Solved the Dreaded MacBook Fan Problem [en]

[fr] Résolu un problème qui commençait à me pourrir l'existence: le ventilateur de mon MacBook fonctionnait à fond tout le temps, même si je ne faisais rien avec mon ordinateur. Solution (voir l'article anglais pour les liens): vider les queues d'impression -- pour une raison qui me dépasse, avoir des fichiers en attente dans la queue d'impression surcharge le processeur. J'en avais qui étaient là depuis des mois!

For some time now, I’ve had a very noisy MacBook fan. As if it was on full speed all the time. I was starting to despair, and @swinhoe pointed me to the solution: delete any old print jobs which may be sitting in a printer queue.

I sent to my printer list in System Preferences. Out of the four printers installed on my machine (I never print, honest) two of them were “in use”. “In use”? I haven’t connected to a printer in months. I checked the queues, and lo and behold, there were files sitting there. I simply deleted them, and a few minutes later, my fan stopped being audible.

What a relief! This had been going on literally for months, if not longer.

So, if you find your fan is working overtime, your processor is getting hot, your battery life has melted… check your printer queues.

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41 thoughts on “Solved the Dreaded MacBook Fan Problem [en]”

  1. This is a wonderful tip. I am going to check it out and pass on your URL to others who have this problem. My fan is quiet right now, but I have nothing in the print queue!

  2. Pingback: Solved Another MacBook Fan Problem! — Climb to the Stars

  3. Wonderful! Thnk you so much for this tip! I’ve spent my envening with my screwdriver opening my macbook and clean the dust inside : with no result!
    That was just like you : ONE fuc…. file waiting to be printed off…

    Thanks again.

  4. This was such a lifesaver for me! I thought my hard drive was dying and was about to take it to the Apple store. But it turns out my print queue had a pdf file it was trying to print for 3 days! Thank you so, so, so much for this helpful information!

  6. Wow, great tip. Big Photoshop file waiting in a print queue of a printer I haven’t used in months. Deleted the file, and the fans immediately started to slow down. They’ve been running like crazy for a long time.

    Thanks so much!

  7. I’ve been agonizing for a week as to why my beloved MacBook fan has been running nonstop. I’ve got an appointment at the Genius Bar at Apple MOA tomorrow and now I can cancel it!!!!! Thank you, thank you, thank you. I followed your directions and you were right on, there was a big PDF trying to print in an old printer que and as I’m writing this note my fan is slowing down and now stopping!

    Life is good and now you’ve helped make it better.

    Tom

  8. THANKS SOOO MUCH!!! my macbooks been having like strokes.. the fan has been loud for just about ever it seems right now. I deleted all my printers and wow. its quiet now. thanks a bunch!

  9. I had no doc waiting to print but my fan & cpu were maxing out…get istat a free dwnload to see whats maxing the fan/cpu turns out for me it was my anti-virus..un-installed it and I’m all good!!!

  12. I had this same problem. Deleted the print jobs and then I still made noise until I restarted. Now its all good. Thanks for the advice.

  14. Brilliant….thank you. Glad I googled and found this tip. My MacBook is purring like a kitten again instead of roaring like a damn lion!

    Yippee! Thank you!!

  15. Genius,
    My Macbook was a noisy mo due to files in the printer q…thats all..thanks Stephanie

  17. Amazing! I’d done every other complicated thing in the world – resetting the PRAM, SMwhatever, taken the battery out – and it turns out it’s just a printer queue. My Macbook’s now blissfully quiet. Thanks so much for this great tip!

  18. thanks! that was really annoying and had me fearing for the life of my macbook. seems to have solved the problem instantly!

  19. I love you.

    Seriously… I’ve tried and done everything, and this fix it.

  21. Wow, I just went into that printer queue and nothing was there, however when I set the networkprinter to pause the fan within 20 seconds went to very very low speed and CPU-temp went down 20 degrees! Seriously this is the most weird and usefull fix ever, thx alot!

  22. aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaawwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwh
    the bloody printer
    thank you

  23. I was in the Mac store this afternoon thinking I needed to buy a new machine because of this problem, and sure enough, two pdf files that I apparently tried to print a year ago this week. Egads. Thanks!

  24. Thank you for this tip. I too had a print job sitting in the print monitor and was a factor in my fan running all the time of late. This was driving me crazy and running down my battery.

    Thank you!!!

  25. Mine will oddly become audible when it shouldn’t… and low and behold…. Two of my printers had papers waiting to be printed. canceled all of them, and the fan stopped. THANK YOU!

  26. …..and just like that, silence.

    wow, thank you so much!! i was really starting to worry.

  27. Hi all!
    For those of you who did not have success with the printer solution, here is another. I am literally ecstatic, as after about a year, I can finally hear myself breathe and think while in the presence of my MacBook. First, I recommend downloading the iStat widget which will enable you to see what process are overactive. At the top of my list was something called “Blued” and after some research I discovered this is some bluetooth related feature. I have never used bluetooth on my computer, so go figure. In any event, I canceled the process, and now…. GOLDEN SILENCE!!!!!
    Good luck to all!

  28. Thank you so much! It was driving me crazy, I didn’t know why it continuously ran. I had 2 in que to print. Woohoo, finally quiet…

  29. Ha! Two files in print queue, now gone forever. Thanks for the tip!

  30. this post is pretty outdated (from last year!)
    and my macbook is really outdated too (the original black macbook, from 2006!).
    BUT the tip is good. it actually fixed my loud fan!!

  33. Oh my goodness. I had ONE file waiting to be printed. I deleted it. Within a minute, that horrible dying sound stopped!! I thought I was about to have to buy a new computer!! Thank you sooooo much!

  34. Hi All,

    I too had print jobs in que, deleted them and the fan is quiet now, but the other day all of sudden, my macbook came to a crawl! Would not open Safari, all programs took forever, if they ever did open. My problem was my computer had a issue with syncing my contacts to my “cloud”. Have not investigated my sync issues, but my computer is back to speed! I tried everything I knew.

  35. continued….. I just cancelled the automatic sync to fix the problem for now.

  36. Wow, that’s incredible. I also had a few documents waiting to be printed. I deleted them from the queue and the terrible ventilation noise disappeared. I am so happy I don’t have to send my MacBook to be repaired or even buy a new one. Thanks alot.

  38. Wow!! So excited that my computer may not be so hot after 5 minutes. Thank you!

  40. Well, isn’t that amazing! My fan has been running for months! I swear it running constantly has been making everything else run slower – along with just getting so warm. Found a file that had been in print que for months! Deleted it and literally, moments later, my Macbook is quiet. Thanks!

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