Controlling fan speed on an Apple Silicon Mac

What’s possible on M-series Macs

Mac	Fans	Manual control
MacBook Air (M1 to M4)	None	Not possible
MacBook Pro 13”, 14”, 16”	One or two	Yes, with a helper app
Mac mini	One	Yes, with a helper app
iMac	One or two	Yes, with a helper app
Mac Studio, Mac Pro	Several	Yes, with a helper app

By default, macOS and the Mac’s firmware decide fan speed from temperatures. On many Apple Silicon models the fans stay very slow or off entirely at light load, which is why an M-series MacBook Pro is often silent all day.

Apple provides no setting or command to change that. Reading fan speed is easy for an app. Writing a new speed needs root access to the system management controller. That’s what fan control apps install.

How fan control apps work

They all follow the same pattern:

1. The app runs as you and reads temperatures and fan speeds.
2. A small privileged helper (a launch daemon) runs as root and is the only part that writes fan speeds.
3. You approve the helper once. On current macOS it appears in System Settings › General › Login Items & Extensions.
4. When you choose a speed or a curve, the app asks the helper to apply it.

Things a good fan app does:

• Clamps speeds to the fan’s own minimum and maximum.
• Returns fans to automatic when you turn control off, quit the app, or the helper stops.
• Lets you uninstall the helper cleanly.

Apple has changed how fans behave across M-series generations and macOS versions, and apps have had to catch up for new chips more than once. Check that the app you choose lists your exact model as supported.

Manual speed or a curve?

Fixed speed is simple: set 3,000 rpm and it stays there. It’s useful for one long job, like an overnight render. The downside is it doesn’t relax when the job ends.

A temperature curve maps temperature to speed: for example, automatic below 60 °C, rising to 4,000 rpm at 80 °C and to maximum at 90 °C. That’s how most people should use fan control. Two details matter:

• Which sensor drives it. CPU, GPU or the hottest of either. GPU makes sense for games and local models; hottest is a safe default.
• Hysteresis. Without it, fans hunt up and down as temperature wobbles around a step. A few degrees of hysteresis keeps them steady.

When it’s worth it

• Long sustained loads on a MacBook Pro or Mac mini: compiles, video exports, local LLMs. Starting the fans earlier can delay or reduce thermal throttling.
• Keeping the case cooler on your lap or in a warm room.
• Battery temperature. A cooler Mac under load also keeps the battery cooler, which is better for its lifespan.

When it isn’t: normal work. Apple’s automatic curve is tuned to be quiet, and the chip is designed to run in the 80s and 90s °C. See normal Apple Silicon temperatures before deciding yours is too hot.

Apps that do it

Macs Fan Control and TG Pro are the long-standing options, both with Apple Silicon support. iStat Menus has fan control too. Stats, the free open source monitor, shows fan speeds too. Compare them in our Macs Fan Control alternative and TG Pro alternative pages.

To undo any fan app, turn control off in the app first, then remove it. If fans seem stuck afterwards, a full shut down and start up returns control to the firmware.

Doing this with Stat Space

Stat Space reads fan speeds for free with no helper. If you turn fan control on, it installs a small helper (an SMAppService daemon) that you approve in System Settings, and removes it when you turn control off. You can then set each fan by hand, or let a temperature curve drive them from the CPU, GPU or hottest sensor, with 3 °C of hysteresis so they don’t hunt. Speeds are clamped to each fan’s limits, and fans go back to automatic whenever the helper stops. It’s free, and on a MacBook Air the section simply says there are no fans.