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which way fan in winter

In winter, a ceiling fan should spin clockwise on a low speed when you look up at it.

Quick Scoop

  • Set the fan to rotate clockwise in winter.
  • Use the lowest speed so you don’t feel a cold breeze.
  • This pulls cool air up and gently pushes warm air (which gathers near the ceiling) back down the walls into the room.
  • You can usually flip a small direction switch on the fan housing to change between summer (counterclockwise) and winter (clockwise) mode.

How to quickly check

  1. Stand under the fan and turn it on low.
  1. Look up: in winter mode the blades move from left to right (clockwise) when seen from below.
  1. You should feel little to no direct breeze, just more even warmth after it runs for a while.

Rule of thumb:

  • Summer: counterclockwise, stronger breeze for cooling.
  • Winter: clockwise, gentle mixing for warming.

Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.