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Mac fan noise on your mic? How to stop the hum on calls
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A steady hum is the easiest noise to remove, and also the easiest to stop hearing yourself, so people on your calls often notice it before you do. It comes from one of two places: your Mac’s own fan, or a fan or air conditioner in the room.
1. Quiet your Mac’s own fan
A Mac’s fan speeds up when something is working the processor hard, and a video call adds to that load. Open Activity Monitor, sort the CPU tab by % CPU, and quit whatever you don’t need during the call: a stuck browser tab, a backup, an export.
On recent Macs with a fan, Low Power Mode helps too. Apple says it “helps reduce fan noise for tasks done in quieter environments” on macOS Sequoia 15.1 or later. Turn it on in System Settings → Battery (Energy on a desktop Mac), under Energy Mode (Apple’s guide).
A laptop on a sofa or a bed also runs hotter, because the fabric blocks the air. A hard surface keeps the fan slower.
2. Put distance between the mic and the fan
A MacBook’s microphones sit in the same case as its fan. A headset or an external mic near your mouth makes your voice louder against the hum, and moves the mic away from it. The same goes for a desk fan or an air conditioner: aim it away from you, or switch it off for the call.
3. Use the noise suppression you already have
A steady hum is exactly what these filters handle best. In Zoom, open Settings → Audio and set Background noise suppression to Medium, which Zoom describes as the level for noise like fans. Teams has a similar setting under Settings → Devices, and macOS has Voice Isolation in apps that support Mic Modes (how to turn on Voice Isolation on a Mac). Each one only works inside the app that offers it.
4. Remove the hum in every app
Aurio is a noise cancelling microphone for your Mac. It installs “Aurio Microphone”, which any app can pick, and removes background noise on your Mac in real time, so Zoom, your recorder and OBS all get the same clean sound. The demo below opens on the fan sample: a studio voice recording mixed with a public-domain recording of a fan. Switch between Original and Aurio while it plays.
A steady hum doesn’t compete with your voice the way a sudden sound does, so a moderate strength setting is usually enough.