Some common reasons for a computer to overheat include poor ventilation, insufficient airflow, and overclocking. But specifically on Windows 11, you may experience high temperatures after upgrading or installing Windows updates.
If your Windows 11 computer gets hot, here are some steps to help fix the problem:
1. Install pending Windows updates
If it’s determined that a recent Windows update has caused your CPU to overheat, check for a fix. If it’s a common problem, you can expect a quick fix through updating Windows.
2. Remove invalid Windows updates
If your system started to overheat after a recent Windows update, try uninstalling the update to fix the problem. You can check your Windows update history in the Settings app.
3. Check background apps with high CPU usage
Background applications with high CPU usage are often the cause of the computer overheating. Even if an application uses only 5-6% of your CPU resources, it can still cause high CPU temperatures.
You can use Windows Task Manager to monitor background services and terminate them if needed. To do this:
- Right-click on the Start menu and open Task Manager.
- In Task Manager, open the Process tab.
- Click on the CPU column header to sort the list by CPU usage.
- Check if there are any background services with high CPU usage.
- End the process and check if the CPU temperature has decreased. If so, you need to disable the service and update the related driver to fix the problem.
4. Select Balanced Power Plan
On Windows 11, you can choose from multiple power plans. By default, the system uses the Balanced power plan to provide sufficient performance and good battery life. If your laptop is set to use a high performance power plan, it may cause your system to overheat.
You can change Windows Power Plan using the Control Panel. In Power Options, review your current power plan and select Balanced (Recommended).
5. Change the maximum processor state
To change the maximum processor state on Windows:
Step 1. Press Win + R to open Run.
Step 2. Type control and click OK to open the Control Panel.
Step 3. Go to System and Security and click Power Options.
Step 4. Next, click the Change plan settings option for the currently active power plan.
Step 5. Click Change advanced power settings.
Step 6. Scroll down and expand the Processor power management section.
Step 7. Next, expand the Maximum processor state option.
Step 8. Select On Battery and change the value to 99%.
Step 9. Select Plugged in and change the value to 99%.
Step 10. Click Apply > OK to save the changes.
If the Maximum processor state option is missing, you can show the hidden min and max processor status using Command Prompt.
If the problem persists, your computer may be overheating due to insufficient airflow, fan problems, and driver problems.
6. Disable Windows Search Indexing
Searchindexer is a Windows service that makes Windows search faster. While operating in the background, this service may cause high CPU usage, thus resulting in high temperatures.
7. Adjust Performance Option to “Best Performance”
To tune your computer for best performance:
- Press the Win key and enter Adjust performance
- Click the Adjust the appearance and performance of Windows option from the search results.
- Next, select Adjust for best performance in the Performance Options dialog box.
- Click Apply > OK to save the changes.
8. Go back to the previous version
If you can’t uninstall Windows updates, you can use the Go back recovery option to reinstall a previous version of Windows. This option is only available for 10 days after installing a major Windows update
To use the Go back option:
- Press Win + I to open Settings.
- In the System tab, scroll down and click Recovery.
- In the Recovery options section, click Go back. Follow the on-screen instructions to roll back to the previous version of Windows.
9. Perform a system restore
Windows 11 automatically creates a snapshot of the current state of the system, called a restore point. A new restore point is created before the update is installed. You can use an existing restore point to undo the changes and fix any problems that may be caused by an invalid Windows update or recent changes made to your system.
10. Check for hardware problems
A clean install fixes any problems caused by software conflicts. Before performing a clean install, however, consider other issues to troubleshoot laptop overheating.
11. Perform a clean install of Windows 11
For a clean install of Windows 11, all you need is a Windows 11 bootable USB. Next, back up your personal files and folders to an external hard drive. Once done, boot from USB and reinstall the operating system.
Good luck!
