1 Rookie
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10 Posts
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11 Points
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72
May 22nd, 2026 13:16
16 Plus DB16250, keyboard overheating
Just in the last two days. Keyboard is so hot, you can feel the heat while typing. Heat is close to 'burn you' hot, seems centered over the center of the keyboard, see highlighted areas. I've run Dell Support Assist, Hardware Test and everything passes, no issues. BIOS updated already.
No Events found!
Dell-Matt B
2 Intern
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3 Posts
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11 Points
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June 1st, 2026 21:04
Hi MishawakaKirk,
Based on the location you are specifying in your image the battery can be most likely ruled out as the source of any warmth as the battery is located in the palmrest area under the touchpad as shown in the images below pulled from the Owners manual available in the link below.
The most likely cause of the heat you are feeling is the heatsink and fan located in that general area you indicated underneath the keyboard as those are the most common sources of heat in a system as you are describing.
As the diagnostics are passing and no thermal errors or shutdowns the next step would be to determine the actual temperatures you are felling and this can be done through the Dell Pre-Boot Diagnostics Advanced Test where once the short test has completed you can follow the instruction in the link to view the system health which includes temperatures from several sensors.
While something feels hot, where something feeling hot is very subjective and can vary from person to person how hot a single item feels, it is possible that it may still be operating within the design specifications.
Typically for Intel processors, especially when under high load such as high CPU usage or running graphically intensive programs they can get up to the 80-90 Celsius range before either windows or the system hardware would start throttling and reducing performance to avoid issues.
The Intel Core Ultra Series 2 (Arrow Lake) processors typically used in the 16 Plus DB16250 are actually rated for up to 105 degrees Celsius before they begin to throttle down to prevent overheating.
If the system is getting warmer than you like you can also use the steps in this Dell article to potentially reduce the temperatures you are experiencing. How to Stop Computer and Laptop Overheating and Shut Down Issues
If you continue to have issues or concerns though you can open up a support ticket with Dell technical support and an agent would be happy to assist you.
Hope this belays your concerns and helps with your issue.
anne_droid
5 Journeyman
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1.6K Posts
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6.3K Points
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May 22nd, 2026 16:14
Hi
It is possible that, on a laptop, that the battery is below there and running hot.
If so and it swells/bursts, just imagine a mini-volcano.
So get it looked at by DELL et al is my suggestion.
DELL-ChrisM2
Community Manager
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1.4K Posts
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5.8K Points
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May 22nd, 2026 18:17
That 16 Plus DB16250 is only 11 months/2 days old. I doubt the battery is swollen.
@MishawakaKirk
Contact Dell GHN (Get Help Now) chat technical support Monday through Friday. Click the blue "Get Help Now" on the right to start a private live chat session. Share the private Service Tag with them so that they can verify the ownership and warranty status. This will also generate a unique Technical Support case for your unique Service Tag.
Checking Battery Health Using Dell On-Board Diagnostics
Is this 16 Plus DB16250 being used on a desk? The bottom air vents must be clear, so not on your lap or bed cover.
Tesla1856
10 Wizard
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17.7K Posts
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70.7K Points
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May 23rd, 2026 02:19
Maybe "gently brush" or blow-out the keyboard.
I had my XPS-15 (9520) with Nvidia RTX-3050 apart a while back. Pretty sure I saw tiny holes in the keyboard for cool-air to enter into the dual-fans inside. There were also small-thin air-filters covering the holes.
And just so you know ... mobile Intel Core i7's and i9's "run hot" by design. All the cooling hardware inside needs to be clean and free of dust to work properly.
Finally, in BIOS ... Thermals, try using the fan-curve to run Cooler with more fans.
ascendtek
2 Intern
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41 Posts
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187 Points
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May 23rd, 2026 19:10
Are you using this system for heavy tasks like gaming or video editing?
Warmth under the keyboard is normal during heavy or long period use as the heatsink is directly underneath.
You can try updating the system firmware for a resolution, and can find all drivers and firmware BIOS/UEFI updates for your system below. Drivers are software that allow windows to detect and optimize your hardware for the best efficiency. System firmware updates can also improve performance and fix security flaws.
https://www.dell.com/support/product-details/en-us/product/dell-db16250-laptop/drivers
It's also possible that your system has dry and inefficient thermal paste or a dirty fan that affects thermal performance. If your system isn't under warranty you should open the back of the system and see if the fans need cleaning. If you plan to change the processor thermal paste, I recommend Arctic MX4.
If your system is under warranty, contact Dell support for the best resolution.
MishawakaKirk
1 Rookie
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10 Posts
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11 Points
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June 3rd, 2026 15:56
@Dell-Matt B
Thanks for a detailed idea to try. I believe Dell Support had me run the BIOS troubleshooting; but I did it again -- 100% Passed, no issues found. Only Temp I saw was normal range, for the battery.
I then did Advanced, fan, processor, video -- all were working fine (I didn't see temperatures listed).
So, for now, since everything is working as it should, there isn't much I can do, or Dell can do, until something quits working (I've got a two year Service Plan, with a year to go).
About half the time, I'm using the laptop via Thunderbolt and running dual monitors, keyboard, mouse... so don't know the heat factor then.
The other half, as a laptop and using the laptop keyboard -- About 2-3 weeks ago, I could feel the heat just during 'normal' typing... then hover over the keyboard, whoa... that's hot!
I did reach out to Dell Support, and have a Case #, but they didn't really offer too much. Checked a few settings, checked for updates (BIOS was updated 2 weeks ago); then they had me go into BIOS and reset to Default Settings; not last known good, not factory -- but Default. Wasn't a fan of this, as rebooting -- PIN log in was gone, as was Fingerprint log in.... had to re-set up. So for now, leaving it as is.
Dell-Matt B
2 Intern
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3 Posts
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11 Points
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June 3rd, 2026 16:28
Hi MishawakaKirk,
To get to the temperature readings I was mentioning you would need to once in the Advanced test screen, and the locations may be different depending on version of Support Assist On-board diagnostics but should be similar and names similarly, you would then go to System Information section as pictured below.
You then would navigate to the System Info section then the System Health sub-section and should display a screen similar to the image below.
As mentioned the layout may be different but all the sections should still be names roughly the same with the same order to get to them.
Also doing this would have no effect on your setting and would be best done when you are actively having the high heat being experienced to be able to capture accurate temperature readings at time of the issue.
MishawakaKirk
1 Rookie
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10 Posts
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11 Points
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June 3rd, 2026 23:47
@Dell-Matt B
Dell - Matt,
OK, got it.... did the test, then Advanced. Took a bit to find where temp was, but I did find it.
I also found a Temp Lockout number = 100c
It appears the hottest my computer has reached, was 72c = 161f. Dang warm, but not hot enough to cause damage.
So while it feels pretty warm, I guess no harm is happening; so, while I was worried, guess I have no need to be.
Thanks for all of your help; whether or not you're part of Dell Support, you were quite helpful.
Kirk
Dell-Matt B
2 Intern
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3 Posts
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11 Points
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June 4th, 2026 13:57
@MishawakaKirk
Happy to help.
If you do run into any additional issues or concerns don't hesitate to reach out to us at Dell Technical Support. That's what we're here for after all.
Have a great day!