Does my mini mac have a cooling fan

Yes, all Mac mini models come equipped with an internal fan. The mini is not noted for being a "gaming" computer and apps with extensive graphics could cause the Mac's processors to work "overtime" causing additional heat.

Be sure to provide plenty of ventilation around your mini to allow for the heat to escape.

There is a fairly good and useful free utility that allows one to control fans

and select which sensor/location in the Mac to use as base temperatures.

• Macs Fan Control - by crystalidea

This would be better used if you take time to see what it can do, and then

find which sensor(s) are nearest heat sources affected by gaming in Mac.

And this can be helpful due to there being a 'menu-bar location' of icon w/

temperature & fan RPM. The source of this can be user-directed in the app.

{The menu-bar location may not readily be apparent; I've used mine awhile

and do not recollect whether or not there is a setting for this to appear.}

So this can allow a user to see the temperature (in say, auto or default) and

if the computer is 'getting hot' you could choose a second manual sensor

that could then be a default (by choice) to run fans much higher.

^ ^

.In the 'menu-bar' display, clicking on the Icon for this app accesses settings.

When not gaming or run CPU/GPU intensive software, you change Preferences.

This is a good software that runs/does much, for free; also read the maker

site for details that may not be apparent from looking on the face of it.

Been a few years since my experience with 'mac fans control' ~ on setup after installation.

Kinda like a three speed transmission with automatic selection; but more varied in control

given possible sensor choice, and the locations of those, inside the mac.

There is some information to help set and figure out the usefulness of this in the maker site:

• Macs Fan Control - by crystalidea

It can just run, but that won't be the best first choice; like first gear isn't the best choice

in a manual transmission car. Unless you are starting out on a hill. (Engine revs, but car

goes slow, for example.) Heat can build up, with certain automatic settings the fans will

roar; you can use the Sensor selection to choose. Hard to explain, its really kinda simple.

Not sure if I remember; but I do tweak it once and awhile; and point it to the sensors

that seem to be most effective (to my configuration/load Late 2012 i7 Mac Mini quad.)

To be able to most effectively use it and then toggle it should the Mac need faster fans,

you'd certainly want to learn how to adjust the settings; to choose sensors & settings

and be able to toggle (switch between settings) for best use of this utility control.

At this point, and time (night) of day, I'm about to go offline. Been a long day, before here.

Don't really have to detail solutions, except you can change settings to obtain best results.

This means depending on what the CPU (processors) are in your model Mac mini, you may

choose to have them run only 1800-RPM and idle the Mac at 109°F, if you've set the two-

item display to appear on the menu bar. Another setting could give you between 3, to 5000

RPM and that may be helpful to fast-cool the computer if you're working it hard.

By using this control and extracting detailed information from the settings, you can deduce

the better option (outside of Auto) and these screenshots are of my Mac mini, in settings.

And this is the least of the control settings, for automatic. Once you get into Sensor selection

then be watchful, as it may choose to give you a sensor next to the wi-fi card (airport) or some

other lesser area inside the Mac that may not give you best control over heat from that area.

There are choices, and these are arrived at though settings. Default for my Late 2012 Mac mini

in Macs Fan Control is near factory; in that its not racing the fan. But that remains near steady

1800-RPM unless I see it needs better faster fans to cool, should it run hotter. ~ Temp/RPM

menu-bar readout is a control interface; once you set it on the right side of desktop menu.

You can choose the Fan (exhaust) then select either Constant RPM value (mine shows slider,

is chosen) at low default value of 1800. This will fluctuate but be near constant. If you choose

the other option, Sensor-based value, that would change fans/sensor temp range, and speed.

By choosing which sensor (another worthwhile thing to learn) your choice of 'auto' defaults

can be at least doubled. And the Mac would last longer without overheating, in the options.

At near midnight, I've been up awhile and run into issues due to lack of sleep, &/or food.

Cannot say as trying to explain these at thousand miles+ distance is anywhere helpful to you.

The maker site probably has contact info but may not give support to free-version user. I'd

never needed to ask; just pay attention to detail. I'd read their site for helpful insights. You

could post screenshots such as I've done of the app and its windows, to your thread here;

where they may help explain some section if there are questions, or share ideas w/ others.

The button in Macs Fan Control page (blue-text is hotlink) takes you to

https://www.crystalidea.com/macs-fan-control/download

While the first page blue link has information about it & how to use the app.

This seems to work fine in my Late 2012 i7 quad-core 2.3GHz (server edition)

Mac mini, with 'stock' dual 5400-RPM hard drives, and 16GB RAM. And I've

tested different settings over the course of three years; 'as shipped' 10.9.5 and

in 10.11.6 Mac OS X.

{I've an old 'temp monitor' software useful in PPC G4 Mac Mini (Late 2005) 1.5GHz.

Also for old PPC G4 found clean source for 'iStat Pro widget' no longer supported.}

Download from link above and install