How to Reduce the Heat Inside an HP Laptop to Prevent Overheating
Your HP laptop might be overheating if it stops responding,
displays an error message, or the computer fans become progressively louder.
Follow these steps to help cool your device.
Step 1: Clean the vents and inspect the fans
The most common cause of overheating is dust inside the computer.
Dust accumulation restricts air flow and causes the fans to work harder.
Follow these steps to clean the vents.
Turn off the computer,
and then disconnect the power cord.
Find the vents on your laptop.
They are usually underneath and on the sides of the computer.
NOTE: Some HP laptops do not have vents.
Skip to the next step if you cannot find any vents.
Use canned air to remove the dust from the vents to improve airflow.
Wait ten minutes to allow the computer to cool down.
Reconnect the power cord, and then turn on the computer.
Step 2: Increase efficiency to reduce heat
The computer works harder and generates more heat
when multiple applications are open at the same time or while playing video games with intense graphics.
One way to increase efficiency is to control app use on startup through Task manager.
Search for and open Task manager.
Then select More details.
Under the Startup tab you can select and disable un-used apps that open when your computer starts up.
The following tips will also help improve computer efficiency:
Close applications when you are done using them.
Close the internet browser when you are not using it.
Lower the game resolution
and decrease the graphics settings
if the computer becomes warmer than usual while playing.
Step 3: Use HP software to manage internal temperature
On select HP ENVY and Spectre computers,
you can use HP Command Center to manage the temperature inside your computer.
In Windows, search for HP Command Center.
If HP Command Center displays in the list, open it.
From the Command Center menu, you can adjust your thermal settings,
which will enhance your devices temperature efficiency.
If HP Command Center does not display in the list, the feature is not available on your computer.
Step 4: Update the BIOS
Your Basic Input/Output System, or BIOS for short, is the firmware that helps your computer function normally.
Over time it can become out of date and needs to be updated.
To download updates from the HP website, open your web browser
and go to support.hp.com/drivers.
Follow the on-screen instructions,
and input your device information, to download and update the drivers and BIOS on the computer.
Step 5: Test for hardware failures
Test the computer for any hardware failures that might cause overheating,
such as the memory, processor, or graphics hardware.
Most HP laptop computers come with diagnostic software to confirm hardware failures.
HP PC Hardware Diagnostics for Windows comes pre-installed on new HP computers
or can be downloaded from hp.com/go/techcenter/PCDiags.
To open the utility in Windows, search for and select "HP PC Hardware Diagnostics Windows"
If prompted, click Yes to allow the application to make changes to your computer.
Click System Tests.
From this menu, you can run a System Fast Test and a System Extensive Test.
HP recommends running a fast test first, to quickly check the computer.
Select System Fast Test
and then click Run.
The fast test begins and might take a few minutes to complete.
Once the test has completed you are returned to the System Test screen
and the tests display as Passed or Failed.
To obtain even more information, you can run the Extensive Test
which provides you with more detail regarding the condition of your hardware.
Step 6: Contact HP Customer Support
If all of the steps in this video did not resolve the issue,
or you received a hardware failure in the previous step,
contact HP Customer Support at support.hp.com for warranty and service options.
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