MacBook getting hot? 7 things to check
2 min read · 7 steps · Updated 2 October 2026
Put the MacBook on a hard, flat surface, not on a bed or cushion, and keep the room between 10 and 35 degrees Celsius. Then open Activity Monitor, click the CPU tab and look for an app that uses a lot of processor time. Quit it, or restart the Mac.
A MacBook gets warm when it works hard: video calls, games, exporting video, many browser tabs. That is normal, and the Mac slows itself down before anything is damaged. Heat without a reason usually comes from blocked airflow or a runaway process.
Menu names are from recent versions of macOS, where the settings app is called System Settings.
Step by step
Use a hard, flat surface
A desk or table lets the air move. Apple warns against using a Mac laptop in bed, on a pillow or under bedding. Put nothing on top of the keyboard and nothing into the ventilation openings.
Check the room
Apple gives a range of 10 to 35 degrees Celsius (50 to 95 degrees Fahrenheit). In direct sun or in a hot car the Mac heats up quickly.
Find the busy app
Open Activity Monitor from Applications, Utilities and click the CPU tab. Sort by % CPU. An app that stays near the top with a high value while you are not using it may be stuck. Select it and click the stop button to quit it.
Close what you do not need
Browser tabs with video or animated ads, video calls and virtual machines are frequent sources of heat. Close them and watch whether the fans calm down.
Restart
Close the lid for a moment and open it again, or choose Restart from the Apple menu. A restart ends background processes that have run wild.
Install updates
Updates often fix processes that use too much power: how to update macOS on your Mac.
Use an original charger
Apple recommends Apple-authorised power adapters. A Mac also gets warmer while it charges, especially when it charges and works hard at the same time.
Good to know
On an Intel Mac, resetting the SMC can help when the fans run fast for no reason. Macs with Apple silicon have no such reset. A restart does the same.
Apps that claim to show the temperature do not measure the case and are not a reliable test, Apple says.
After a system update or after copying lots of photos, the Mac indexes files for some hours and is warm during that time. This passes by itself.
Related: Mac fan loud all the time: 6 things to check and MacBook battery draining fast: 8 ways to make it last.
In short: Hard surface, room between 10 and 35 degrees, Activity Monitor CPU tab, close heavy tabs and apps, restart, update, original charger.
- Apple Support: Keep your Mac laptop within acceptable operating temperatures
Rules and prices change. Check the official source before you act.