How to tell which Direction PC Fans will Blow

Have you just got your new case fans? Wondering which direction the air flows so you can figure out the correct orientation? No worries, we've got you covered. In this article we'll teach you how to determine the direction of the airflow of your case fans and, as a bonus, you will also learn which direction the fan blades are spinning.

CORSAIR fans have little arrows on their sides that indicate the direction the fan blades are spinning as well as the direction in which the air flows. Each fan series has these markings at different locations, so you need to look for them to figure out the correct pc fan orientation. In the example above you can see our iCUE Link QX120 RGB 120mm fan. We highlighted the arrows in red to make them more visible for this example.

If you would like to learn more about the iCUE LINK ecosystem that allows for the easiest installation and setup of your fans, here is an article on How to: Install iCUE LINK in Your System.

Here another side view of that same QX120 fan and the arrows highlighted.

The arrows often look like this, but their positioning and size may vary from fan to fan. When you look at the side of a fan, the horizontally pointing arrow indicates the direction in which the fan blades spin, and the vertically pointing arrow indicates the direction of the airflow. This way you can determine quickly how to install your fans in your case to maintain proper airflow.

Tip: Install the fans in the front to blow air into your case while the fans on the top and the rear should be installed blowing air to the outside, removing hot air from the case. This way you will enable proper ventilation of your case and your components.

Once you have the airflow direction sorted out, you are ready to install the fans into your case.

Looking to find out more? Here is another helpful on what fans come with CORSAIR Cases.