How To Check Your CPU Temperature in Windows 10/11

There are two groups of people who worry about computer temperatures: Overclockers… and most people who use their computers a lot. Have you ever wondered what your computer’s CPU temperature is? There are quite a few Windows programs that you can use to monitor your computer’s temperature. Here are two of our favorites. Check them out!

Check Basic CPU Temperature with Core Temp

The most important temperature to measure in your computer is the processor or CPU. Core Temp is a lightweight and simple application that runs in the system tray, controlling the CPU temperature without confusing other tools. Core Temp offers a few other options for you to customize to your liking and can even work with other programs like Rainmeter.

Download Core Temp and install it on your computer. Note: You will need to uncheck the bundled software on the third page of the installation process.

When running, it will appear as an icon or a series of icons in the system tray showing the CPU temperature. If the CPU has multiple cores (like modern CPUs), it will display multiple icons - one for each core.

Right-click the icon to show or hide the main window. This will give you a bunch of information about the CPU, including the model, speed, and temperature of each core.

Special note: "TJ. Max" is the highest temperature (in degrees Celsius) that the manufacturer has set for your CPU to run at. If your CPU gets close to that temperature, it is considered overheating. (It's usually best to keep it 10 to 20 degrees below the recommended temperature. If your CPU even gets close to that temperature, something is wrong unless you're overclocking your CPU.)

For most modern CPUs, Core Temp can detect the Tj. Max for your specific processor, but you should look up your specific processor online and check it carefully. Every processor is a little different, and an accurate Tj. Max value is important, as it ensures you're getting accurate temperature readings for your CPU on your computer.

Go to Options > Settings to configure some of Core Temp's useful features. Here are a few settings we recommend you consider:

General > Start Core Temp with Windows: This can be turned on or off at will. If enabled, it allows you to monitor your computer's CPU temperature at all times without having to launch the application. However, if you only need to use the app occasionally, you can disable this feature.

Display > Start Core Temp minimized: You'll probably want to enable this if you have "Start Core Temp with Windows" enabled.

Display > Hide Taskbar Button: If you always have the app running on your computer, enabling this feature will avoid wasting space on your taskbar.

Notification Area > Notification Area Icons: This lets you customize how Core Temp appears in the notification area (or system tray, as it's often called). You can choose to show just the app's icon, or show the CPU temperature - I recommend "Highest temperature" (rather than "All cores", which will show multiple icons). You can also customize the font and color here.

If the icon only appears in the pop-up tray and you want to see it all the time, just click and drag it onto the taskbar.

If you decide to display the temperature in the notification area, you may want to change the Temperature Polling Interval in the General tab of Core Temp settings. By default, it is set to 1000 milliseconds, but you can change it higher if the flashing number is annoying you. Remember, the higher the value you set, the longer it takes for Core Temp to notify you, which is not good if your CPU is overheating.

Core Temp can do more - you can select Options > Overheat Protection to have your computer tell you when it has reached the maximum safe temperature. These basics are all you need to know to monitor the CPU temperature on your computer.

Monitor Your Whole System Temperatures with HWMonitor

Usually, the CPU temperature on your computer will be the most important temperature to monitor. However, if you want to see the temperatures on your motherboard, CPU, graphics card and hard drives - HWMonitor will give you that and more.

Download the latest version of HWMonitor. I recommend the ZIP version, which requires no installation, but you can of course download the full installer version if you want. Launch it and you will be greeted with a table of temperatures, fan speeds and other values.

Download the latest version from the HWMonitor homepage

To find the CPU temperature, scroll down to the CPU section, for example "Intel Core i7 4930K" - and look for the "Core #" temperature in the list.

(Note that “Core Temperature” is different than “CPU Temperature,” which will appear under the motherboard on some PCs. In general, you’ll want to monitor the core temperature. See our note on AMD temperatures below for more information.)

Click the items next to it yourself and see the temperatures of other components in your system. There’s not much you can do with HWMonitor, but it’s a good program for viewing other temperatures besides the CPU temperature.

Use Ryzen Master to Check CPU Temperature (AMD Ryzen CPUs Only)

This method may only apply to those lucky enough to own a Ryzen CPU. If you’re in that group, it’s the most accurate way to monitor your CPU temperature, as it uses AMD’s proprietary method for reading CPU temperatures that other CPU monitoring software doesn’t have access to.

Additionally, Ryzen Master is widely used as an overclocking utility, making reading CPU temperatures even more important.

You can download the tool online from AMD's official site. To use it, open the application to view the temperature. It can be compared to the maximum temperature limit supported by your processor.

Use Throttlestop to Check CPU Temperatures

The lightweight Throttlestop tool allows you to reduce the voltage to your CPU to lower the temperature and prevent throttling, thereby allowing your CPU to operate more efficiently.

You should consider undervolting if you want to cool your CPU, but as an added feature, you can also use Throttlestop as a CPU temperature monitor.

You can see each individual core temperature in the main Throttlestop window.

You can also make your CPU temperature appear in the notification area on your PC. To do this, click Options at the bottom of Throttlestop, then in the middle, check the CPU Temp box. Now, every time you open Throttlestop, you'll see a small number in the notification area on your taskbar showing your CPU temperature at that moment.

Using Open Hardware Monitor to Check CPU Temperatures

Open Hardware Monitor is a great way to get all of your essential stats in one place. This includes the temperature of your CPU as well as the temperature of your GPU, the voltage being used in your computer, and even the speed at which your system fans are running. This makes it a powerful tool that allows you to monitor all of your system temperatures.

You can find your CPU temperature in a category that has your CPU name in it. It will list the temperature for each core your processor has.

Many of these temperature monitoring tools allow you to set it to display on the taskbar. This is especially useful if you are performing system-intensive tasks and want to monitor your temperatures without having to move back and forth between the active window and the system monitor.

If you want to see the CPU temperature on the taskbar, right-click on the temperature itself and select Show in Tray.

If the reading is hidden in the “extra” icon section, you can drag it to the main task tray so that the temperature is always visible whenever you see the taskbar.

Use Speccy to check the CPU temperature

Another all-in-one toolkit, Speccy, is a different system diagnostics package that includes the ability to check the CPU temperature in Windows. Speccy is a tool that allows users to view information about the hardware and software of the computer. The information displayed by Speccy includes the brand and model of the processor, the size and speed of the hard drive, the amount of memory (RAM), information about the graphics card and operating system, and more.

As soon as you open Speccy, you will see all the relevant temperatures that you need to know to keep your laptop healthy. It's also useful for digging up information about your system, so make sure you keep this app handy if you need information about your operating system or motherboard, for example.

If you click on the CPU on the left, you can get more focused information about your processor.

If you want the temperature to appear in the system tray, click View > Options.

Click System tray > Minimize to tray > Display metrics in tray, then select CPU.

Now when Speccy is minimized, you can keep an eye on how hot your CPU is running while you do other things.

Using SpeedFan to Check CPU Temperatures

This tool is a hardware monitoring software that can change the fan speed based on the system temperature. SpeedFan can read the temperature values ​​from your hard drive using the built-in temperature sensor in your PC.

This Intel-recommended system tool is available as a free 30-day trial. It supports older operating systems and CPUs as well as the latest versions. There are very few components to install, and always choose the latest version of the software.

When you launch the main SpeedFan screen, you will be able to quickly see all the metrics, including hard drive temperature and CPU core temperature, Core 0, Core 1, etc.

If you are unable to see the temperature values, go to the Charts tab and check the labels for the different temperature values. Once you do this, the temperature readings will immediately appear in the Readings tab.

Click the Configure menu in the Readings tab. This will bring up a pop-up window where you can control the “desired” and “warning” limits for different temperature values. In addition to the CPU temperature, you can configure fan speeds, voltages, and other motherboard operations.

Using HWinFO to Check CPU Temperature

HWinFO is one of the most comprehensive free Windows diagnostic software. It supports the full range of Intel processors, from Xeon/Atom to Core i9, as well as most AMD processors except the latest Ryzen series. HWinFO offers great graphical visualization features to warn you when your computer is overheating.

Although there is a Pro and portable version of HWinFO, you will get a lot of valuable information from the free download installer.

After launching the dashboard, navigate to the Sensors tab. The software will display a warning message because it uses the EC (Embedded Controller) sensor on your motherboard. It is safe to disable this warning as you will temporarily experience a slight performance lag.

Check the temperature values ​​for different CPU cores in the Sensors status reading.

With a right-click, you can add these temperature values ​​to the system tray. If you want to monitor the temperature increase of the CPU over time, click Show Graph. A graph to monitor the temperature level of the CPU will appear. Any unexpected increase in temperature (during gaming or using heavy applications) will cause a spike.

Use MSI Afterburner to Check CPU Temperature

Designed for gamers and for those who like to overclock their PC, MSI Afterburner serves as a great tool to monitor the temperature of your PC. Note that MSI Afterburner doesn’t work well with all CPUs and is known to not show temperatures for AMD CPUs in particular.

After installing and opening Afterburner, you’ll see a graph on the main screen showing GPU temperature, CPU temperature, and more.

If you don’t see the temperature option, your CPU may not be supported, but there’s still hope! Open the app’s properties from the Settings icon. In the Monitoring tab, click the three-dot menu icon below.

You’ll see a list of plugins and can link MSI Afterburner to another tool that monitors CPU temperatures or check the “CPU.dll” option to get the CPU temperature.

To rearrange the graphs and prioritize the CPU temperature so that it appears near the top, click Settings in Afterburner, then click the Monitoring tab. You’ll see a menu where you can check the ones you want to show on the main screen and drag the ones you want to appear near the top to the top.

Drag CPU1 temperature, CPU2 temperature, and all other CPU temperatures near the top of the graph and click OK. They’ll appear on the main screen in the order you chose.

After selecting the CPU temperature, you can also check the Show in LCD Display box so that it appears in the corner whenever you enter a shortcut to bring up the OSD. (You can choose which keys you want by going to the Profiles tab in Afterburner’s settings.)

Using AIDA64 Extreme to Check CPU Temperature

AIDA64 Extreme is another all-in-one diagnostic software that focuses specifically on CPU temperature values. There is a trial and evaluation version, free for 30 days. In addition to Windows, AIDA64 Extreme also supports Ubuntu, iOS, Google Play, and other operating systems.

AIDA64 Extreme software supports both Intel Core 13000 and AMD Ryzen 7000 series processors. It is one of the best system tools on the market for the latest GPUs, RAM, and SSDs.

Once you can see the AIDA64 Extreme main screen, click on Computer > Sensor.

In Sensor, you can see various sensor properties including CPU temperature, CPU package temperature, CPU IA Core temperature, and CPU GT Core temperature. But due to the use of sensors, the CPU temperature increases very quickly. Do not let the processor overheat for a long time.

Note: on AMD Processor Temperatures

Keeping track of AMD processor temperatures has long been a source of frustration for enthusiasts. Unlike most Intel processors, AMD processors report two temperatures: "CPU Temperature" and "Core Temperature."

CPU Temperature is an actual temperature sensor inside the CPU socket. Core Temperature, on the other hand, isn't really a temperature. It's an arbitrary scale measured in degrees Celsius that's designed to mimic a temperature sensor in some way.

Your BIOS will typically display CPU Temperature, which may differ from programs like Core Temp, which display Core Temperature. Some programs, like HWMonitor, display both.

CPU Temperature is typically more accurate at low levels and less accurate at high levels. Core Temperature, on the other hand, is more accurate when your CPU is hot — that's when the temperatures really matter. So in most cases, you'll want to pay attention to the core temperature. When your system is idle, it may show an incredibly low temperature (around 15 degrees Celsius), but once it warms up a bit, the temperature will be more accurate and useful.

What is the ideal CPU temperature?

The average Intel or AMD processor for Windows devices can safely operate at temperatures below 60°C (140°F). Up to 70°C (158°F), your computer is still safe, although it will get a little hotter. At 80°C (176°F), you can consider overclocking.

Here's a quick way to find out the ideal CPU temperature for your Windows device. First, get a quick summary of your CPU data by searching for Device Specifications in Settings -> System -> About. Note the name and details about your processor, including the GHz frequency.

If you want to know what your processor's maximum temperature is, search online for that particular CPU's product page, then look for where its maximum ideal temperature is listed. If the temperature listed in this section is something like “Maximum Operating Temperature” or T Case, then that's the temperature you should try to keep your processor at most of the time.

If it says T Junction, the general advice is to keep things at least 30°C (86°F) below that stated temperature. So, if your T Junction is 100°C (212°F), you really shouldn't let your CPU temperature go above 70°C (176°F)

What to do if you don't get a notification (or get the wrong notification)?

In some cases, you'll find that one of the programs above doesn't work. For example, it may report temperatures that are different from other temperature monitors, or it may give unreasonably low temperatures, or it may not receive any temperature reports at all.

There are many reasons why this could happen, here are some things to check:

• Are you looking at the right sensor? If the two programs report different temperatures - especially on AMD machines - it could be that one program reports the Core temperature and the other the CPU temperature. Make sure you are comparing the correct temperature, the Core temperature is the one to worry about.
• Make sure your programs are up to date. If you are using an older version of Core Temperature, it may not support your CPU, in which case it will not provide accurate temperatures (or not provide temperature information at all). Download the latest version to see if that fixes the problem. If you have a very new CPU model, you may have to wait for a program update.
• How old is your computer? If it's more than a few years old, it may not be supported by programs like Core Temp.

Hopefully this article will help you easily control your computer's CPU temperature. Monitoring your computer's temperature is good and everyone should do it from time to time. However, if your computer is overheating frequently, there may be a serious cause that you need to find out. Open Task Manager to see if there are any processes using the CPU and stop them (or find out why they are out of control).

Make sure you are not blocking any of the computer's vents, especially if it's a laptop. Blow out the vents with compressed air to make sure they are not clogged with dust. The older the computer gets, the more dusty it becomes, making it harder for users to control the CPU temperature down.

Enjoy!