Laptop gets hot on my lap but fine on a desk, is that normal?

Totally normal, and it is the lap, not the laptop. Most laptops pull in air through vents on the bottom. On a table there is a small gap. On a lap or a blanket there is none, so the fan runs hard and the heat has nowhere to go.

What to do:

1. Put it on something hard and flat: a lap desk, a tray, even a big hardcover book.
2. Keep the bottom vents uncovered.
3. If it still runs hot while you are only reading, check what is running in the background.

@Raul M. thank you, that makes perfect sense. I tried a hardcover atlas under it last night and the underside stayed cool for the whole evening, and the fan hardly came on. I shall look for a proper lap tray.

Same behaviour on my MacBook Pro. When I edit video on the sofa the case gets warm exactly where my legs are. A hard lap desk fixed most of it for me. The fans are no quieter, but the temperature stops climbing because air can reach the intake again.

If it gets really hot, stick it in the fridge or freezer for ten minutes and it will be fine. I do that with my gaming laptop before a tournament. Also a thick towel under it works as a pad since it soaks up the heat.

We have a rule at our office: no laptops on beds, sofas or cushions while they are charging or running anything heavy. Soft surfaces cover the vents and trap heat, and we have seen laptops slow down or shut themselves off for people who work like that.

Beth, one more thing. If the bottom is hot enough that you cannot keep your hand on it, or the case ever looks swollen or warped, stop using it and have it looked at. Do not open it. Our thread on how to check CPU temperature and what is too hot explains what the numbers mean.

@Tyler B. please do not do either of those. A cold laptop brought into warm air collects condensation inside, which is bad for the electronics. A towel is also a soft surface, so it blocks the vents instead of helping. A hard tray and clear vents is the whole fix.

A practical point from someone who sits with a laptop for hours: a lap desk with a firm edge helped my wrists as well as the airflow. The built-in keyboards on some laptops get uncomfortable when the case is warm. If you can, raise the screen a little so you are not hunching over it.