Laptop overheating in Windows 11: how to fix it

Applies to: Windows 11 laptops and 2-in-1s from any maker. Most steps also work on Windows 10. Menu names in the firmware and in thermal utilities differ by brand, so we point to the maker’s own instructions where it matters.

Warm or overheating? Match your symptom

Some heat is expected. Microsoft’s page What to try if your Surface feels too warm says a device may feel warm during normal use, and Dell’s guide How to Stop Computer and Laptop Overheating and Shut Down Issues notes that fans speed up and slow down with temperature and that gaming or sustained heavy work makes a computer warm. Dell lists lockups, random restarts and unexpected shutdowns as the signs to take seriously.

Processors also protect themselves. Dell describes thermal throttling as a built-in safeguard that lowers speed when temperatures climb. It isn’t a fault on its own, but Dell says throttling that starts within minutes of light use, or comes with lockups or shutdowns, points to a problem.

What you notice	What it can mean	Go to
Warm base and louder fan during a game, video export or big update	Expected under heavy load	Fix 3, Fix 4 if it bothers you
Hot and loud while idle or with a couple of apps open	A process keeps the CPU or GPU busy	Fix 1, Fix 2
Fast at first, then slow after a minute of work	Thermal throttling	Fix 5, Fix 6, Fix 7
Fan never spins, grinds or rattles	Fan fault	When overheating means a repair
Shuts off with no warning, sometimes with a thermometer icon	Temperature protection triggered	Stop signs, then Fix 5
Swollen case, lifted keyboard or trackpad, burning smell	Possible battery or power fault	Stop using it now

Stop using the laptop if you see these signs

Dell’s guide gives a safety warning that applies to any laptop. Turn the computer off, unplug the charger and stop using it if:

• the chassis, keyboard or trackpad is swollen or bent out of shape,
• there’s a burning or chemical smell, or
• it’s still too hot to touch after you’ve shut it down.

Dell also says not to open the computer or remove a swollen battery yourself. A swollen lithium-ion battery is damaged, and pressing on it or prying it out can make it worse. Keep the laptop on a hard surface away from anything that burns, and arrange a repair through the maker or an authorized service center.

Microsoft’s Surface page adds two points. If a Surface goes past its maximum operating temperature, it shuts down at once and shows a thermometer icon; turn it off, move it somewhere cooler and let it cool for at least five minutes, and contact Microsoft if the icon comes back. The page also warns that long skin contact with a warm device can cause discomfort or injury, so don’t rest a hot laptop on bare legs.

Fix 1: Find what is working the processor

Heat follows load. If the laptop runs hot while you’re only reading email, something in the background is keeping the CPU or GPU busy. Dell’s guide suggests using Task Manager to find processes with high CPU use. The steps below are general guidance for Windows 11:

1. Press Ctrl + Shift + Esc to open Task Manager. If it opens in a small window, select More details.
2. On the Processes page, select the CPU column header to sort by processor use, then do the same with GPU.
3. Watch for a minute. A short spike when you open an app is normal; a process that stays near the top while you do nothing is worth a closer look.
4. If it’s an app you don’t need right now, close it from the app itself. Use End task only for something that won’t respond, and save your work first.

Some names belong to Windows. Search indexing, Windows Update, antivirus scans and OneDrive syncing can run hard for a while after a restart or a big update and then settle. Don’t end system processes you don’t recognize; look them up first.

If the CPU looks slow rather than busy, the processor may already be throttling. Our guide to a CPU not running at full speed shows how to check clock speed, and Kernel-Processor-Power Event ID 37 explains the Event Viewer warning Windows logs when firmware limits the processor.

Fix 2: Cut background and startup apps

Apps that start with Windows keep running in the background and add to the heat before you’ve opened anything. Dell’s guide recommends disabling startup apps you don’t need, and warns not to disable your antivirus or anti-malware program at startup.

As general guidance: in Task Manager, open Startup apps, look at the Startup impact column, right-click an app you don’t need at sign-in and select Disable. This doesn’t uninstall anything, and you can turn it back on the same way. Update helpers for printers, game launchers and chat apps are candidates; drivers’ control panels, touchpad and audio utilities from the laptop maker are better left alone. Our guide Where are startup programs in Windows 11 and 10? covers the other places startup entries hide.

Fix 3: Browser tabs, games and video

This section is general guidance rather than steps from the official pages cited. A browser with dozens of tabs, especially ones playing video or running web apps, can keep a laptop warm all day. Close tabs you aren’t using and check the browser’s own task manager (Shift + Esc in Chrome and Edge) for a single page using a lot of CPU. Our guide to Chrome using too much memory covers tab sleeping and extensions.

Games, video editing and 3D work push both the CPU and GPU hard, so a hot laptop during a game isn’t a fault by itself. To bring the heat down, cap the frame rate in the game’s settings, lower graphics quality or resolution, and turn on vertical sync if the game supports it, so the GPU isn’t rendering frames the screen can’t show. Plugging in during a long session helps the laptop deliver steady performance, but it doesn’t reduce heat on its own.

Fix 4: Change the power mode

Microsoft’s page Change the power mode for your Windows PC gives the path Start > Settings > System > Power & battery. Under Power mode, you can set a mode separately for Plugged in and On battery. The modes are Best power efficiency, Balanced and Best performance.

Microsoft’s page describes the modes in terms of performance and battery life; it doesn’t say how they affect temperature. As general guidance, a lower mode lets the processor draw less power, which can mean less heat and a quieter fan at some cost in speed. If the laptop is set to Best performance while plugged in, try Balanced first. Microsoft also notes that if the power mode can’t be changed, a custom power plan may be selected; open Control Panel > System and Security > Power Options and choose Balanced.

Fix 5: Give the vents room to breathe

A laptop pulls cool air in through vents, often on the underside, and pushes hot air out the side or back. Dell’s guide says not to use a laptop on blankets, pillows or other cloth that can block the fan intake, and that damage from doing so might not be covered by the warranty. Dell also doesn’t recommend using a laptop directly on your lap.

Room temperature matters too. Both Dell and Microsoft give an operating range of 32°F to 95°F (0°C to 35°C), and Dell adds humidity no higher than 90%; check your model’s guide for its exact limits. A laptop left in a hot car or in direct sun may need time to cool before it runs normally.

Dell mentions a cooling pad as a way to supplement the laptop’s fans. As general guidance, a pad helps only if its fans line up with the laptop’s intake vents, and a simple stand that lifts the back edge can also improve airflow. Neither fixes a clogged heatsink or a failing fan.

Fix 6: Dust and fans, the safe way

Cleaning the air vents is the first item in Dell’s list. Dust builds up on the fan blades and the fins of the heatsink behind the vents, and a layer of it can reduce airflow. The rest of this section is general guidance:

• Shut the laptop down fully and unplug the charger before you clean anything.
• Use short bursts of compressed air through the vents from the outside, holding the can upright so liquid propellant doesn’t spray out. Don’t let the fan spin freely in the air stream; blowing it to high speed can damage it.
• Don’t push anything into the vents, and skip the vacuum cleaner, which can build up static.
• If dust comes out in clumps, the heatsink is clogged, and outside cleaning won’t fully clear it.

Before you open the case: many Windows 11 laptops are sealed, with glued panels, clips that break or screws hidden under rubber feet. Opening one can void the warranty, and some makers only allow the bottom cover to be removed on certain models. If the laptop is under warranty, contact the maker first. If it isn’t, check the maker’s service manual for your exact model and follow it, or use a repair shop. Replacing thermal paste or a fan is a job for a technician on many models.

Some makers include a fan test. Dell’s guide, for example, runs one from the pre-boot diagnostics: press F12 at startup, choose Diagnostics, then the advanced test for the fans. Dell’s SupportAssist app also has a fan test. On other brands, look for hardware diagnostics in the maker’s support app or boot menu; the names differ by model.

Fix 7: BIOS, firmware and the maker’s thermal app

Fan curves and power limits live in the laptop’s firmware and in the maker’s own software, not in Windows. Dell’s list of first steps for overheating includes:

• clean the air vents,
• review the power plan settings,
• update drivers and the BIOS,
• install Windows updates,
• check the thermal profile in the maker’s app (Dell Optimizer, or the older Dell Power Manager), and
• run the SupportAssist fan test.

On Dell models, the guide notes that Dell Power Manager has been discontinued, and points to Dell Optimizer for Latitude, Precision and OptiPlex models and the MyDell app for XPS, Inspiron and Vostro. Some Dell laptops also have a Thermal Management option in the BIOS (press F2 at startup) with settings such as Balanced, Quiet, Optimized or Cool; Dell warns that fan noise may increase. On Intel-based Dell laptops, the guide also has you install the recommended updates, including Intel Dynamic Tuning, through SupportAssist.

As general guidance for other brands: HP, Lenovo, ASUS, Acer, Microsoft Surface and others ship their own support apps, and many gaming laptops have performance or fan modes in them. A quieter or cooler mode trades some speed for lower temperatures. Install BIOS updates only from the laptop maker’s support site for your exact model, keep the charger plugged in throughout, and never interrupt the update. Avoid third-party fan control tools unless the maker supports them, because they can override the firmware’s own safety limits.

Fix 8: Drivers and Windows updates

Dell’s first-step list includes updating drivers and installing Windows updates. As general guidance, the drivers that can affect heat include the chipset, graphics and the maker’s power or thermal drivers, since they tell the processor when it can slow down. Get them from Windows Update or the laptop maker’s support page rather than from driver-updater tools; our guide on how to update drivers in Windows 11 walks through both. Check Settings > Windows Update for pending updates and restart when asked.

If the heat started right after a graphics driver update, rolling back that driver in Device Manager is worth trying, as general guidance. A laptop with both integrated and dedicated graphics may run a light app on the more powerful chip; in Settings > System > Display > Graphics you can set an app to a power-saving GPU preference.

When overheating means a repair

Software fixes can’t help a failing fan or a dried-out heatsink. Dell’s guide says to contact support when:

• the fan test fails again after the listed steps,
• the fan doesn’t spin, or stays abnormally loud after you’ve cut the load,
• the computer overheats or shuts down while the fan isn’t working,
• the fan grinds or rattles, or runs at full speed with nothing running,
• a diagnostic reports a fan or thermal error,
• the computer shuts down at random without getting hot, which Dell says may point to a power or battery issue, or
• any of the safety signs above apply.

Dell suggests having the service tag, any diagnostic error codes and a list of the steps you’ve tried ready when you call. That applies to other makers too: note your model and serial number, and what you’ve already done, so support can skip straight to the hardware checks.

As general guidance, unexpected shutdowns also leave an entry in Event Viewer from the Kernel-Power source, event ID 41, which only records that Windows didn’t shut down cleanly; it doesn’t prove heat was the cause.

Known issues

As of November 2026, none of the three official pages cited in this guide lists a current Windows 11 problem that causes laptops to overheat. Forum threads blame specific Windows updates now and then, but we didn’t find one confirmed on those pages. If the heat began right after an update, check the Windows release health page and your laptop maker’s support site for your model.

Related guides

• CPU not running at full speed in Windows 11/10: how to fix it
• Kernel-Processor-Power Event ID 37: what it means and when to fix it
• Where are startup programs in Windows 11 and 10? Every location
• How to update drivers in Windows 11 (and when not to)
• Chrome using too much memory: why it happens and how to reduce it

Official sources

• Dell: How to Stop Computer and Laptop Overheating and Shut Down Issues
• Microsoft Support: What to try if your Surface feels too warm
• Microsoft Support: Change the power mode for your Windows PC