Keeping your computer cool is a primary focus, especially when you’re building one or just have some serious hardware working under the hood.

It’s not too often that you consider the opposite effect, like what might happen if your computer got too cold.

But depending on how cold of an environment you are in, freezing temperatures and sudden changes in temperatures can cause serious damage to your computer.

Can a Computer Get Too Cold?

A cold computer out in the snow

Most computers will not be damaged when stored at temperatures as low as 14 F or even 5 degrees F. However, condensation due to a computer heating up too quickly from a cold state can cause severe damage to it. So never power on a computer that has recently been subjected to freezing temperatures. Allow it to warm back up to room temperature first. 

One of the most damaging things you can do to your computer is transport it from one extreme temperature (on the cold side) to another while using it.

If you’re talking about a Florida winter, you’re probably okay outside, so long as the temperature doesn’t drop too much.

When it comes to cold temperatures, condensation is usually the biggest issue.  

Normally, until you start getting beyond 5 degrees F, you won’t have any issues. Beyond that temperature, a computer may begin to have issues with components, like fans and older hard drives seizing up.

Unless you’re visiting Siberia, it’s unlikely that the cold alone is seriously going to damage your computer. Condensation, on the other hand, can be a real killer of electronics.

This can occur when your computer is warmed up too quickly from an extremely cold state.

So, If you’ve left your laptop out in a freezing car overnight, do not bring it straight back into the house and power it on.

Allow it to warm back up to room temperature on its own before turning it on again.

Any computer you purchase should have a manufacturer’s recommended temperature range for storage and operation.

Check online or in the manual to make sure the temperature in which you are using or storing your computer is okay. 

If you have built your own PC, try to check the individual temperature ratings for each component.

What Sort Of Damage Can Occur If My Computer Gets Too Cold?

Let’s say that you left your laptop in the glove compartment overnight and the temperatures dropped to 20°F.

When you slap your forehead and panic-run to your car because you remembered forgetting it, don’t turn the laptop on when you get inside. 

The reason is that the rapid change from cold to hot will create condensation inside and it could crack components struggling under the temperature change. 

  • Hard Drive: The most susceptible component to cold weather malfunction and potential long-term damage
  • Battery: Difficult or impossible to charge in freezing temperatures
  • Small Components and Circuitry: Condensation can cause electrical issues, short-circuiting, and potential long-term damage
  • Display: LCD screens are the most vulnerable, can freeze up entirely, and even shatter your screen display

Hard drives are particularly vulnerable because the cold temperatures attack the one device in your computer that moves the most. Hard drives spin and the cold can slow down or even freeze up the platters. 

While that might not be such a big deal when nothing is going on and the computer is off, powering it up changes things because the hard drive comes on.

If it can spin or is completely erratic, it could potentially wipe all of your data or become damaged to the point that it requires a replacement. 

The battery is not necessarily going to damage anything or even be damaged itself. However, although it will be fine in terms of utilization and powering your laptop, it may not charge properly until it is warmed back up. 

Will My Computer Run Slower When It’s Cold?

It won’t necessarily run slower when it’s cold. The hard drive is the one thing that may have trouble if it is too cold. If you power up your laptop inside and then head outdoors into 35°F weather, it will run just fine. 

Not only that, it will probably run better, as electronic components are far more efficient when they are kept cool, which the cold, outside air will certainly do. 

For How Long Can My Computer Be In The Cold?

It could be in the cold for an extended period of time, so long as you don’t intend on powering it back up.

Returning to the above scenario of leaving it out in the glove compartment on a night when the temperatures drop below freezing, so long as you don’t turn it back on immediately, it should be fine. 

It’s the act of rapid heating from a severely cold state that causes the damage.

If you left your laptop outside or if your travel routine exposes your laptop to cold conditions for a long time, you should let it return to room temperature, indoors, before you turn it on.

Related Article: Do Laptops Overheat In The Sun? (And How To Keep Them Cool)

Are Laptops Or PCs More Susceptible To The Cold?

Laptops are the more susceptible computers when it comes to cold weather. The primary reason is that they are going to be exposed to cold temperatures a lot more often than a PC will unless you keep your PC and your office on the back deck in the middle of winter. 

Plus, the internal temperatures in a laptop are far more volatile and fast-reacting than in a PC. PCs have a much better setup when it comes to cooling systems and how fast they heat up. 

Laptops get hot quickly and that’s not a good thing if they were in freezing temperatures for a long time. 

How To Prevent Your Computer From Getting Too Cold

Most of the time, when laptops are exposed to the cold, it’s during travel. The best way to avoid that is to carry your laptop in a protective case. 

  • Purchase a thermal laptop case if your travels expose your laptop to freezing temperatures
  • Allow your laptop time to warm up after you get it in from the cold
  • Don’t forget it in the glove compartment or store it in an area where temperatures are going to drop
  • Avoid using it if you are in very cold weather

The best thing that you can do to avoid cold weather exposure for your laptop is to not use it in cold weather and keep it protected while you travel.

What To Do If Your Computer Gets Too Cold

Absolutely nothing. That means setting it down on a counter or someplace warm and allowing it to reach the same temperature as the rest of the room.

The worst thing that you can do is turn it on. 

The amount of condensation build-up from rapidly heating up cold metal, plastic, and components can be pretty heavy as if it’s raining inside of your laptop. 

Of course, most laptops aren’t waterproof so they will be effectively ruined if that happens. If you really need to get on there, you will just have to be patient and allow it to have the time it needs.

Final Thoughts

For the most part, the cold is a good thing for electronic components. After all, we spend a lot of money trying to buy the best equipment for keeping our laptops and PCs cool while they are running, especially high-heat gaming PCs and laptops. 

However, too much of a good thing is a bad thing and the best move you can make is to avoid taking your laptop out and exposing it to freezing temperatures.

And if you do store your computer in freezing conditions, make sure you don’t power it on until its temperature has been allowed to slowly rise to a normal room temperature.