Microsoft surface 13'' touch pad heating up

Question

Microsoft surface 13'' touch pad heating up

alfie jones 0

i bought my surface not to long ago brand new from currys now as im getting ready for university but every time i use it i notice that the touch pad gets hot for seemingly no reason as i dont use the laptop intensively yet just casual browsing no more then 4 tabs open at a time but the heat from the touch pad is uncomfortable and confusing as i have never had a touch pad heat up on a laptop before and im mainly wondering if this is normal for the 13'' surface and if not how would i be able to fix it

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Answer 1

Hi alfie jones,

I understand why this would be concerning, especially with a brand-new Surface that you're only using for light browsing.

A Surface can feel warm during normal use, particularly while charging or when background processes are running, but if the touchpad area is becoming uncomfortably hot during light use, I think it's worth checking a few things rather than simply assuming this is expected behavior.

To help narrow this down, could you let us know:

What is the exact Surface Laptop model you have?
Does the touchpad become hot mainly while the Surface is plugged in and charging or does it also happen when running on battery?
When this happens, does Task Manager show any process using a high amount of CPU?

In the meantime, please try the following:

Open the Surface app and check Help & support for any available driver or firmware updates.
Open Task Manager, select CPU to sort the running processes, and check whether anything is using unusually high CPU while you're only browsing.
On Windows 11, open Settings > System > Power & battery > Power mode and set it to Recommended.
If the Surface becomes uncomfortably hot, stop using it temporarily and allow it to cool in a well-ventilated area. If a thermometer icon appears, shut the Surface down and let it cool for at least five minutes.

Since the device is new, if the same heating continues after the updates and checks above, I would recommend contacting Surface Support or the retailer so the device can be assessed rather than continuing to use it while it becomes uncomfortably hot. It also recommends contacting Surface Support when an issue remains after the available troubleshooting steps. For more information, please visit Troubleshoot Surface

Thank you so much for your understanding.

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alfie jones 0 Reputation points

2026-08-11T13:03:12.25+00:00

the model of my surface is the surface laptop 13in 1st ed with snapdragon i do not use the laptop while its charging i only use the laptop from the batterys charge when the touch pad heats up the CPU activity stays around 5%-15% i have also gone through all the steps you mentioned but it doesnt seem to make a difference
Vikki-T 10,195 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator

2026-08-12T09:25:49.4666667+00:00

Hi alfie jones,

Thanks for confirming those details. Since this is happening while the Surface is running on battery, CPU usage remains relatively low and you've already gone through the troubleshooting steps without any improvement, I wouldn't want to keep having you repeat the same checks.

As the touchpad is still becoming uncomfortably hot during light use, I think the best next step would be to have the device assessed by Surface Support or the retailer, especially since the laptop is still new. They can check the hardware and advise you on the service options available for your device.

In the meantime, if the Surface becomes hot enough to be uncomfortable to touch, I'd recommend stopping use and allowing it to cool down before using it again.

Thank you for taking the time to test those steps and share the results.