Fan noise
You hear
A steady whoosh from a laptop, PC or room fan runs under everything you say.
Fan noise is steady, so suppression handles it well, but moving the mic away from the fan still does the most.
Likely causes, in order
Check them top to bottom. The room and the mic come first because no setting can remove what a closer mic or a closed door would.
| 01 · Layer | 02 · Likely cause | 03 · Fix |
|---|---|---|
| 01 · Room | A desk fan, air conditioner or air purifier runs near you | Turn it off or down for the call, or move the mic away from it fan off |
| 02 · Room | The computer on or under the desk sits close to the mic | Move the mic away from the computer and closer to your mouth distance |
| 03 · Mic | You are using the laptop's built-in mic, which hears the laptop's own fan as well as you | Use a headset, or an external mic placed away from the laptop headset |
| 04 · System | Heavy work makes the fans spin up: video, games, indexing, or a laptop resting on a soft surface | Close heavy apps before the call and set the laptop on a hard, flat surface with its vents clear vents clear |
| 05 · App | Noise suppression is off, or at a level that lets steady noise through | In Zoom, Medium targets fans; in Teams on iPhone, Low handles a computer fan or air conditioner suppression on |
By app
- Zoom
- Zoom names fans among the noise its Medium level removes. Auto, the default, applies moderate reduction only when it is needed.
- Microsoft Teams
- In the Teams iPhone app, Low suppresses persistent noise such as a computer fan or air conditioner, and it is the level Microsoft suggests when you want music to come through.
- Webex
- Webex's echo guide advises moving the mic further from a strong noise source such as a fan. Noise removal, the default smart audio mode, removes the noise detected on your side.
- Slack (huddles)
- Slack's huddle microphone preferences include noise suppression, which removes background sound.
Check it with the test
Run the first step with the fan on, then again with it off or further away. A fan shows as a steady noise floor rather than spikes on the meter; the difference between the two floors is what the fan adds to every call.
Run the noise test →Questions
Q.01Why is fan noise easier to remove than voices?
It is steady. Audacity's manual says noise reduction suits constant sounds such as fan noise and does poorly on noise that varies, and Zoom and Teams both name fans among the noise their filters target.
Q.02My laptop fan gets loud halfway through a call. Why?
Apple says fans run faster when the processor is busy with heavy work and when the room is warm, and that they run more when the laptop sits on a soft surface such as a bed or your lap.
Q.03Will a cardioid mic block the fan?
It helps when the fan is behind the mic. Shure says cardioid mics reject the most sound from directly behind, at 180 degrees.
Related problems
Checked against
Vendor help pages and manufacturer guides, last checked :
- support.zoom.com · Setting Up Professional Audio for Zoom Meetings
- support.microsoft.com · Reduce Background Noise in Microsoft Teams Meetings
- help.webex.com · Troubleshooting Guide for Echo in a Conference
- help.webex.com · Webex App: Remove Background Noise and Speech in Calls and Meetings
- slack.com · Adjust Your Huddles Preferences
- support.apple.com · About Fans and Fan Noise in Your Apple Product
- manual.audacityteam.org · Noise Reduction (Audacity Manual)
- shure.com · Microphone Directionality and Polar Pattern Basics
- support.google.com · Troubleshoot Video & Audio Quality in a Meeting