running even when I'm barely doing anything?

Question

Level 1

4 points

Why is my Mac's fan constantly running even when I'm barely doing anything?

I'm not sure what the problem is but a few months ago, opening and using my Safari would cause my MacBook Air's fan to run extremely loud within minutes. It became too obnoxious so I downloaded Google Chrome and have been using it instead ever since. Now the problem is back; the fan won't stop running when I'm (for example) watching videos or playing online games. I honestly do not know what is going on and I just want this problem to be resolved. Thanks in advance.

MacBook Air, OS X Yosemite (10.10.5)

Posted on Aug 14, 2016 7:29 PM

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Answer 1

ctyw Author

Level 1

4 points

Aug 14, 2016 7:49 PM in response to ctyw

Oh, and also to add, my Mac has also been receiving countless popup ads and TurboAds all over the pages. Checked my extensions and can't seem to figure out the big "Why" for this one either.

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Answer 2

OGELTHORPE

Level 9

57,329 points

Aug 15, 2016 5:07 AM in response to ctyw

Download and post an Etrecheck report:

http://www.etresoft.com/etrecheck

Run an Apple Hardware Test:

https://us-mg5.mail.yahoo.com/neo/launch?.rand=egb7pucia3r8v

Note that an error free AHT is not conclusive.

Install a temerature/fan speed application.

Set Activity Monitor to ALL PROCESSES and CPU to display values from high to low.

When the fan speeds up, post images of both for review.

Ciao.

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Answer 3

John Galt

Level 10

156,992 points

Aug 15, 2016 8:26 AM in response to ctyw

Please read Apps can affect Mac performance, battery runtime, temperature, and fan activity - Apple Support, particularly the information contained in the links that follow "Learn more".

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Answer 4

John Galt

Level 10

156,992 points

Aug 15, 2016 8:35 AM in response to ctyw

ctyw wrote:

Oh, and also to add, my Mac has also been receiving countless popup ads and TurboAds all over the pages. Checked my extensions and can't seem to figure out the big "Why" for this one either.

Please read If Safari is slow, stops responding, quits unexpectedly, or has other issues - Apple Support, but the relevant excerpt in your case is likely to be the following:

If the issue is unwanted pop-up windows, ads, and graphics while surfing the web, learn how to remove ad-injection software (adware) from your Mac.

If it turns out that your Mac has been affected by adware, please understand that only you can prevent that from happening. To learn how to recognize adware so that you don't install it to begin with, please read How to install adware.

Upgrading OS X to the latest release and keeping it up to date will automatically remove most popular adware variants. Readupdate to the most recent version of OS X El Capitan.

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