Macbook Air M1 Heating Badly

[lex0613]

I recently got a hand me down from someone who hasn't used this MacBook that much so they just gave it to me instead. My problem is, it gets really hot in the part between the MacBook Air logo and bar in the middle + the top half of the MacBook on the bottom of it. It's an issue for me because it heats up just by me doing simple tasks like watching YouTube or Netflix and having 3 tabs open. I've searched and done every possible solution I could but nothing worked for me and it's always hot when I'm using it. If it's not heating up as bad, it's always warm. So frustrating. I've seen reviews where the MacBook M1 hasn't't heated up for them in months. I'm planning to have it checked out but would like to know your thoughts or tips on my problem. Thanks! :,)

 

[ignatius345]

What do you mean by "heating up"? Without some temperature readings, that's very subjective and hard to troubleshoot.

Remember this Mac has no fan, so heat just gets radiated out through the chassis. Not abnormal for there to be a discernable amount of warmth at times. The processor should also throttle itself down if it gets too hot.

 

[1BadManVan]

Check your activity monitor, see if there's anything using up a lot of cpu usage.Good place to start

As suggested, download a program to check some temps as well and let us know what its sitting at.

 

[Alpha Centauri]

Much more information is needed to even begin remote diagnostics on here. Let's start with the hardware maybe:

How much memory; how much storage and how full is the SSD?
An indication of temps and CPU/RAM usage readings from Activity Monitor, have already been suggested to you. Obviously these utilities need to run whilst the taxing Apps i.e. YT or Netflix do too.

Does this occur only in one particular browser? Have you tried another?

 

[lex0613]

Much more information is needed to even begin remote diagnostics on here. Let's start with the hardware maybe:

How much memory; how much storage and how full is the SSD?
An indication of temps and CPU/RAM usage readings from Activity Monitor, have already been suggested to you. Obviously these utilities need to run whilst the taxing Apps i.e. YT or Netflix do too.

Does this occur only in one particular browser? Have you tried another?

It’s the base model. I used google chrome and saw that using safari instead helps with the heat. And I noticed a slight change of it being cooler when I do use safari. I downloaded something which had a pretty big size and that’s when it got really hot but I’m thinking it’s normal since the Mac is working extra hard to download. CPU averages between 62°C to 76°C while I’m using it but when I just leave it alone and let the video keep playing, it averages between 49°C to 60°C.

 

[Alpha Centauri]

It’s the base model. I used google chrome and saw that using safari instead helps with the heat. And I noticed a slight change of it being cooler when I do use safari.

Yes, Chrome is a known resource hog. Unless you absolutely need to rely on some of its functionality, best off to use Safari or Firefox instead.

 

[lex0613]

Check your activity monitor, see if there's anything using up a lot of cpu usage.Good place to start

As suggested, download a program to check some temps as well and let us know what its sitting at.

Thanks CPU averages between 62°C to 76°C while I’m using it but when I just leave it alone and let the video keep playing, it averages between 49°C to 60°C.

 

[lex0613]

What do you mean by "heating up"? Without some temperature readings, that's very subjective and hard to troubleshoot.

Remember this Mac has no fan, so heat just gets radiated out through the chassis. Not abnormal for there to be a discernable amount of warmth at times. The processor should also throttle itself down if it gets too hot.

Here’s the temperature. CPU averages between 62°C to 76°C while I’m using it but when I just leave it alone and let the video keep playing, it averages between 49°C to 60°C. Thanks

 

[Alpha Centauri]

I'll let someone else, who actually owns a base specced M1 Air comment on those temperatures.

Have you opened or used Activity Monitor before? Just type its name into Spotlight Search i.e. the loupe/ magnifying glass top right. I'm unsure how familiar you are with macOS, so just mentioning this.

On the CPU section of the App it will show the percentile CPU use.
The Memory section will show how much memory swap is occurring to the SSD.

What do they show when in use?

Edit: note that any virus/ malware Apps or a VPN running in the background will also tax resources.

 

[1BadManVan]

Here’s the temperature. CPU averages between 62°C to 76°C while I’m using it but when I just leave it alone and let the video keep playing, it averages between 49°C to 60°C. Thanks

yea that is fairly warm for basically doing nothing. Have you checked your activity monitor?

 

[lex0613]

I'll let someone else, who actually owns a base specced M1 Air comment on those temperatures.

Have you opened or used Activity Monitor before? Just type its name into Spotlight Search i.e. the loupe/ magnifying glass top right. I'm unsure how familiar you are with macOS, so just mentioning this.

On the CPU section of the App it will show the percentile CPU use.
The Memory section will show how much memory swap is occurring to the SSD.

What do they show when in use?

Yes, I have. Thanks for the instructions still!
Physical Memory: 8GB
Memory used: 5.95GB
Cached Files: 1.81GB
Swap Used: 768 KB

Just want to add that for a minute it reached from 80°C to 90°C and 100°C for a second but it went back to the temps I said earlier right after

 

[lex0613]

yea that is fairly warm for basically doing nothing. Have you checked your activity monitor?

Yes, though I’m not sure what should be considered as normal in the activity monitor.

 

[1BadManVan]

under the cpu tab, you're looking for what's using the cpu %. I had a glitch with an app once and it was saying it was at 300% usage, making my MacBook pretty toasty.

 

[lex0613]

under the cpu tab, you're looking for what's using the cpu %. I had a glitch with an app once and it was saying it was at 300% usage, making my MacBook pretty toasty.

Under CPU% it’s all 0.0

 

[Alpha Centauri]

Yes, I have. Thanks for the instructions still!
Physical Memory: 8GB
Memory used: 5.95GB
Cached Files: 1.81GB
Swap Used: 768 KB

Right, so that swap is negligible really. But it's a snapshot during use of YT and/ or Netflix? Basically trying to understand when your temps get so high, if the Memory or CPU (or both) are at limits.

How full is the SSD? Also, in your use case of getting hot, what does the CPU info in Activity Monitor show? The topmost processes running, and at what percentage?

 

[Alpha Centauri]

Under CPU% it’s all 0.0

Well it can't be 0.0 on the CPU% tab you need to click on ^, this turns it into descending order and gives you the most taxing processes at the top.

 

[1BadManVan]

Under CPU% it’s all 0.0

looking at the wrong spot then lol. even if you have nothing open,there is still background processes that use it

 

[Alpha Centauri]

As we're trying to measure resource use, you pretty much need to replicate your use case during those Temps being reached. So in that scenario, does Activity Monitor>Memory show the Memory Pressure Graph staying green whilst taxed? The other ram allocations you've already provided.

I mentioned VPN as they can cause all sorts of variables whilst diagnosing.

It would still be good to know how full the SSD actually is.

 

[Alpha Centauri]

Jumping the gun a bit here but lastly you can also:

1. Create a second user account and log into it, run all the usual Apps to see if it still gets so warm. This could identify if some corrupt user preferences could be a problem, or have migrated over from a previous system.

2. Start in Safe Mode, obviously Apple silicon variant. It will prevent some software loading and check your start up disk also. It's really just another diagnostic tool.
Note: the system may be sluggish to navigate whilst in this mode, that's normal.

Suggest you follow the other advice given previously first, to see if certain processes are perhaps pushing the hardware to its limit.

 

[antiprotest]

What do you mean by "heating up"? Without some temperature readings, that's very subjective and hard to troubleshoot.

Remember this Mac has no fan, so heat just gets radiated out through the chassis. Not abnormal for there to be a discernable amount of warmth at times. The processor should also throttle itself down if it gets too hot.

The M1 runs so cool under most uses that the issue should not come to mind at all, so that if the user thinks it's an issue at all something must be abnormal about it. Saying this as a M1 owner since launch.

Should look into what's using abnormal amount of CPU and get rid of it. Or wipe computer and start over. Or even just create another account on the computer and delete the old one if that hasn't been tried yet.

 

[chrono1081]

It's an issue for me because it heats up just by me doing simple tasks like watching YouTube or Netflix

These aren't simple tasks to a computer. Video playback especially depending on browser (like if you use Chrome) will make things warm.

Computers heating isn't an issue, it's a natural part of how they work. You're going to feel heat rise through that area on an Air because there's no fans and this is how it dissipates heat.

If your computer starts getting screen glitches or shutting down then it's overheating.

 

[1BadManVan]

These aren't simple tasks to a computer. Video playback especially depending on browser (like if you use Chrome) will make things warm.

Computers heating isn't an issue, it's a natural part of how they work. You're going to feel heat rise through that area on an Air because there's no fans and this is how it dissipates heat.

If your computer starts getting screen glitches or shutting down then it's overheating.

Well I always stream YouTube or netlfix on mine while using my monitor for other tasks, usually multiple tabs open and mines completely cool to the touch. So I doubt its normal for his m1 to get uncomfortably warm to stream a YouTube video or we would have lots of threads about it by now lol

 

[Alpha Centauri]

@lex0613 have you identified from Activity Monitor what exactly is taxing the CPU so much? Or perhaps tried reinstalling the OS?