Knowing to remove a CPU cooler is just as important as installing it as you may have to ocassionally remove it for maintenance or even replace it with a new one to go with your CPU upgrades. Removing a cooler, thankfully, is fairly simple, and it essentially involves the same steps as installing a CPU cooler, except you'll perform them backwards. If you need some additional guidance then follow the steps highlighted carefully to get started.

Before you start removing your CPU cooler

Getting started with prerequisites

Before you get down to removing your CPU cooler, you need to get a few things in order.

  • Turn off your PC, flip the PSU switch off if possible, and unplug it.
  • Set aside an area where you have plenty of space to work, preferably not on a carpet, since it increases the chances of static electricity damage.
  • Get a screwdriver or screwdrivers that can remove the screws not only on your CPU cooler, but your motherboard too, just in case you need to remove it.
  • Make sure you have thermal paste if you're reinstalling your CPU cooler later.
  • Have your CPU cooler's manual on hand just in case you need to refer to it, and following its instructions in reverse can be a big help if you're lost.

This should be all you need to remove your CPU cooler, and now you should be ready to actually remove your cooler.

How to remove a CPU cooler

A step-by-step guide

The Thermalright Phantom Spirit CPU cooler.

While there are many kinds of CPU coolers out there from many different brands, these steps will generally apply to all coolers. This tutorial features Thermalright's Phantom Spirit 120 SE, an air cooler, but each step will have notes on how things may differ between other air coolers (like AMD's and Intel's stock coolers) and liquid coolers.

  1. Unplug the fan or fans from the CPU cooler. Also make sure to remove any other cables too, like for RGB.
    A 4-pin fan cable.
  2. Start removing the cooler from the motherboard, the steps for which may vary based on your cooler (which is why referring to your cooler's manual is a good idea), but generally you're either unscrewing two or four screws or unlatching two clips from the motherboard (which is usually only for AMD boards). In the case of the Phantom Spirit, there are two screws to remove, which are only accessible after removing the fans.

    If the cooler seems to be stuck to the CPU even though it's completely unscrewed or unlatched, try twisting while pulling the cooler off. Some older CPUs can also stick the cooler and come out along with it, but usually this doesn't cause any damage and just means you need to reinstall the CPU.

    The Thermalright Phantom Spirit installation screws.
  3. Clear the thermal paste off the CPU IHS and the cooler's contact point once the cooler is removed. You can clean it with a paper towel that's lightly soaked in isopropyl alcohol.
    CPU covered in thermal paste.
  4. If you're installing a brand-new cooler, you'll also want to remove any installation equipment that came with the old cooler, such as the mounting brackets to the left and right of the CPU. Removing the backplate (if necessary) will require removing your motherboard from the case, so keep that in mind.

It's crucial to remove the CPU cooler properly

While the exact process can vary from cooler to cooler, the basic steps are always pretty similar. Stock coolers are usually the simplest to both install and remove, while third-party coolers (especially the higher-end ones) can be more complex. Even if you're a little lost on what to do, you can always try reading the cooler's manual and following the installation instructions in reverse. If you're removing the CPU cooler so that you can just do maintenance or upgrade the CPU, then you'll need to reapply thermal paste, which is also an easy process.