Whether it's the height of summer or a random UK heatwave causing us to scramble to air out our rooms and offices and unpack our tower fans, there's nothing more uncomfortable than trying to work in a hot, sticky room.
But if you don't have the budget for a fully-fledged air conditioning unit and you just need something to keep you cool throughout the day, a desk fan can help.
Smaller than the usual fans, they can easily sit on your desk and if selected carefully, they can seamlessly blend in with your office's aesthetic.
That's why we've searched far and wide for the best desk fans for everyone, most of the options we’ve brought together are USB powered. This is because USB desk fans are fantastically convenient, they don't take up any of your valuable mains outlet sockets, and they are ultra-portable
Invero Mini USB 4-Inch Tilting Desktop Cooling Fan
Editor's pick

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Small and ultra-portable, this desk fan can easily be moved around and placed in any room or office. It boasts a 1-metre cable so you can easily set it up on your desk somewhere out of the way. We love that it features an ultra-quiet operation mode, so you don't need to worry about having a noisy fan in the background of your work calls.
Honeywell HT 900E Powerful and Quiet Turbo Fan Black
Best powerful desk fan

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Looking to cool down as quickly as possible? Aside from being efficient, this desk fan is extremely powerful, the 40W motor blasts plenty of cold air, and the 90-degree tilted head allows for it to be placed on the floor or on a desk.
Fancii Small Personal USB Fan
Best small desk fan

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If you need a compact and lightweight fan, then this one from Fancii might just be ideal for you. You can take it with you to your office, when travelling in the UK or abroad, or you can simply use it at home. Either way, this is a completely adaptable USB fan. The dual-fanned tubular design delivers a steady and powerful cooling airflow. Additionally, it runs quietly, so you won't need to listen to any annoying background noise.
Meaco MeacoFan 360 Personal Air Circulator cooling fan

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Brilliantly efficient, this desk fan is environmentally friendly and when operating, makes virtually no noise. Feel free to set it in your room whilst you sleep, or in your home office, too. It also has multi-directional cooling as the angle of the oscillation is adjustable.
Oypla Electrical 12" 3 Speed Oscillating Electric Desk Home Office Fan
Recommended

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A traditional, three-bladed 12-inch desk fan featuring three-speed settings and an oscillating head. We love its near-silent operation feature, as well as the long cable length.
FATE TO FATE Mini Handheld Fan
Best budget desk fan

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We know this isn't exactly a desk fan, but it can still be placed on any flat surface and works efficiently at cooling you down. Similar to other fans, this one boasts three different speeds, a handy feature is its removable base, so you can carry it with you around the house.
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