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How to remove thermal paste from a CPU
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Epic Games
In this thermal paste guide, we’ll teach you what it is, how it works, and how to take care of it when thermal paste expires. We’ll also teach you how thermal paste application works and how to clean thermal paste off your CPU.
What is thermal paste?
Thermal paste is a substance that sits between hot-running PC components (typically your CPU and your GPU) and their attached heatsink or cooling block.
Your CPU and GPU get hot as they crunch the numbers that make your PC work. If they overheat, performance degrades (called "throttling"). In fact, too much heat can damage your hardware permanently. Enter heatsinks and cooling blocks, which transfer heat energy away from those number-crunching furnaces, helping them perform within their tolerances.
Thermal paste lives between your hardware and its heatsink, primarily to increase the efficiency of energy transfer. Without thermal paste to fill the space between these components, tiny air gaps would degrade cooling performance. Thermal paste also fills in gaps (down to the microscopic level) in its mission to enable efficient heat transfer.
What you’ll need to remove thermal paste
To properly remove thermal paste from your PC components, you’ll need several items:
- Isopropyl alcohol (at least 70%)
- Latex gloves (optional)
- Lint-free or microfiber cloths
- Cotton swabs
- Plastic scraping tool
- Compressed air, a hand-operated squeeze bulb, or a small blower fan
How to clean thermal paste on your CPU
Turn off all power sources, and open your PC
Your first step along the journey to removing old thermal paste is to power down and unplug your PC.
Now open it, and touch something metal to discharge any static electricity.
Remove the heatsink / cooling block
Follow the wiring from your fan or cooling system and disconnect it.
Depending on your motherboard, removing the heatsink could involve flipping a switch, gently untwisting the heatsink, or using a screwdriver to disconnect it. Be gentle, and refer to your owner’s manual.
Apply isopropyl alcohol
After removing the components in the previous step, you’re likely to see a healthy amount of thermal paste residue left behind.
Dampen (don’t soak) your lint-free cloth with isopropyl alcohol.
Clean off the old thermal paste
Using your damp cloth, gently wipe off as much of the excess thermal paste as you can.
If the thermal paste has hardened, gently using a plastic scraping tool can help. Cotton swabs and Q-tips can also clean thermal paste out of cracks, corners, and other hard-to-reach areas.
Take your time and be meticulous when cleaning off all the old thermal paste.
Spray away dust with air
After removing as much of the old thermal paste as possible, consider spraying the area you just cleaned with compressed air, a hand-operated squeeze bulb, or a small duster blower fan to remove dust and particles.
Replace thermal paste
After the area you’ve cleaned has dried, it’s time to replace the thermal paste.
Opinions differ on the next step. Some like to apply a pea-sized drop of thermal paste to the center of the area it’s designed to cover. Others prefer to lay out the compound in lines or spread it using a plastic tool.
Check your thermal paste manufacturer’s documentation for their recommendation.
Install the heatsink/cooling block
Place the heatsink straight down onto the thermal paste, ensuring that there are no air bubbles. Don’t pull it off or move it around significantly. This can create inefficiencies between the heatsink and thermal paste.
You can, however, wipe off any excess thermal paste that may have oozed out of the sides.
Turn it back on, and use your PC as normal
Now just reverse the steps above, reinstalling the devices and reconnecting the power cables.
Power on your PC—you don’t need to wait for thermal paste to cure—and take it for a spin.
Thermal paste FAQ
Do you have to reapply thermal paste?
On a long enough timeline, everything degrades. You can measure the usable lifetime of thermal paste in years.
How often should you replace thermal paste?
PC manufacturers generally recommend replacing thermal paste after several years of use, when you replace or remove a heatsink, or if you notice that the temperature of your CPU is increasing.
How long does it take thermal paste to dry?
Thermal paste isn’t made to dry. It’s manufactured to remain in a sticky, semi-fluid state. If your thermal paste were to dry out, that’s a problem and a reason to reapply.
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