Weak focused laser beams can guide micrometre-sized beads to direct-write twodimensional patterns or three-dimensional structures. Applications based on laser guidance have been found in many fields including biological research areas. This paper discusses the effects of convection, which is the main disturbance during laser-guided transportation. The heat generated by optical absorption causes the convection flow, as observed in experiments. To investigate this convection flow, a finite element analysis (FEA) model was set up and computation under different heat load conditions was carried out. The results show that the convection flow velocity at the laser beam centre has a direct proportional relation to the incident power and varies with the position of the laser beam.