Hi! I bought a refurbished 13-inch MacBook Air from 2020 a little over two years ago, and it seems to heat up very quickly. Even when I'm only watching YouTube, the fan sometimes starts making a loud whooshing noise, which is especially distracting in quiet places. It also becomes difficult to use while it's plugged in because it gets even hotter. The system information shows a 1.1GHz quad-core Intel Core i5 processor, but I'm not sure how to interpret the other technical details. Is this a common issue with this model, can I fix it, and how long is it reasonable to keep using it before replacing it?
2 Answers
That model uses an Intel processor, so it has an actual cooling fan and can get noisy under fairly ordinary workloads. Video streaming, browser tabs, charging, and background processes can be enough to make the fan spin up. Check Activity Monitor to see whether a process is using a lot of CPU, and make sure the vents aren’t blocked. Cleaning dust from the fan and heatsink may help, although opening the laptop can be risky if you’re not comfortable repairing it.
The 2020 Intel MacBook Air is known for running warm, especially while charging. If the fan runs constantly even when CPU usage is low, the machine may need internal cleaning or fresh thermal paste, and the battery or charger could also be worth checking. Try using it on a hard surface, install the latest compatible macOS updates, and run Apple Diagnostics. If it still overheats or shuts down, have a repair shop inspect it. You don’t necessarily need a new computer yet, but replacement may make sense if repair costs approach the value of the laptop.
The processor section says 1.1GHz quad-core Intel Core i5. I’ll check Activity Monitor and see whether something is using the CPU unexpectedly.