My computer fans are running at full speed all the time even when idle. How do I fix it and is it a hardware or software problem

[Violet Caitlin]

All fans running at maximum constantly, CPU fan, case fans, GPU fan. Temperature readings look normal, CPU at 35 degrees idle, GPU at 40. Nothing obviously wrong in Task Manager. Started happening after a Windows update about a week ago.

Desktop PC, Windows 11

[Pete14]

Starting after a Windows update and showing normal temperatures is a strong indicator of a software or driver issue rather than hardware. The fans are being told to run at maximum by the fan control software rather than responding to actual heat

[Brittle Ronan]

Check if your motherboard control software is running correctly. Apps like Asus Armory Crate, MSI Center, or Gigabyte Control Center sometimes get into a state after Windows updates where they set fans to maximum as a failsafe

[Layla79]

Open your motherboard BIOS and check the fan curve settings. If Windows update modified a driver it is possible the hardware-level fan control is now defaulting to maximum

[Phil95]

Download HWInfo64 and look at the fan RPM sensors and the temperature sensors together. Confirm what temperatures the system thinks it is at versus what you see in other apps

[CrimsonFury]

Try rolling back the Windows update if you can identify which one caused it. Settings, Windows Update, Update History, and look for driver updates that coincided with when the problem started

[Zach72]

Some GPU drivers include fan control logic. A Nvidia or AMD driver update can sometimes reset GPU fan curves. Check Nvidia Control Panel or AMD Software for fan settings

[Rhys]

If the BIOS shows fan curves as normal and software shows normal temperatures but fans are still at max, the fan controller header on the motherboard could have developed a fault. Less likely but worth knowing about

[ShawnMichaels99]

A quick test: if you set the fans to a specific speed manually in your fan control software and they obey, the hardware is fine and it is definitely a software control issue

[Nina26]

Check for a stuck wake-on-LAN process or a background update service that is pinning a background process. Even if Task Manager shows low CPU usage some background services do not appear there prominently