MacBook Pro 16" Fans Running High

If the fans in your Mac run at full speed when you turn it on

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After plugging in your Mac and turning it on, the fans might be noisy and seem to run at full speed.

On Mac computers that have the Apple T2 Security Chip, pressing the power button at about the same time that you plug in the power cord can cause the Mac to enter a mode in which the fans run at full speed. Shutting down the Mac and starting it up again might not resolve the issue.

To resolve the issue, reset the SMC. Your Mac should now start up and work as expected.

If your computer doesn't have the T2 chip, or you continue to hear fan noise, the information in these articles might help:

Download Mac OS X 10.11 El Capitan

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OS X El Capitan remains available for Mac computers that can't upgrade to macOS Catalina, Mojave, High Sierra, or Sierra, or that need to upgrade to El Capitan first.

Check compatibility

You can upgrade to OS X El Capitan from OS X Snow Leopard or later on any of the following Mac models. Your Mac also needs at least 2GB of memory and 8.8GB of available storage space.

MacBook introduced in 2009 or later, plus MacBook (13-inch, Aluminum, Late 2008)
MacBook Air introduced in late 2008 or later
MacBook Pro introduced in mid 2007 or later
Mac mini introduced in early 2009 or later
iMac introduced in mid 2007 or later
Mac Pro introduced in early 2008 or later
Xserve models introduced in early 2009

To find your Mac model, memory, storage space, and macOS version, choose About This Mac from the Apple menu . If your Mac isn't compatible with OS X El Capitan, the installer will let you know.

  

Make a backup

Before installing any upgrade, it’s a good idea to back up your Mac. Time Machine makes it simple, and other backup methods are also available. Learn how to back up your Mac.

  

Get connected

It takes time to download and install OS X, so make sure that you have a reliable Internet connection. If you're using a Mac notebook computer, plug it into AC power. 

  

Download OS X El Capitan

For the strongest security and latest features, find out whether you can upgrade to macOS Catalina, the latest version of macOS.

If you still need OS X El Capitan, use this link: Download OS X El Capitan. A file named InstallMacOSX.dmg will download to your Mac.

  

Install the macOS installer

Double-click the downloaded file to open a window showing its contents. Then double-click the file within, named InstallMacOSX.pkg.

Follow the onscreen instructions, which will guide you through the steps necessary to install.

 

Begin installation

After installation of the installer is complete, open the Applications folder on your Mac, then double-click the file named Install OS X El Capitan.

Click Continue and follow the onscreen instructions. You might find it easiest to begin installation in the evening so that it can complete overnight, if needed. 

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Allow installation to complete

Please allow installation to complete without putting your Mac to sleep or closing its lid. Your Mac might restart, show a progress bar, or show a blank screen several times as it installs both OS X and related updates to your Mac firmware.

Learn more

Useful?

Erase a volume using Disk Utility on Mac

You can erase and reformat disks or volumes. Erasing a disk deletes everything on it. Erasing a volume deletes all the files on that volume, but does not affect other volumes.

  1. If you have any files you want to save, copy them to another disk or volume before you erase the disk or volume they are on.

  2. Open the Disk Utility app  on your Mac using one of the following methods, depending on the type of disk or volume you want to erase:

    • If you want to erase your startup disk or startup volume: Start up from macOS Recovery, then choose Disk Utility from the macOS Utilities window.

    • If you want to erase any other type of disk or volume: Double-click Disk Utility in the /Applications/Utilities folder. 

  3. Choose View > Show All Devices.

  4. Select the disk or volume in the sidebar, then click the Erase button .

  5. If you’re erasing a disk, click the Scheme pop-up menu, then choose a partition scheme.

  6. Click the Format pop-up menu, then choose a choose a file system format.

  7. Enter a name for the disk or volume.

  8. (Optional) If available, click Security Options, use the slider to choose how many times to write over the erased data, then click OK.

    Secure erase options are available only for some types of storage devices. If the Security Options button is not available, Disk Utility cannot perform a secure erase on the storage device.

    Writing over the data three times meets the U.S. Department of Energy standard for securely erasing magnetic media. Writing over the data seven times meets the U.S. Department of Defense 5220-22-M standard.

  9. Click Erase, then click Done.

Note: With a solid-state drive (SSD), secure erase options are not available in Disk Utility. For more security, consider turning on FileVault encryption when you start using your SSD drive.