Can I leave my laptop in a hot car?

Leaving the laptop in a hot car is the biggest blunder one should never make in his life. These devices struggle with overheating; leaving them in a hot environment is never a good idea.

Doing so severely and intensely damages the laptop’s internal components, especially the battery! Your laptop’s lifespan will be shortened, and repairing the device will become next to impossible. 

If there is an emergency and you have the only option to keep your laptop in a hot car, make sure it is powered down and keep it away from the reach of direct sunlight. Remove the battery as long as it is in the car.

Furthermore, keeping it in the trunk is recommended because the temperature is lower over there than in the cabin.

What happens when you keep the laptop in a hot car?

Some serious problems can occur when you place a laptop in a hot car. High-temperature environments damage the device and do nothing less than that:

• The heat in the car damages the laptop’s battery and other internal components. Its lifespan slowly and gradually becomes short.
• In addition, a hot environment melts your laptop’s plastic components and destroys the hard drive, connector cables, and display.
• There is a risk that someone will steal your laptop if you keep it in the car.
• High temperatures slow down the operations of a laptop. It might malfunction and show undesirable speed and performance. Overall, the experience will become frustrating.

How to keep the laptop cool in a hot car?

Experts have come up with some great tips that help you keep your laptop cool if you have placed it in a hot car. These tips are easy to follow and will surely keep the laptop in a safe and sound spot without damaging it internally or externally.

Tip 1- Shut down the laptop

Shut down the laptop on a priority basis if you have kept it in a hot car. In other words, avoid keeping your laptop in a standby mode. It is the most important tip that you should keep in mind. Hot cars always bring laptops in a risky and damaging state, but shutting them down will prevent them from getting overheated.

To bring the laptop in standby mode, click on the ‘’start’’ menu, choose ‘’power’’ and tap ‘’shut down’’. Those with a Macbook, access the ”Apple icon” and tap on the button ”shut down”. Remember to save your work, files, and documents before shutting down your laptop.

Tip 2- Keep the car parked in a shade

It is better to park your car in the shade if you have kept a laptop inside. Keep it away from the reach of direct sunlight. Too much hot environment will melt your laptop’s plastic and other delicate components. It will overheat the battery, hard drive, display, and connector cables.

Direct sunlight is strongly believed to be the biggest enemy of phones and laptops. It is incredibly dangerous for electronic devices. It is always wise to leave your laptop in a car parked in the shade.

Moreover, keep it away from car windows and place the laptop in a low position. Keep it on the car floor rather than on the seat. This way, the laptop will not be exposed to direct sunlight unnecessarily.

Tip 3- Cover the laptop with a thick white cloth

Covering the laptop with a thick white cloth is another recommended practice that you can opt for. It will definitely keep the laptop cool despite you have placed it in a very hot car. The white cloth seems preferable because it reflects sunlight rather than absorbing it.

Related: How Many Monitors Can My Laptop Support?

Tip 4- Buy an insulated laptop case

The insulated case keeps the laptop 100% cool enough if placed in a hot car. This solution has solved many problems, especially the common ”overheating” issue.

What you can do is buy a good quality insulated carry case that minimizes the risk of damaging your laptop’s battery and its other delicate components even if it is placed in a hot environment. 

In addition, it is suggested to have a case with a reflective coated silver or white exterior. It will give more satisfactory results. Avoid having the case in dark colors; it will draw and absorb more heat, thus severely damaging the laptop components.

Tip 5- Get sun shades for the car

Get sub shades for your car and keep the laptop protected and safe and sound inside. Sun shades will keep such devices cool enough even if the temperature is hot outside.

Direct sunlight amplifies and multiplies the heat inside a car, which is why experts have recommended using sun shades because they keep the car’s inside temperature cool and heat-free. Besides, sun shades have reflective properties, preventing heat from entering inside the vehicle through the windshield.

Tip 6- Keep the laptop in your car’s trunk

The best spot where you can keep your laptop if the temperature is hot outside is the trunk of your car. It usually stays cool, is covered by multiple layers, has no windows, and gets the least exposed to direct sunlight. The trunk maintains a more stable and cooler temperature, ensuring the laptop’s safety. 

Tip 7- Remove the battery

Remove the battery before keeping the laptop in a car. Battery is the sensitive and most delicate component highly likely to be affected during hot temperatures.

The battery might cause intense chemical reactions if kept in a hot setting for extended hours. There is a chance that it may stop working entirely. So, removing the battery is recommended, especially when placing a laptop in a hot car.

Tip 8- Ensure the laptop’s ventilation system is working fine

Laptops can survive in hot cars if their ventilation system is working fine. A well-ventilated laptop stays cool and prevents it from overheating in any situation or environment. You must also prefer using cooling pads because they guarantee to keep the laptop’s ventilation system working well for the longest time.

Bonus tips

• Avoid placing the laptop on the top of a car seat because this will hinder the ventilation processing and lead to overheating.
• Avoid turning on the laptop immediately after you have left it in the car for hours and hours. Forcing it to get turned on will damage the battery, slow down the operation’s speed and performance, and bring other issues, too. Give some time to your laptop to cool down and then turn it on.

FAQs

How hot temperature will damage a laptop?

The hot temperature that anywhere reaches more than 70 degrees Celsius damages the laptop. Your device will start showing problems and glitches if you keep it in such a hot environment. Especially, the battery, CPU and GPU start throttling between 95 and 105 degrees Celsius. It also depends on the model regarding how far it can withstand the hot temperature setting.

How long to leave the laptop in a hot car?

You can leave the laptop in a hot car for 8 hours and not more than that. Ensure it is powered down, remove the battery if possible, and keep the car parked in a shade if you have kept a laptop in the car.

How do you know your laptop is too hot?

There are common signs that tell the laptop has become overheated. Signs of overheating: The laptop will become too hot to the touch, the fan will start to run in overdrive mode, and loud, annoying sounds will come out of the machine. The laptop speed gets slow, and whirring noises will be constantly produced.

Conclusion

That is all about the guide on leaving the laptop in a hot car.

Suppose you are left with the only option to keep your laptop in a hot car. In that case, the recommended practices that you should opt for are to keep the car parked in a shaded area, remove the battery, shut down the laptop, keep it in an insulated carry case, store it in the trunk of a car and never keep it in a standby or sleep mode.

Overheating severely damages the battery and shortens its lifespan. You can share tips and hacks regarding how you care for your laptop if you have kept it in a hot car. Stay tuned for more updates.