Before I got my MacBook, I’ve heard people complaining that their MacBook / MacBook Pros are getting a little too warm at times. After I got my MacBook…I’ve noticed that the default fan speed is a little too low…thus the CPU could get quite warm when you open up quite a few apps. My friend Chaks, who also owns a MacBook, recommended a software to me (thanks Chaks) 
Its called SMC Fan Control (SMC stand for System Management Controller). Here are some details about the software:
Description: smcFanControl lets the user set the minimum speed of the build in fans. So you can increase your minimum fan speed to make your Intel Mac run cooler.
Official Website (also contains the download link):http://homepage.mac.com/holtmann/eidac/software/smcfancontrol2/index.htm
Apart from using this software to keep my MacBook cool, I also put two erasers at the back of my MacBook so that there is bit of air circulation under the notebook.
Below is a step by step guide on how to install and configure the SMC Fan Control application:
Step 0: Download the SMC Fan Control (its a zip file) from: and put it on your Desktop.
Step 1: Double click on the zip file you have just downloaded and you will see a folder appear on your desktop shortly.
Step 2: Open up the folder and you will see:
Step 3: Drag the smcFanControl to your Application folder:
Step 4: Go to your Application folder and double click on smcFanControl:
Step 5: You might see a dialog box coming up like the one below, just click on the Open button:
Step 6: Just type in your Password (if you have one) and click on the OK button:
Step 7: Here you will get a dialog box asking you whether you want to check for updates on startup. I personally prefer the application to check for updates themselves rather than me doing it manually.
Step 8: Now you should see something new comes up at the top of your screen. Thats the SMC Fan Control application on your Menu Bar
Step 9: Click on icon at the Menu Bar, select Preferences and lets see what we can do with this application:
Step 10: By default, there is only two “favorite fan speed”. If you want to add more, just click on the plus button:
Step 11: Now give it a name and click on the Save button. The reason I give it a number is that I will adjust the fan speed according to the number.
Step 12: Here you can adjust the fan speed according to your needs:
Step 13: Make sure you check out the additional options available in the software. I personally like to apply the favorites when power source changes. Also, if you want SMC Fan Control to start when you system starts, make sure you check the box for “Autostart smcFanControl after login“.
