overheating of MacBook Pro with macOS Tahoe 26

I upgraded the system from macOS 15.6.1 to macOS 26 on the first day of release. I'm aware the laptop is hot, and I get the same apps running in both versions. I checked the activities, mds, and mds_stores are not using much CPU.

I also restored the system, installed os on the formatted SSD. But it's still hot after the spotlight index finished. I can clearly feel the temperature in the middle of the keyboard and bottom of the laptop.

I tried to use some third-party apps to check the system temp, and I can see the CPU is 75-80 °C and the GPU on 75+ °C all the time. The fans are running at 2500 rpm but have never stopped.

I downgrade to macOS 15.7 now. I can see the CPU temp is 39 °C.

MacBook Pro 14″, macOS 15.7

Posted on Sep 18, 2025 4:58 AM

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fengchu Author

Level 1

45 points

Posted on Sep 23, 2025 3:09 AM

I formatted the SSD and installed macOS using a bootable installer, so I'm confident there were no third-party apps after installation.

The machine is an M4 Pro, purchased this February. I've since rolled back to macOS 15.7, and everything is running smoothly.

Yesterday, I tried installing macOS 26 on an external SSD, and the results were the same as with the internal drive—both CPU and GPU temperatures are noticeably higher than on Sequoia, by about 20°C.

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49 replies

Nov 17, 2025 2:01 PM in response to curnla

Can you walk me through how to "neuter" the Spotlight Search?

fengchu Author

Level 1

45 points

Nov 17, 2025 5:49 PM in response to FrancescaSanfilippo

Try this: https://www.reddit.com/r/macbookpro/comments/1niec89/comment/noye2tt/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web3x&utm_name=web3xcss&utm_term=1&utm_content=share_button

52pd

Level 1

28 points

Dec 2, 2025 3:32 PM in response to neuroanatomist

Already tried dozen times since Sept 2025, Safe Mode only makes things even worse 😭

fengchu Author

Level 1

45 points

Dec 3, 2025 11:54 PM in response to fengchu

I tried upgrading to 26.2 RC today from 26.2 B2. I installed it on the external SSD, and the temperature is around 36–37 °C, since I don’t run many apps - about 10 apps. I think I’ll wait for the full release before upgrading the OS on the internal SSD.

overheating of MacBook Pro with macOS Tahoe 26