How to set custom fan speed on a Windows 10 PC

Your laptop and your desktop both have fans built into it to keep your system cool. If your system overheats, it might damage your hardware. In the event your system overheats, it will normally shut down but that doesn’t guarantee your hardware won’t be damaged.

So if you want to take your system’s cooling into your own hands, you can set a custom fan speed for your system.

Fan control on Windows 10

Before you decide to set a custom fan speed for your system, you should know that this isn’t something you should tinker with if you don’t know what you’re doing.

Setting the speed too low, or too high might damage your system, or cause it to use more power than it normally does.

Set custom fan speed

1. CPU fan speed control with SpeedFan

The go-to app for setting a custom fan speed on Windows 10 is SpeedFan. It’s a pretty great app but in some cases your system’s fans may not show up in the Fan tab.

Download and install the app. On the Readings tab, click the Configure button. Make sure you heed every single warning the app gives you. In the Configure window, go to the Fans tab. Your fans ought to be listed there, and you can then set a custom speed for them.

Editor’s note: As you can see in the screenshot below, my fans aren’t showing up. If you’re in the same boat, there’s another app you can try.

2. HWiNFO PC fan speed controller

Download and install HWiNFO. Select the Sensors Only option, and run the app. It will warn you that running the app will impact your system.

You may not see it for all systems. I got it for mine because it has an Embedded Controller sensor and it may also be the reason why SpeedFan didn’t work for me. Regardless, be mindful about your system’s resources and how they’re being used.

Once the app is running, click the fan button at the bottom. This will open the HWiNFO Fan Control window. It will list the fans that are installed on your system.

If the controls for a fan are inactive, it means you don’t have that particular fan installed. For example, in the screenshot below, Fan 3 is inactive because my system only has two fans.

To set a custom fan speed enter the maximum speed, and click Set Manual. If you want to set a custom auto speed click Custom Auto.

Select the PCH sensor in order to get the temperature of your system for triggering the fan speed and then enter the temperature and the speed that the fan should run when your system reaches that temperature.

Click Ok, to exit the window. On the main app window, click the blue cross button at the bottom right to save the changes.

If your system starts experiencing unexpected shut downs, reset your fan to default.

Parting words

Did any of these work out for you? Or do you have other recommendations for setting fan speed on Win 10?

We’d like to hear from you in the comments below.

Read Full Bio

Fatima Wahab

Fatima has been writing for AddictiveTips for six years. She began as a junior writer and has been working as the Editor in Chief since 2014. Fatima gets an adrenaline rush from figuring out how technology works, and how to manipulate it. A well-designed app, something that solves a common everyday problem and looks

Latest from Author

How to Take a Screenshot on Windows Best FPS Counter Software for Windows