Many people don’t understand why laptops heat up or how to stop it from causing more problems.

Continue reading if you’re one of these people. This guide will help you understand the reasons your laptop heats up and what warning signs to watch out for. It also includes tips on how to prevent your laptop from overheating.

According to Laptop Repairs Windaroo site, laptops are small and can hold a lot of components. When you attempt to complete tasks that use a lot of computing power, such as streaming TV or loading video games, your device’s temperature can increase significantly.

Asurion also mentions other causes of overheating in their article: blockage of air vents and problems with internal hardware.

Overheating your laptop can cause damage to the components and you. According to Lifewire, overheating your laptop can cause you to burn yourself. This can cause your laptop’s hardware components, like the motherboard and hard drives to fail.

Signs that your laptop is overheating

There are a few signs that your laptop is overheating. The most obvious sign is when parts of your laptop feel hot to touch, such as the RAM and battery.

Lifewire also notes that a fan on your laptop is a sign of trouble.

Overheating laptops can also cause problems with basic tasks. They may display the red screen or shut down completely. When your laptop heats up, applications can freeze up and you may get error messages.

How to keep your laptop from overheating

A laptop that is overheating can be avoided by not doing anything that could cause it to explode.

You can prevent your laptop’s heat from rising by cleaning out the vents.

You can also keep your laptop’s fan clean and your vents clear to prevent it from overheating. It is not only a good idea to do so to avoid the potential headaches of a hot laptop but it is also very hygiene.

According to Asurion, you should also avoid programs and applications that “push your computer’s CPU limits.”

The article states that “if your computer is running programs that require a lot CPU, its internal components may be forced into overdrive and it might overheat.”