Laptops these days can work hard enough to keep up with our demands. Unsurprisingly, many of us complain about laptops overheating when we use them for gaming or other intense activities.
Whether you’re looking for a quick DIY laptop cooling solution, a homemade portable cooler that refreshes even the most overdone laptop, or just a portable cooler that looks great, the internet has something for you.
Some come with full instructions, others with just a few vague guidelines and a video of them in action. We hope this post will help you find the perfect way to keep your laptop cool.
How to Cool Down Your Laptop: 5 Methods that Work |
Table of Contents
Type 1 – The glossy LED portable cooler
These designs look great with LEDs and usually come with many fans attached to a permanent structure of some kind. If none of these designs appeal to you, you could build a laptop cooling base using a design from Type 2 (below) and add in LEDs, since that’s essentially what they are.
“Homemade” portable cooling system
This design is simple but very effective. The chosen fans actually have LEDs inside them.
DIY portable cooler
This instructable has all the details you need to create your own active portable cooler using fans with LEDs inside them.
Insane Laptop Cooler
This portable cooler comes without instructions, but it shows how a mixture of fans and LEDs could be used to create an excellent portable cooler.
Type 2 – The robust basic structure of the fan
The myriad ways to attach fans to a laptop stand and cool your laptop with minimal fuss. This active laptop cooling method uses fans to blow cool air under (or warm air out under) your laptop. What material do you have available – acrylic? PVC? Plastic? Wood? Here are some great cooling ideas that you will love!
DIY: Laptop Cooling Pad
If you’re good with metal, this cooler will be a breeze. Drill a few holes, attach some fans, and fold it into the perfect laptop holder.
Custom portable cooling system
This is an idea for maximum cooling efficiency. This is truly an exhaust system for your laptop.
How to make a laptop cooling stand
This stand has true elegance and simplicity. If you have the tools for working with acrylic sheets, this is a simple stand you could be proud of.
How to make a laptop cooling pad with 5 fans
Here’s an industrial cooling pad, with five fans and a sturdy metal frame. The creator goes into detail in the voiceover.
HOW-TO: Laptop Cooler for Under $ 5!
This is a good, low-cost idea, creating a USB-powered cooling media using a basic black folder and some fans it has saved from elsewhere.
Type 3 – Water Cooled Laptop Coolers
For the dedicated DIYer willing to take the risk of mixing water and electronics (not recommended), here’s a water-cooled cooling stand. This is another form of active laptop cooling, using water to move heat elsewhere and cool it.
Watercooling A Laptop On The Cheap
Water cooling a laptop is quite a challenging project and if you don’t do it right it could be very dangerous. Don’t say you haven’t been warned!
Type 4 – Cardboard laptop stands
If money is an issue or you just need something temporary, check out these cool cardboard stands to freshen up your laptop. Some are active and work by having the fans attached, while others are simply a passive cooling block to keep the laptop off the table.
DIY Super Budget Laptop Cooler
Here is a simple USB fan cooler that uses a shoebox for the stand structure.
DIY Portable Cooler with Amazing Temperature Readings * Tutorial *
Here is a basic cardboard stand and fan design, which plugs into a wall socket.
Build a cooling pad for your laptop
Here’s a no-nonsense cardboard stand to simply allow passive airflow under your laptop.
Type 5 – Fastest DIY Way to Keep Laptop Cool!
An incredibly simple passive cooling idea for laptops: use plastic caps and a base adhesive. Also, try corks or rubbers glued to the bottom of your laptop for a quick DIY cooling solution.
The cheapest laptop cooler in the world!
Too easy! You won’t believe you’ve never thought about this before.
More great laptop ideas
If you want some great ideas for keeping your laptop healthy or looking great, check out these posts:
- 5 Things You Can Do To Mute A Loud Laptop Fan 5 Things You Can Do To Mute A Loud Laptop Fan 5 Things You Can Do To Mute A Loud Laptop Fan Over time, laptop fans get covered in dust and dirt. We show you how to improve performance and reduce fan noise on your system. Read more
- 3 Laptop Temperature Monitor Apps That Could Save Hard Drive These Laptop Temperature Monitor Apps Could Save Hard Drive Overheating is a major cause of hardware failure. But heat can also slow down your computer. Use one of these apps to monitor and control the temperature of computer components. Read more
- Extend your laptop’s battery life With BatteryCare (Windows) Extend your laptop’s battery life With BatteryCare (Windows) Extend your laptop’s battery life BatteryCare (Windows) Learn more
- 20 Ways To Increase Laptop Battery Life Read More
- How to set a burglar alarm on your Mac laptop
- 2 cool motion sensor webcam tools to snap those intruders 2 cool motion sensor webcam tools to snap those intruders 2 webcam motion sensor tools to snap those intruders more
- How To Make Your Own Portable Suction Cup Tray DIY How To Make Your Own Portable Suction Cup Tray DIY How To Make Your Own Portable Suction Cup Tray DIY Read More
- 5 Cool and Easy “Pimp My Laptop” Ideas 5 Cool and Easy “Pimp My Laptop” Ideas 5 Cool and Easy “Pimp My Laptop” Ideas Looking for the best “pimp my laptop” ideas? Setting up a laptop doesn’t take a lot of time or money. Nancy Messieh covers laptop accessories ranging from decals to protective covers. Read more
- How To Test Your Laptop Battery Life With Battery Eater How To Test Your Laptop Battery Life With Battery Eater How To Test Your Laptop Battery Life With Battery Eater Learn More
Conclusion
Which DIY portable cooler do you like best? Know of any other great hacks? What have you done to cool your laptop? Let us know in the comments!
