If you’re reading this, your laptop fan is likely making a grinding noise. This blog post will discuss 5 common causes of the problem.
Also Read: The Quietest Hard Drive on the Market
For each cause, we’ll provide tips for how to fix the issue and what to do if the problem persists.
By reading through these 5 points, we hope that you can quickly identify which one applies to your situation and get back up and running again!
Why Is My Laptop Fan So Loud All of a Sudden?
If you are using your laptop and suddenly discover that the fan or cooling vents are blowing loudly, you may have a serious problem.
Loud fans can indicate several causes, including overheating of the components inside the computer.
Dirty Laptop Fan Blades
The first common cause of laptop fan noise is that the blades are dirty.
Laptop fans work because they take in air from outside and push it outwards, using a centrifugal force to move cool air throughout your device.
If you can’t hear any other grinding sounds (like metal rubbing on metal), this might be the issue- just give the fan blades a quick clean with some compressed air and be back to normal.
Blocked Airflow
The second common cause of laptop fan noise is that there’s an object blocking airflow- which can happen if your device has been in storage for a while or even just from dust accumulating over time.
If you’re able to take out the offending item (like an old sock), this probably won’t do much good; but one of our other tips will help clear things up.
Metal Parts Rubbing Against Each Other
If neither of these two issues are present on your machine, then scroll down to number three – we’ll discuss how metal pieces rubbing together might cause grinding sounds!
This third point is worth mentioning because it could go either way: sometimes, when laptops have had a lot of use, the metal parts on their inside can rub against each other and produce that awful noise.
If this is your problem, you’re in luck: all it takes is compressed air to blow through any dust or debris to get things moving again.
Underpowered Laptop Fan
If none of these issues are present either- don’t worry.
The fifth point will discuss how laptops might just produce more heat than before due to an underpowered fan, which won’t necessarily cause grinding noises but could make them worse.
This issue is easy enough to fix by replacing the thermal paste between the CPU and heatsink – if you’ve never done it before, we recommend following our guide for doing so here
Overheating can cause permanent damage to your computer’s CPU, motherboard, or other internal components, leading to problems with power management and even data loss.
If you notice any drastic changes in sound from your fan and see an increase in the amount of heat coming off your computer, something is wrong with how hot it is getting or how well it is cooled.
How to Fix a Loud Laptop Fan
This guide will help you keep tabs on them and troubleshoot them accordingly.
___Step 1: Turn off the computer entirely or press the “Reset” button for several moments until the laptop turns off on its own accord.
Make sure all power is removed from the device by unplugging AC Adapter from the wall outlet and laptop.
___Step 2: Remove any external or internal hard disks as well as memory sticks and set them off to the side, never directly on top of your laptop.
Make sure the keyboard is not plugged in either.
With the computer entirely powered down and all devices removed, open up the laptop case carefully, following manufacturer instructions if there’s a manual, otherwise just be careful and use common sense.
___Step 3: Now find the cooling fan that is making noise, remove all dust around it by using a can of air duster or shaking out loose dirt once you get inside the vents where the fan is located with your hands (avoid touching blades with bare fingers). Once done, close up the cooling vent back up again very carefully.
___Step 4: Now unplug your laptop thoroughly once more from the wall outlet and leave it open for at least one hour to air out or wait till the next day.
To ensure that the laptop is off, check that the Power LED (usually on the front edge of the system) does not light up when you press the power button.
After this step fan stops making noise when restarting the computer again and turning on all external devices like hard disk drives, memory sticks, etc.
You might have found the problem and fixed it right there!
Enjoy working with the laptop again without annoying grinding and buzzing noises caused by fans inside.
Final thoughts on Laptop Fan Making Grinding Noise
A laptop fan is one of the parts of a laptop that really needs to be taken care of reasonably because it determines how long your notebook can last.
When you hear a grinding noise coming from your computer, then you are pretty sure that there is something wrong with the cooling system.
Above are some of my most recommended methods to fix a laptop fan making grinding noise.
Which one worked out for you?
Let me know in the comment section below.