why is my surface pro 7 suddenly becoming very warm after only minutes of use?

Hi Dana,

Thanks for reaching out to Microsoft Community and posting your concerns. We are sorry to learn that your Surface pro is having thermal issues. It’s good to know that you tried to clean the dust from the device. How long do you had your surface pro? Is it the first time you had this overheating issue?

Devices can be warm to the touch or fan run for variety of reasons when:

• Application is consuming CPU resources - You can determine this by looking at task manager in the CPU column (sort by) to see if particular application is consuming the CPU.
• CPU is throttling - You can see if the device CPU is throttling by opening task manager, performance tab and looking at CPU speed. It will show low clock speed such as .4, .8, etc.

-  this happens when CPU/GPU temperature limits exceeded, low battery, or power-related issues.

To resolve this, please perform the following steps to troubleshoot the issue:

1.      Force shutdown the device and restart.

1.      Press and hold the power button until the screen turns off (about 10 seconds), then release the power button.

2.      Press and release the power button to turn your Surface back on. You should see the Microsoft logo.

If that doesn't work, here's how to make sure your Surface turns off completely:

Press and hold down the power button until your Surface restarts and you see the Windows logo screen (this about 20 seconds), then release the power button.

• Run Surface Diagnostic Toolkit and make sure to complete the tasks.
• Check for Windows Update:

Go to Settings > Update & Security > Windows Update > Check for Updates

Please restart your device to apply the updates.

 

 

2. Terminate unwanted apps

There might be a clutch of apps that could be clogging the performance by keeping the CPU engaged, without you knowing any of it, and lead to Microsoft Surface overheating.

1. Press Ctrl + Shift + Esc to open the Task Manager.
2. Check for apps that are consuming high resources, select them individually, and click on End task.

3. Disable Search Indexing

1. Press Windows + R to open Run, type services.msc, and hit Enter.
2. Locate and double-click on Windows Search to open its Properties.
3. Select Disable from the Startup type dropdown menu, click on Stop, and once the service is not running anymore, click OK to save the changes.

After disabling Search Indexing or the Windows Search service, you should notice a boost in performance and reduced overheating in Microsoft Surface.

4. Modify the power settings

1. Press Windows + S to open Search, type Control Panel in the text field, and click on the relevant search result.
2. Click on System and Security.
3. Click on Power Options.
4. Now, choose Change plan settings.
5. Click on Change advanced power settings.
6. Expand Processor power management, double-click on Maximum processor state, choose 95% for both On battery and Plugged in, and click OK to save the changes.

After making the changes, verify whether Microsoft Surface overheating problem is resolved. Also, remember that this method will slightly affect the performance but is known to fix the problem for good.

 

 

 

5. Change USB power options

1. Press Windows + X to open the Power User menu, and choose Device Manager.
2. Expand the Universal Serial Bus controllers entry, right-click on the USB Root Hub (USB 3.0), and choose Properties.
3. Now, head to the Power Management tab, untick the checkbox for Allow the computer to turn off this device to save power, and click OK to save the changes.
4. Similarly, modify the power settings for other USB 3.0 entries here.

 

Check for environmental conditions:

• Set up your device on a stable work surface that allows for adequate air circulation under and around it.  

Use caution when operating your device on a pillow, blanket, or other soft material, because the material can block the airflow, and this may cause device overheating.

• If your device is on your lap and it gets uncomfortably warm, remove it from your lap and place it on a stable work surface.
• If the device is being used in a warm environment or in the sun, move device to cooler environment.

The device may become very warm during normal use.

If this answers your question, please let our Community know by marking this post as an answer. Otherwise, don't hesitate to respond to this thread if there’s anything else that needs to be addressed.  

All the best,

Restee M.

Microsoft Community Contributor

 

Hi Dana,

Thanks for reaching out to Microsoft Community and posting your concerns. We are sorry to learn that your Surface pro is having thermal issues. It’s good to know that you tried to clean the dust from the device. How long do you had your surface pro? Is it the first time you had this overheating issue?

Devices can be warm to the touch or fan run for variety of reasons when:

• Application is consuming CPU resources - You can determine this by looking at task manager in the CPU column (sort by) to see if particular application is consuming the CPU.
• CPU is throttling - You can see if the device CPU is throttling by opening task manager, performance tab and looking at CPU speed. It will show low clock speed such as .4, .8, etc.

-  this happens when CPU/GPU temperature limits exceeded, low battery, or power-related issues.

To resolve this, please perform the following steps to troubleshoot the issue:

1.      Force shutdown the device and restart.

1.      Press and hold the power button until the screen turns off (about 10 seconds), then release the power button.

2.      Press and release the power button to turn your Surface back on. You should see the Microsoft logo.

If that doesn't work, here's how to make sure your Surface turns off completely:

Press and hold down the power button until your Surface restarts and you see the Windows logo screen (this about 20 seconds), then release the power button.

• Run Surface Diagnostic Toolkit and make sure to complete the tasks.
• Check for Windows Update:

Go to Settings > Update & Security > Windows Update > Check for Updates

Please restart your device to apply the updates.

2. Terminate unwanted apps

There might be a clutch of apps that could be clogging the performance by keeping the CPU engaged, without you knowing any of it, and lead to Microsoft Surface overheating.

1. Press Ctrl + Shift + Esc to open the Task Manager.
2. Check for apps that are consuming high resources, select them individually, and click on End task.

3. Disable Search Indexing

1. Press Windows + R to open Run, type services.msc, and hit Enter.
2. Locate and double-click on Windows Search to open its Properties.
3. Select Disable from the Startup type dropdown menu, click on Stop, and once the service is not running anymore, click OK to save the changes.

After disabling Search Indexing or the Windows Search service, you should notice a boost in performance and reduced overheating in Microsoft Surface.

4. Modify the power settings

1. Press Windows + S to open Search, type Control Panel in the text field, and click on the relevant search result.
2. Click on System and Security.
3. Click on Power Options.
4. Now, choose Change plan settings.
5. Click on Change advanced power settings.
6. Expand Processor power management, double-click on Maximum processor state, choose 95% for both On battery and Plugged in, and click OK to save the changes.

After making the changes, verify whether Microsoft Surface overheating problem is resolved. Also, remember that this method will slightly affect the performance but is known to fix the problem for good.

5. Change USB power options

1. Press Windows + X to open the Power User menu, and choose Device Manager.
2. Expand the Universal Serial Bus controllers entry, right-click on the USB Root Hub (USB 3.0), and choose Properties.
3. Now, head to the Power Management tab, untick the checkbox for Allow the computer to turn off this device to save power, and click OK to save the changes.
4. Similarly, modify the power settings for other USB 3.0 entries here.

Check for environmental conditions:

• Set up your device on a stable work surface that allows for adequate air circulation under and around it.  

Use caution when operating your device on a pillow, blanket, or other soft material, because the material can block the airflow, and this may cause device overheating.

• If your device is on your lap and it gets uncomfortably warm, remove it from your lap and place it on a stable work surface.
• If the device is being used in a warm environment or in the sun, move device to cooler environment.

The device may become very warm during normal use.

If this answers your question, please let our Community know by marking this post as an answer. Otherwise, don't hesitate to respond to this thread if there’s anything else that needs to be addressed.  

All the best,

Restee M.

Microsoft Community Contributor