How to monitor and control your mac’s fans

Your Mac’s fans probably aren’t something you think about very often—until something goes wrong. Maybe you hear the fan too often, and it’s driving you nuts. Maybe you’ve stopped hearing your fan altogether, even when you Mac feels hot. Either way, you should probably look into that.

For that, we recommend an app called Macs Fan Control. This free program lets you see the temperature of all your Mac’s components, and the speed of your fans in RPM (rotations per minute.) You can even adjust the fans manually, though it’s probably not a good idea to do this very often.

Getting Start With Macs Fan Control

To get started, head to the Macs Fan Control download page and grab the Mac version (There’s a Windows version, but is only intended for Macs running Windows with Boot Camp—other PC fans aren’t supported.) The download comes in a ZIP archive, which you can unarchive simply by opening it.

Drag the application icon to your Applications folder, then fire it up. You’ll see a list of fans in the large left panel, and all of your temperature sensors on the right.

The CPU will pretty much always be the warmest thing on your Mac, and the most important temperature to check—but it can be interesting to check the other sensors.

For the most part, however, we’re interested in your fan’s current speed. The minimum, current, and maximum speed are shown in that order. If you see high CPU temperatures—say, over 80 or 90 degrees—and that the fans aren’t running, you might have an issue. The same goes if you see a low CPU temperature—say, around 45—and the fans are running at full speed.

To find out if your fans are working at all, you can click the “Custom” speed button.

Turn the fan up and see if you can hear anything. If not, your fan has some issues. I really do not recommend disabling the automatic fan control: leaving your fans on constantly will wear them out and waste energy, and leaving them off will overheat your Mac over time. But for the occasional test, it’s nice to have control—just turn things back to automatic when you’re done.

How to Troubleshoot Your Mac’s Fan

Think your fan might be broken? The first thing you should do is launch Apple Diagnostics, one of the hidden startup options on your Mac. Turn your computer off, then hold the “D” key while turning it on. Your Mac will test your hardware, and let you know if your fan is broken.

If you have a broken fan, you need to replace it. My advice: head to the Apple Store or any authorized Apple repair shop. I managed to replace my own broken fan on a 2011 MacBook Pro, but the internals inside more recent Macs are a great deal less friendly for home repair. It’s not impossible, however: check out iFixIt‘s guides if you want to attempt the repair yourself. But look at all the steps carefully, and only proceed if you’re completely confident you can get this done yourself.

If the hardware report says everything is fine with your fan, your issue is probably a software one. In these cases, resetting the SMC often works—this is the low-level controller that manages thermal management and other things. If that doesn’t solve your issue, consider heading to an Apple Store, or another authorized repair shop.

Passively Monitor Your Fan Speed

If you want to impress your friends in conversation, you should keep track of your Mac’s fans and relay to them how fast they tend to spin during particular tasks. I’m sure everyone will be fascinated at your next dinner party.

To do this, open Mac Fan Control, then click the Preferences button in the bottom-left corner.

Head to the Menubar Display tab, then select a fan and/or a sensor to display in the menu bar.

Click “Close”, and you’ll see the information in your menu bar at all times.

Outside of amazing conversations, monitoring the fan speed passively like this can be helpful if you suspect there’s a problem. It’s nothing I’d keep on constantly, but when things are acting funny it’s a nice tool to have around.

Checking Mac’s CPU temperature and fan speed isn’t something that’s often required until something goes wrong. It could be the loud noises that the fan is making, the heating problem, or well, just your curiosity. Though there’s an activity monitor to extract some key metrics, you might need to resort to third-party apps for detailed insights into the CPU temp and fan speed of Mac.

Scroll through to learn everything about how to check CPU temperature and fan speed on Mac. But before that, let’s understand the ideal temp and speed.

What are the ideal CPU temperature and fan speed on Mac?

It’s ideal for expecting your system to be at room temperature, which I believe should be between 20-24 degrees. However, techies believe that CPU temperature between 45-65 degrees is healthy too.

Anything beyond this implies that your Mac needs immediate attention.

View CPU temperature and fan speed on Mac using Fanny

I’ll directly jump to the steps assuming you have already installed the open-source app on your Mac. If you haven’t yet, here’s the link to download Fanny for macOS.

1. In your Mac’s notification bar, click Today followed by clicking 1 New at the bottom.
2. From the list, Select Fanny by clicking the ‘+’ icon against it. Tap Done at the bottom left corner.
3. This will add the Fanny Widget in the main bar.

You can now stay updated with Mac’s CPU temp and fan speed. I know this was very easy, and this is why I picked it. And yes, this isn’t the only app! There are a few more on the list. Let’s have a look.

Best third-party apps to see CPU temp and fan speed on Mac

1. Macs Fan Control

Though this doesn’t let you access the menu bar’s information, you get an easy-to-access app for the same. It allows you to monitor your Mac’s fan speed and check CPU temperature on a real-time basis. It can help monitor overheating issues related to MacBook Pro or the noise problems caused by replacing iMac HDD. This is designed specifically for Apple computers.

Price: Free

2. Intel Power gadget

The power monitoring tool is designed for both Windows and Mac systems powered by Intel core processors. The tool includes a driver, application, and libraries that monitor and share real-time information. This eventually allows you to take action to prevent CPU overheating.

Price: Free

3. iStat Menus

It allows you to monitor your system right from the menubar and download it from the App store. The app provides a list of 5 major resource hogs and shares real-time CPU graph. Besides these, you also get a sneak into other vital details like memory usage, network usage, disk usage and activity, battery, etc.

Price: $9.99

What’s your preferred way to check CPU temp and fan speed on Macbook?

These were some apps that can help you keep track of your CPU’s temperature and fan speed. Looking at Apple’s current line-up and its performance, I don’t think this will be required in coming years. However, for older models, I’m not sure whether Apple will include this feature or not.

Which is your preferred app to check Mac’s CPU temp and fan speed? Share in the comment section below.

You may also like to read these posts:

Source: Cindori

What you need to know

• Mac monitoring app Sensei supports M1 Macs including temperature and fan monitoring.

Apple silicon is here and now you can watch what it means in terms of temperature and fans following an update to the Mac monitoring app Sensei. Spoiler: that M1 is cool and your fans don’t spin up!

The new update’s been out a couple of weeks at this point and by all accounts, it’s been working perfectly. If you’re lucky enough to have an M1-powered Mac or are planning on picking up something with Apple silicon inside, this is the app for you.

Source: Cindori

Sensei does a lot more than just tell you all about your temperature and fans, though.

Sensei Features

• Performance Dashboard
• Startup Speed Optimizer
• Disk Cleaner
• SSD Trim Enabler
• HDD/SSD S.M.A.R.T Reporter
• Disk Health Analyzer
• Disk Benchmark
• Disk Statistics Monitor
• Partition Map Explorer
• GPU Monitor
• GPU Firmware Exporter
• Detailed GPU/eGPU Reporter
• Battery Health Analyzer
• RAM Monitor
• Thermal Dashboard
• Fan Control (coming later in Q1)
• CPU Monitor
• Temperature Monitor
• App Uninstaller

The updated Sensei is available as a free download for existing users. Everyone else getting in on the ground floor can pick it up now for $59 as a one-time purchase as a subscription of $29 per year.

Apple officially opens up the Find My app to third-party accessories

Apple has released a major update to the Find My app that now allows third-party products to use the company’s private tracking network.

More than a quarter of podcasts have just one episode, study finds

Apple’s podcast library might have two million entries but 26% have just a single episode.

Here’s the amazing official trailer for Apple TV+ show ‘The Mosquito Coast’

Apple TV+ might have another hit on its hands if this trailer is any indication.

Check out these weirdly adorable AirPods cases

You want something really weird, silly, or wonderfully different to protect your AirPods from life’s bumps and drops? We’ve got you covered.

While Macs are good at many things, controlling system temperature is not one of them. First, there’s no built-in temperature monitoring system that lets you monitor the system temperature. And second, there’s no fan-speed control software that lets you crank up the fans to manage overheating issues. Add that to the fact that macOS by default keeps the fan speed at low to keep things quiet, and you have a combination that leads to high internal temperature under medium to heavy loads. Thankfully, there are third-party apps that let you mitigate these shortcomings. In this article, we are going to share one such app with you. It’s called Temp Monitor, and it will help you keep your Mac cool so you can get the best performance.

Key Features

In this section, we are going to discuss some of the key features of this app to give you an idea of what this app can do. We will then briefly discuss Temp Monitor’s user interface, and then move onto pricing and conclusion. Now that you know the structure, let’s get into the key features of the Temp Monitor app:

1. Sensor Monitoring

One of the best features of the Temp Monitor is that it allows you to monitor the temperature of all the sensors in your Mac. You can view the name, description, current value, min/max value, status, and even a historical graph of all available sensors in your Mac.

2. Background Monitoring and Overheat Notification

What I love most about this app is that I don’t have to constantly monitor the temperature on my Mac. The app monitors everything in the background and sends me a notification when anything overheats. The notifications are persistent, which means they will not go away until you manually dismiss them. If you receive an overheating notification when you are away from Mac, you will still be able to see it when you come back to it.

3. Fan control

Another great feature of this app is that it allows you to see and control the fan speed on your Mac. You can view the current speed and minimum & maximum speed (rotations per minute) of every fan in your Mac. You can also crank up the fans to decrease the temperature of the system. For example, when you receive an overheating notification, you can open the app and crank up the fans to cool down your machine. There’s also an “Auto Boost” mode that automatically boosts up the fan speed when the app detects overheating.

4. Menu Bar Display

Temp Monitor also shows you the current temperature of the system in a menu-bar icon. This is handy when you are running resource-heavy tasks like editing 4K video, and want to keep an eye on the overall temperature of your Mac.

User Interface and Ease of Use

Temp Monitor is a simple app that is easy to use. When you launch the app you are greeted with a UI that feels native to macOS operating system. There’s a sidebar to the left that lets you switch between different monitoring systems, including temperature, voltage, current, fan speed, and more. The main window shows you all the details corresponding to the side tab that you have selected.

The app is really simple, and there’s no fluff. Changing the fan speed is as easy as sliding the fan-speed control slider or selecting the fan speed percentage. In “Auto Boost” mode, you can define the temperature threshold at which the boost will kick in along with the fan speed of boost mode. As you can see, the app is quite easy to use.

Pricing and Availability

For a macOS utility that improves your Mac’s performance and makes it last longer, Temp Monitor is quite cheap. You can download and try it for free for 14 days. When it’s time to upgrade, it will only cost you $4.99. If you have multiple Macs, you can get the bundle for $19.99. It is valid for use on five different Macs.

Monitor Your Mac’s Temperature and Keep It Healthy

Temp Monitor is a simple Mac utility that lets you monitor your Mac’s temperature and set the fan speed to prevent overheating. You can use this app to get better performance out of your Mac. Not only that but preventing overheating will also improve your Mac’s longevity. So click on the link above and check it out right now. There’s a free 14-day trial, and you don’t have to pay a penny to try it out.

Today it has become more important for MacBook users to monitor macs fan speed. The probable reason is more advanced hardware and software technologies in these devices. But most users don’t monitor macs fan speed, as a result, they often deal with MacBook overheating issues.

However, there are the best mac fan control utilities which will be discussed in this article with a guide to controlling mac fan speed.

If you are one of them and you are feeling MacBook pro fan noise or your MacBook fan has stopped working, causing an increase in Mac temperature. Then you should probably get serious and start to monitor macs fan speed with the best mac fan speed controller software.

But which fan control mac app is more reliable that fulfills your needs? And how to use macs fan control software? These are the question which most mac users ask. Luckily, we have explained here the best macs fan control software which can monitor macs fan speed.

This macs fan control software is a free program that allows you to check your mac’s temperature. You can also solve overheating problems in MacBook Pro with this mac temperature monitor.

How To Check Mac Temperature

You can download mac fan controller software to monitor CPU temperature in Mac. CrystalIdea Software has developed this fan control for mac software which is available for free and supports most mac OS Sierra.

Along with CPU monitoring, Mac fan speed control also lets you check details around the fan. Once you download this notebook fan control app, you can simply move it into the Applications folder, and launch the app.

How To Use Macbook Fan Control

To use this mac fan control gadget first, visit Macs Fan Controller download page and download mac version. You can also download the windows fan control app which is its alternate version but ignore it .

When you click on the download button, it’s file will open in the ZIP folder which you can UNZIP it simply by clicking on it.

Now take the app icon to the application folder and open it up. (Note: Sometimes MacBook pro fan control doesn’t work on IMac having Windows operating system).

But if you download Bootcamp on Windows then via Boot Camp sharing you get to use macs fan controller with the same easy-to-use interface on Windows 10/8/7/Vista/XP.

A list will appear showing macs fan on the left side and all other temperature emitting components on the right side.

There you can check CPU temperature which always remains high than any other mac’s component. Another point to remember here is that you should always monitor your CPU temperature as it’s the most important component of every system.

But this post only concerned with how to monitor MacBook pro fan speed so we will stick to it. The mac fan control app settings display minimum, current, and maximum speed in clean order. This order helps you as to when the fan speed should be increased and when to decrease.

For instance, while checking CPU temperature if it’s reaching 80 degrees Celsius or above. It means that mac fans are not running properly. So, you should manually increase macs fan speed. On the contrary, if the displayed figure of CPU temperature is low e.g. 45 degrees Celsius or even lower, but the fans are constantly running. It also shows that your macs fans have some technical issues that need to be fixed.

To make sure if it’s the macs fan that is causing the problem. You can click the “Custom” fan speed button.

When you click on that button, fans start running now try to hear fan sound. If you cannot hear the fan sound that means your macs fans have some issue.

At this particular moment, do not try to disable automatic fan control options because if you disabled automatic fan control your macs fan will run constantly resulting in a waste of energy and depreciation of hardware.

On the other hand, this attempt can also cause a mac CPU overheating problem. The manual control feature of this application is only suitable when you want to test your mac fans.

How to Solve Your Mac’s Fans Problem

If you are certain that you are listening to MacBook air fan noise than the first thing you should do is to launch Apple Diagnostics built-in tool.

To launch this built-in the program, first, turn off your computer, and while it turns on press and holds the “D” key. By doing this your mac book will diagnose hardware and if there is any problem with a fan it will let you know.

If the diagnose shows that you have a faulty macs fan then replace it. But hold on, only make contact with an authorized apple store in case you want to purchase mac hardware.

Don’t try to replace it on your own because MacBook Pro is now involved with a great deal of expertise. Although, it’s not impossible for home repair for that you should visit iFixIt and read guides before you attempt.

But if the diagnosis report tells you that macs fan hardware is good, then your issue is related to software. If that’s the case, try to reset SMC.

The SMC is a low-level controller that manages thermal management and other things. Usually, it solves the problem but if the issue persists then visit Apple Store or another authorized repair shop.

If you don’t like mac’s fan control app then you have other options too. Most famous mac fan control apps include SMC Fan Control, iStat Menus, and SSD Fan Control .

These Mac applications also allow users to monitor macs fan speed by manually increasing or decreasing fan speed.

Well, this is how we tried to monitor macs fan speed on MacBook devices. If you have an alternate method to monitor macs fan speed or you have tried other mac fan control software. Then tell us your views by posting a comment.

Learn how your Apple product monitors internal temperatures and uses fans to cool critical components.

Some Apple products contain sensors that respond when they detect temperature changes inside your system or device, turning on fans to bring cooling airflow to critical components.

About fan noise

If your device’s processor is working on intensive tasks—such as compressing HD video, playing a graphics-heavy game, or indexing the hard drive with Spotlight after you migrate data—the fans run faster to provide additional airflow. You might hear fan noise when this happens, especially if you’re in a quiet environment. This rushing-air sound is a normal part of the cooling process.

Ambient temperature, the temperature outside the device, also plays a role in the fans’ responsiveness. If the ambient temperature is high, the fans turn on sooner and run faster.

If you hear the fans in your Mac Pro running at full speed and you aren’t performing any intensive tasks, check the enclosure. Make sure that your Mac Pro is locked and fully seated, or that the top cover or access door is closed and locked on rack-mounted models.

Make sure the vents on your Apple product aren’t blocked

Some Apple products have vents that let fans bring in cool air and expel hot air. Make sure that the vents aren’t blocked to allow your device to perform at its best.

• Apple TV 4K has a fan and a vent at the bottom.
• Airport Extreme and Airport Time Capsule have fans and vents at the bottom.
• iMac has vents along the bottom edge and on the back.
• iMac Pro has vents along the bottom edge and on the back.
• Mac mini has vents at the bottom to bring in cool air from beneath the device and vent hot air from the back.
• Mac Pro has three fans on the front of the computer and vents on the front and back.
• MacBook Pro has vents along the side and on the back. MacBook Air computers have vents along the back near the clutch.

The surface your device rests on can block its vents, affecting fan behavior. If you use your device on a soft surface like a couch, pillow, bed, or your lap, its fans might run more. Using your device on a hard, flat surface like a table or desk is best for temperature control.

Learn more

If the fans in your Mac run fast even when it isn’t experiencing heavy usage and is properly ventilated, you might need to reset the System Management Controller (SMC) on your Mac. If you’re experiencing this issue on an Apple TV 4K, Airport Extreme, or Airport Time Capsule, unplug the device, then plug it back in.

Today it has become more important for MacBook users to monitor macs fan speed. The probable reason is more advanced hardware and software technologies in these devices. But most users don’t monitor macs fan speed, as a result, they often deal with MacBook overheating issues.

However, there are the best mac fan control utilities which will be discussed in this article with a guide to controlling mac fan speed.

If you are one of them and you are feeling MacBook pro fan noise or your MacBook fan has stopped working, causing an increase in Mac temperature. Then you should probably get serious and start to monitor macs fan speed with the best mac fan speed controller software.

But which fan control mac app is more reliable that fulfills your needs? And how to use macs fan control software? These are the question which most mac users ask. Luckily, we have explained here the best macs fan control software which can monitor macs fan speed.

This macs fan control software is a free program that allows you to check your mac’s temperature. You can also solve overheating problems in MacBook Pro with this mac temperature monitor.

How To Check Mac Temperature

You can download mac fan controller software to monitor CPU temperature in Mac. CrystalIdea Software has developed this fan control for mac software which is available for free and supports most mac OS Sierra.

Along with CPU monitoring, Mac fan speed control also lets you check details around the fan. Once you download this notebook fan control app, you can simply move it into the Applications folder, and launch the app.

How To Use Macbook Fan Control

To use this mac fan control gadget first, visit Macs Fan Controller download page and download mac version. You can also download the windows fan control app which is its alternate version but ignore it .

When you click on the download button, it’s file will open in the ZIP folder which you can UNZIP it simply by clicking on it.

Now take the app icon to the application folder and open it up. (Note: Sometimes MacBook pro fan control doesn’t work on IMac having Windows operating system).

But if you download Bootcamp on Windows then via Boot Camp sharing you get to use macs fan controller with the same easy-to-use interface on Windows 10/8/7/Vista/XP.

A list will appear showing macs fan on the left side and all other temperature emitting components on the right side.

There you can check CPU temperature which always remains high than any other mac’s component. Another point to remember here is that you should always monitor your CPU temperature as it’s the most important component of every system.

But this post only concerned with how to monitor MacBook pro fan speed so we will stick to it. The mac fan control app settings display minimum, current, and maximum speed in clean order. This order helps you as to when the fan speed should be increased and when to decrease.

For instance, while checking CPU temperature if it’s reaching 80 degrees Celsius or above. It means that mac fans are not running properly. So, you should manually increase macs fan speed. On the contrary, if the displayed figure of CPU temperature is low e.g. 45 degrees Celsius or even lower, but the fans are constantly running. It also shows that your macs fans have some technical issues that need to be fixed.

To make sure if it’s the macs fan that is causing the problem. You can click the “Custom” fan speed button.

When you click on that button, fans start running now try to hear fan sound. If you cannot hear the fan sound that means your macs fans have some issue.

At this particular moment, do not try to disable automatic fan control options because if you disabled automatic fan control your macs fan will run constantly resulting in a waste of energy and depreciation of hardware.

On the other hand, this attempt can also cause a mac CPU overheating problem. The manual control feature of this application is only suitable when you want to test your mac fans.

How to Solve Your Mac’s Fans Problem

If you are certain that you are listening to MacBook air fan noise than the first thing you should do is to launch Apple Diagnostics built-in tool.

To launch this built-in the program, first, turn off your computer, and while it turns on press and holds the “D” key. By doing this your mac book will diagnose hardware and if there is any problem with a fan it will let you know.

If the diagnose shows that you have a faulty macs fan then replace it. But hold on, only make contact with an authorized apple store in case you want to purchase mac hardware.

Don’t try to replace it on your own because MacBook Pro is now involved with a great deal of expertise. Although, it’s not impossible for home repair for that you should visit iFixIt and read guides before you attempt.

But if the diagnosis report tells you that macs fan hardware is good, then your issue is related to software. If that’s the case, try to reset SMC.

The SMC is a low-level controller that manages thermal management and other things. Usually, it solves the problem but if the issue persists then visit Apple Store or another authorized repair shop.

If you don’t like mac’s fan control app then you have other options too. Most famous mac fan control apps include SMC Fan Control, iStat Menus, and SSD Fan Control .

These Mac applications also allow users to monitor macs fan speed by manually increasing or decreasing fan speed.

Well, this is how we tried to monitor macs fan speed on MacBook devices. If you have an alternate method to monitor macs fan speed or you have tried other mac fan control software. Then tell us your views by posting a comment.

Anthony Bouchard on September 28, 2018

If you own an Apple computer, especially a modern one, then you’ve probably come to notice how particularly thin these machines have become. Despite that, most Macs still sport internal cooling fans to keep the CPU and GPU temperatures in check.

By default, Apple’s internal cooling fans run as silently as possible for a quiet user experience, but this isn’t without its caveats. Thinner machines like the MacBook Pro are more susceptible to heat soak because the cooling capabilities of such a compact chassis are limited; this is something you’ve undoubtedly felt while the machine sits on your lap during intensive tasks.

While most people overlook it, heat soak can be bad for several reasons, including:

• Blisteringly-hot heat transfer to your lap when sitting
• Faster CPU or GPU degradation
• Throttled CPU and GPU performance
• And much more…

Fortunately, you can mitigate these concerns by managing your Mac’s fan speeds manually with a free third-party app dubbed Macs Fan Control. With it, you can achieve preferable CPU and GPU temperatures and benefit from the long-lasting results.

How to manually set your Mac’s cooling fan speeds

Upon launching Macs Fan Control for the first time, you’ll notice that the interface encompasses both fan speed controls and a place to monitor real-time hardware temperatures:

By default, my Mac’s cooling fans run between 2,000-2,100 RPM at idle, and that’s great. But Apple’s fan curve tends to be somewhat lax as CPU and GPU temperatures climb, resulting in higher temperatures than you might want.

By clicking on the Custom… button, you can enter your own fan RPM value, like so:

You can apply custom fan speeds to both fans if necessary, one for the CPU and one for the GPU:

Note: not all Macs have dual fans, so your mileage may vary.

Upon closing the Macs Fan Speed interface, the app hides in your Menu Bar, where it’s always readily accessible:

From here, you can still manage your Mac’s fan speeds and access the app’s preferences, but you won’t be able to see your Mac’s hardware temperatures unless you click on Show Macs Fan Control from the drop-down menu.

Speaking of preferences, Macs Fan Control doesn’t come with too many of them. You can:

• Force Macs Fan Control to launch at system startup
• Check for app updates automatically
• Switch between (C) Celsius and (F) Fahrenheit temperature scales
• Enable decimal points in the hardware temperature read-outs
• Choose the app’s language
• Change between a colored or black/white Menu Bar icon

After configuring a higher fan speed on your Mac, fan noise becomes more audible, but the core temperatures of your machine drop significantly. For me, this is a fair trade-off. As a computer-building enthusiast, I prefer to see lower temperatures, but your use case may vary.

One thing to keep in mind is that higher fan speeds equate to additional power consumption. That said, you can expect battery life to take a hit if you aren’t using an AC adapter while manually-managing your fan speeds. If you have a Mac desktop such as the iMac or iMac Pro, then battery life isn’t really an issue; you’ll only need to deal with a little more fan noise.

Regardless, if you want to see cooler temperatures, experience more comfortable computing on the couch, and enjoy longer-lasting Mac hardware, then Macs Fan Control should be the next thing on your list of apps to try.

Macs Fan Control can be downloaded for free for both your macOS and Windows BootCamp partitions. You can grab it from the download links below:

Will you be managing your Mac’s fan speeds manually from now on, or are you satisfied with Apple’s stock fan curves? Let us know in the comments section below.

Advanced Mac users may wish to occasionally manually control their Macs fan speed, along with monitoring the active fan speed and keeping an eye on the various internal temperature gauges of their Mac. This can be helpful for performance reasons, but also for some troubleshooting situations, or even if you want to attempt some drastic intervention to manually cool the temperature of a hot Mac.

The aptly named Macs Fan Control application allows for this. But remember, the Mac will adjust fans on its own depending on temperatures as needed, so intervening on your own is generally not wise nor recommended.

Manually controlling Mac fan speed is not without risk, so if you don’t know what you’re doing and how to not damage your computer, you should not use these type of apps. Failure to adequately cool a Mac can result in performance problems, crashes, and even permanent damage to hardware. Overusing a fan could result in hardware failure as well. This app and others like it are for advanced users who have the sufficient knowledge and experience to understand what they’re doing and why they’re doing it, and to avoid harming their computers.

Use this app entirely at your own risk, as it may damage your Mac. If you are not a very advanced Mac user, do not use this app and do not attempt to adjust fan speeds.

How to Manually Control Mac Fan Speed

Warning: The Mac Fans Control app assumes you are an advanced computer user and comes with the following warning from the developer: “This program is for advanced users who know how to use it without doing harm to their macs. The authors are not liable for data loss, damages, profit loss or any other types of losses connected with the use or misuse of the program.” Take that warning seriously!

1. Get Macs Fan Control free from the developer here
2. Launch Macs Fan Control, then click on the “Custom” button to manually adjust the speed of the Mac fans based on either a constant RPM value or a sensor-based temperature value

Select “Auto” to return to the default settings

You can see the current temperature and fan speed from the menu bar item once the app is open, even if it’s not the most forefront app.

Similarly, if you are in Macs Fan Control you’ll be able to see temperature readings from the various onboard temperature sensors on the Mac.

Any custom settings in Macs Fan Control should be reset and cleared before quitting out of the app or uninstalling it (the app should do this itself, but don’t depend on that).

If there are persistent changes to fan behavior then you can reset the SMC on MacBook Air & MacBook Pro (2018 and newer) and reset the SMC on prior Macs to clear the system management controller. Note that resetting SMC will not fix a damaged fan or damaged hardware, so if you broke something by improperly using the app that will be your own problem to deal with.

If you use Macs Fan Control and find it beneficial for some purpose, you can even get a Windows version too. That’s helpful if you run Windows 10 in Boot Camp on a Mac and want to manually control your Mac fans from the Windows side of things too.

It can not be emphasized enough that these sort of applications are intended for very advanced computer users who understand the risks of manually intervening in hardware performance and behavior. The vast majority of Mac users should not ever attempt to use apps to adjust fan behavior or anything similar, as they will likely experience problems they would not otherwise have. If your interest in adjusting fan speed is purely based on temperature, a better solution would be to focus on ways to keep the Mac cool in hot climates.

Note that an overheating Mac will often simply crash or freeze, and unlike the iPhone which displays a temperature warning, the Mac will typically just stop being responsive, often with the cursor failing to move as well, when the machine as overheated. Excessive heat is damaging to electronics, so do your best to avoid putting your hardware into situations where the device is running in a hot environment or is not able to adequately cool down.

The capability to manually adjust fan speeds and control a Macs fan system has been around for quite a while, and longtime readers may recall SMCFanControl from the original Intel MacBook line from back in 2007, and that tool still works on those older Macs, whereas Macs Fan Control functions on modern Macs.