The latest laptops are supposed to keep themselves relatively cool. But some laptops handle this task better than others. To get the best performance — and in some cases extend battery life — you should buy a cooling pad to draw the hot air away from your laptop to prevent it from overheating. 

And it’s not just about discomfort. If laptop gets too hot, you run the risk of damaging it. This will also lower the overall performance of the computer. Any laptop can benefit from a cooling pad, but it’s particularly useful with gaming laptops or laptops that use a good deal of processing power.

Keep in mind, not all cooling pads are compatible with all laptops. Some require the use of one of your laptop’s USB ports, so make sure the proper port is available. Also, if the cooling pad is too large or too small for your laptop, it won’t do a good job keeping your computer at an optimal temperature.

What is the best laptop cooling pad?

Not everyone needs a laptop cooling pad, but if you find your laptop’s bottom often gets hot to the touch, especially after extended usage or while you’re performing tasks that require a lot of processing power, here are the cooling pads our laptop experts recommend.

Best laptop cooling pad: Thermaltake Massive 20

The Thermaltake Massive 20 RGB cooling pad features 256-color RGB lighting with five visually pleasing modes — wave, RGB spectrum, pulse, blink, and full lighted. And while this device looks cool, it’s also designed to keep your laptop running at its optimal temperature.

It uses a built-in 200 millimeter fan that offers an adjustable fan speed — between 600 and 800 rotations per minute. The unit itself provides an ergonomic design for laptops with up to a 19-inch display. The cooling pad measures 18.5 x 14 x 1.8 inches, weighs 3.35 pounds and is made using steel mesh and plastic. It’s powered via one of your laptop’s USB ports. 

For comfort and convenience, this cooling pad offers three adjustable height settings — degrees, 9 degrees and 13 degrees — so you can use it as an adjustable stand to achieve the ideal viewing angle. The cooling pad comes with the required USB cable.

Best budget laptop cooling pad: Aimiuzi laptop cooling pad

For less than $20, you can start protecting your laptop from overheating with the Aimiuzi laptop cooling pad. It’s designed for laptops with a display up to 15.6 inches and uses five fans to help your laptop maintain an optimal temperature.

We like that this cooling pad also serves as an adjustable tabletop stand with five angle options, so you can position your computer at the perfect viewing and typing angle. 

This cooling pad works nicely with the Apple MacBook Pro and MacBook Air, along with Windows laptops from HP, Alienware, Dell, Lenovo, Asus and others. The required USB cable is included. Also integrated into this cooling pad are LED lights, two USB ports and a smartphone holder. The fans generate no more than 26 decibels of sound.

Best cooling pad for gaming laptops: Llano V15 RGB laptop cooling pad

For the enhanced cooling needs required by many gaming laptops, this cooling pad from Llano does the trick. It’s suitable for laptops with a display between 15 and 19 inches. It includes height-adjustable legs and a three-in-one USB hub for convenience.

To maximize its cooling capabilities, the cooling pad uses specialized foam to seal around the outer edges of the laptop’s bottom, so hot air can be drawn away more efficiently. The takeaway: A dramatic CPU and GPU temperature drop in just 90 seconds. 

And since this cooling pad is designed for gaming laptops, it also features an RGB light bar with four lighting modes and 10 light colors. You can control the RGB lighting using a built-in touch key. Also using touch-sensitive buttons, you can easily select the desired fan speed. That way, you can quickly find the perfect balance between cooling performance and noise level. 

Best laptop cooling pad for lap use: Targus 17 dual fan lap chill mat

Suitable for laptops with a display up to 17 inches, this Targus dual fan cooling pad is designed for people who prefer to use a laptop on an actual lap. To make this more comfortable, you get a soft layer of neoprene padding on the bottom, as well as angle adjustability.

The Targus cooling pad is powered by your computer via a USB Type-A cable connection. The unit measures 15 by 11.75 by 1 inch when folded and weighs about two pounds, so it’s a bit lighter than many of its competitors. Also integrated into the cooling pad’s design is a four-port hub.

This cooling pad features an open mesh top that allows airflow to quickly move away from your laptop. This ensures constant cooling. Meanwhile, four rubber stops on the face help prevent your computer from slipping around during use.

Best cooling pad for Apple MacBooks: Havit HV-F2056 laptop cooling pad

Designed for laptops with a display between 15.6 inches and 17 inches, the Havit HV-F2056 works with most MacBook laptops, including the latest MacBook Pro and MacBook Air laptops. However, it works nicely with most Windows laptops, too.

It uses a three-fan system to cool your laptop and draw hot air away from it while you’re working. The device measures 15 by 11 by 1.2 inches and weighs 1.54 pounds, so it’s easy to transport with your laptop. 

We like this cooling pad because it’s height-adjustable via folding legs, so it doubles as an ergonomic tabletop stand. It’s also designed to provide relatively quiet operation. You also get two USB ports, so you can also use the cooling pad as a hub.

Based on more than 41,500 user reviews, the Havit HV-F2056 has earned a 4.5-star rating (out of five) on Amazon. When purchasing this cooling pad from Amazon, be sure to click on the instant 20% off coupon for added savings. This brings the device’s price down to just $22.

Best cooling pad for larger laptops: Dell cooling stand for 17″ laptops

While this is a Dell product, the brand’s cooling stand works nicely with laptops from most brands with displays that are up to 17 inches. This cooling pad uses five quiet, but high-performing, fans that operate at up to 2,630 rotations per minute. The cooling pad’s operation is accompanied by red LED lighting.

This cooling pad can double as an adjustable stand for your laptop and comes with built-in bumpers to hold your computer firmly in place. The stand can accommodate three height settings to provide an ergonomic experience when using your computer.

You get five fans and an adjustable wheel to control speed and the red LED lights. The cooling pad measures 15.7 by 12.8 by 2 inches and weighs 3.09 pounds. One USB Type-A port is built in and is used to connect the cooling pad to your laptop via a cable.