Computer fans are necessary to regulate the internal temperature of a computer properly. Let’s say your fan is faulty or makes a lot of noise when your computer is on. To solve this, maybe you’re wondering how to turn off computer fan. Well, there are a few things to try.
You can disable your fan from the bios setup menu. Disabling it directly by opening your motherboard is another viable option. Nowadays, most computers come with dedicated software for different components, and by using them, you can also turn off the fan.
These processes sound too technical and tricky, and they are, indeed. In this article, I’ll break down the steps in a more understandable way. Read along to know more.
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How To Turn Off Your Computer Fan
Turning off your computer fan is easy if you know the right steps. Let’s take a look at some of the most effective and easy-to-follow methods to do so.
Remove Fan Physically From The Motherboard
The motherboard is basically a big circuit where parts like hard drives, CPU, USB ports, etc. are connected efficiently to communicate with each other. Your computer fan is connected to the motherboard as well.
Therefore, you can remove it from there to turn it off. Follow these steps to do so.
Step 1: Turn off your computer. Make sure the power cord is removed, too, as you’ll be opening up the computer in the next step.
Step 2: Take a screwdriver and remove your computer cover. This will reveal the motherboard underneath. It’s the largest circuit board on the device; therefore, you can identify it quickly.
Step 3: You’ll see your fan connected smoothly to the motherboard. Now find the wire that connects it to a port on the motherboard.
Step 4: Unplug the wire carefully based on how it’s connected. Be sure not to use too much pressure as it might break or damage the wire.
In this way, you can disconnect your computer fan directly from the motherboard to turn it off.
Disable from BIOS Menu
The BIOS menu turns on every hardware component just before your computer starts up. If you can disable the cooling fan from the BIOS menu, then it won’t turn on in the first place.
To do this, follow the steps discussed below:
Step 1: Restart your computer.
Step 2: Once the screen starts up, press the dedicated boot menu button. Check your device’s user manual to find out which button this is. Generally, it’ll be one of the function keys from F1 to F12.
Step 3: You’ll be now inside the BIOS setup menu. Then open your hardware settings. This will be on the top screen or in Advanced.
Step 4: Now find the Fan Settings option and change it from enabled to disabled.
Pro Tip: Use arrow keys to navigate around the BIOS setup menu as it doesn’t support mouse input.
How To Turn Off Computer Fan On Windows 10
To turn off a computer fan on Windows 10, you can use different Windows 10 software. These software’s are built specifically for Windows. Let’s take a look at some methods.
- Use Dedicated Fan Software
Today, many computers come with dedicated software that you can use to control different aspects of your cooling fan. They can change the fan’s RPM, RGB color, voltage usage, and much more. You can use this software to turn off the computer fan as well.
To do so, download the dedicated software from your computer manufacturer’s official website. These are intuitive and easy-to-use applications. Navigate and find the fan settings and simply turn it off or disable it.
If your computer doesn’t have dedicated software for tweaking hardware settings, you can always use third-party options. Let’s talk about them.
- Use Third-Party Software
Using third-party software is an excellent option if your computer doesn’t have built-in dedicated software. Applications like MSI Afterburner and AMD Overdrive are great for controlling different hardware elements.
You should check your GPU applications as well. Nvidia’s GeForce Experience and AMD’s Radeon software sometimes have the option to change fan settings.
After you’ve downloaded and opened one of the software mentioned above, search and find your fan settings and disable it.
You can set its RPM speed or voltage to 0 as well to turn it off. In this way, third-party and GPU software can help in turning off your computer fan.
How To Turn Off Laptop Fan
Now, if you think all of the procedures mentioned above only work for PC’s, then you’re wrong. Laptop fans can be turned off similarly to computer fans as both of them are connected similarly.
The only difference is that laptop fans are directly mounted and aren’t easily removable, whereas computer fans can be removed easily. Thus the processes used to remove computer fans can be applied to laptop fans as well.
Is Always Running Computer Fan An Issue?
Well, to be honest, it’s an issue and, unfortunately, a common one among computer users. In this case, once the fan begins to run, it doesn’t stop at all. This is harmful to both your fan and other components of the computer.
So, how can you solve it? There are a few things you can try. Let’s talk about them in detail.
- Clean Air Vents
Clogged-up air vents are a common reason for this problem. As the fan can’t push away hot air through the vents properly, your computer’s internal temperature gradually increases.
This tricks your computer into thinking that the temperature is high from the beginning, and the fan constantly runs as it never decreases.
To solve this problem, unscrew your computer casing and clean the air vents with a fine cloth or brush. When they’re unclogged, hot air can easily pass through the vents, and your fan won’t increase the temperature anymore.
- Set Correct Fan Voltage
This is another reason for an always-running computer fan. As the fan gets too much voltage, it uses too much power and keeps running all the time.
To fix this, open your computer’s dedicated fan software and limit its voltage. You can also use the software mentioned above, like MSI Afterburner or AMD Overdrive, to do this. Set the output voltage to 12 to 24 volts. Cross-check your computer’s user manual to find the exact value for your computer fan.
- Change Your Battery
This is a laptop-specific fix for you to try. A faulty laptop battery is one of the main reasons your laptop fan always runs.
When the battery gets damaged, your laptop fan and other components receive uneven power distribution. This causes the fan to run irregularly at all times and not stop.
To stop this, first, check if your computer battery is faulty. Follow these steps to fix this matter.
Open Command Prompt.
Type powercfg /batteryreport. This will give you a detailed battery report where you can check your battery health.
A faulty battery will cause problems other than your fan always running, like damaging your motherboard or overheating issues.
If you see the battery health is too low, generally below 30%, you should change your laptop battery as soon as possible.
- Change Your Computer Fan
This is the final option to try if the above fixes didn’t work for you. Faulty fans can be fixed by simply replacing them with a new one.
Go to your local hardware repair store, and they’ll help you out and replace your old fan with a new one.
Is It Safe To Run A Computer Without A Fan
It’s not safe to run a computer without a cooling fan.
The purpose of a cooling fan is to regulate the internal temperature of your computer from time to time, keeping it at a stable working temperature.
Too high temperatures obstruct various computer parts from working efficiently, so your device will slow down drastically if you run a computer without a fan.
Without a cooling fan, your computer’s motherboard will overheat and work inefficiently. Gradually, it’ll get damaged completely.
If this happens, your computer might shut down suddenly one day and not turn on anymore. This will break your bank as computer motherboards are really expensive.
That being said, your computer will technically run for a while without a cooling fan. Let’s now see how long you can go without it.
How Long Can You Go Without A Fan
Without a cooling fan, your computer will run as long as your motherboard and other parts don’t get damaged entirely. Plus, it’ll depend on how often and how long you use your computer daily without a cooling fan.
For most people, this won’t be more than 4 to 6 months. Therefore, changing the computer fan is the best option to avoid serious damages.
How To Use A Computer Safely With Fan Turned Off
If you still want to use your computer without a cooling fan, there are a few things you can do to minimize the damages. Ensure the things below, and your computer will stay in good shape for as long as possible.
- Keep Your CPU Well Ventilated
You should keep your CPU in an open space so that proper ventilation is ensured. This will cool and regulate the internal components of your computer naturally with cool air. In this way, overheating will be minimized.
- Use An External Fan
You can buy an external cooling fan and place it beside your CPU to cool it externally. Though this method isn’t as effective as internal cooling, it’ll maintain the computer’s internal temperature to some extent.
Another thing to try is to elevate your CPU and use a table fan to cool with it instead.
Changing and fixing your faulty computer fan is the best thing to do, but you can minimize damages to your computer and increase its longevity by doing both of these things.
Final Thoughts
I belive, by now, you know how to turn off computer fan. And hopefully, the methods I’ve discussed above solved all your problems regarding computer fans.
Anyway, if you want to turn off your computer fan temporarily for some reason, then it’s okay. But if you want to disable it forever because it’s faulty, I’d suggest not doing so.
You should instead try the fixes I talk about in the Always Running Computer Fan Issue section. This way you can ensure your computer stays in the best condition possible.
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