Keep Cool: How to Check CPU Temperature On a PC Or Mac

Just as you don't want your phone getting too hot, an overheating computer is no joke. If your CPU goes over a certain temperature, it will start throttling performance in an effort to reduce excess heat. If your internal components get too hot for too long, it can decrease the lifespan of your PC, not to mention burn your thighs if you're using your laptop on bare legs.

Unfortunately, most PCs don't have user-facing temperature-monitoring tools, so you can't easily check how hot your computer is getting at any given time. If you want to see how hot your computer is running, you'll need to download some extra software. Here's what you need to check your machine's internal temperature.

How to Monitor CPU Temperature in Windows

MSI's BIOS / UEFI displays CPU and motherboard temperature (Credit: PCMag / MSI)

Don't want to install third-party software? The only way to observe your PC's internal temperature is from the BIOS screen. To access this menu, restart your computer and hit a button on the keyboard that will disrupt the normal boot process (it can be Delete or Esc or Enter—it will say on the screen).

Every BIOS screen is different, so we can't tell you where to look for your specific manufacturer, but the internal temperature of the machine should be displayed on the main screen. Some may even show CPU and motherboard temperatures separately. Unfortunately, this is no way to consistently monitor your PC temperature, so you'll want to use third-party software instead.

There are dozens of temperature-monitoring programs out there, but I recommend Core Temp for most users. It provides plenty of information without being as overwhelming as more thorough utilities, and it comes as an installer and EXE file. Plus, it allows you to monitor your temperature from the Windows taskbar, which is great if you want to keep an eye on it over time. Download Core Temp, install it (uncheck the "Goodgame Empire" bloatware), and launch the program.

Core Temp provides as much information as you need (Credit: Core Temp / ALCPU)

The top portion of the window lists your CPU, its current load, and a few other technical tidbits. The real meat is at the bottom, where it says Temperature Readings. You'll see the current temperature in the left column, alongside the lowest and highest recorded temperatures since you last launched it. If you're using an AMD CPU, you'll probably have one value here, while Intel CPUs will likely have one reading per CPU core—just watch the hottest core to keep things simple.

I highly recommend heading to Options > Settings and playing with the options available here, especially those under the Notification Area tab, which will let you view your CPU temperature in the taskbar. I personally recommend selecting Highest Temperature here—then click the system tray's arrow and drag Core Temp's icon to the taskbar to keep it visible at all times.

How to Monitor CPU Temperature in macOS

(Credit: PCMag / Apple)

For Mac users, you can check the internal temperature with a Terminal command. Open Launchpad > Other > Terminal to open the command line for macOS devices, then run this code:

sudo powermetrics --samplers smc |grep -i "CPU die temperature"

Enter your computer's admin password, then hit Enter. It may seem that nothing is happening, but if you wait a few seconds, the Terminal windows will display the current CPU die temperature. If you keep waiting, updated readings will appear every so often. The only problem here is you'll have to re-enter this command every time you exit the Terminal window.

Fanny includes easy-to-use options (Credit: Fanny Widget / Daniel Storm)

If you need an option that doesn't require you to remember this line of code, iStat Menus is widely regarded as the best system monitoring app around, and if you're an advanced user looking to keep an eye on your Mac's internals, it's well worth the $12. However, Fanny is a much simpler choice—and it's free. Download Fanny, unzip the app, and drag it to your Applications folder. When you start it up, the icon should appear in the menu bar.

Fanny bills itself as a Notification Center widget, but this requires you to slide it out every time you want to check the temperature—not ideal. Instead, change the Fanny icon to display the temperature. Click on Fanny's menu bar icon and choose Preferences to adjust the app's settings. Change the Menu Bar setting to CPU Temperature, and you should see the icon change to a value in degrees Celsius, which is ideal for monitoring your CPU temperature as you work.

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How Hot Is Too Hot?

iStats Menus can monitor temperature spikes (Credit: iStat Menus)

If your CPU gets too hot, it will reduce performance to try and reduce the temperature—meaning whatever you're doing at the time will probably run slower. It will also keep your fans spinning at high speeds—meaning lots of noise—and could permanently damage your CPU, fan, or battery.

"Normal" temperatures, though, can vary wildly depending on the CPU type of computer. A thin and light ultraportable laptop that crams a powerful CPU into a small space with little airflow, for example, will likely get hotter than a desktop PC with a low-power CPU, even when performing the same tasks. And a CPU running at 70 degrees is likely to be just as effective as a CPU running at 40 degrees in that given moment.

That said, your CPU does have a maximum threshold—a specific temperature it will try to avoid going over. This is known as the maximum temperature junction, or TJ Max. It varies from CPU to CPU, but for most chips, it lies somewhere between 95° C and 105° C. So if your computer is regularly hitting that temperature, it's probably throttling itself (and, if it can't decrease the temperature, it may even shut itself off to prevent overheating.)

How to Lower CPU Temperature

You can control fan speed from MSI Afterburner (Credit: MSI)

If you're regularly seeing that kind of heat, you have a few options. First, open up your computer—either by removing the side panel on a desktop or unscrewing the bottom case on a laptop—and blow out any dust bunnies with an air blower. This should help improve airflow and reduce temperatures. You can also adjust your CPU's fan behavior, allowing it to run at higher speeds more often.

If you have a desktop, you may even want to reseat the CPU cooler to make sure it's making good contact with the CPU, and if your computer is rather old, some new thermal paste could help lower temperatures as well. If you have a thin laptop known for overheating, though, these tips may only take you so far—and you'll just have to deal with the excess heat. The next time you buy a laptop, be sure to read thorough reviews that include heat and fan noise before you commit.

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About Whitson Gordon

Contributing Writer

Whitson Gordon is a writer, gamer, and tech nerd who has been building PCs for 10 years. He eats potato chips with chopsticks so he doesn't get grease on his mechanical keyboard.

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About Jason Cohen

Senior Editor, Help & How To

As PCMag's editor of how to content, I have to cover a wide variety of topics and also make our stories accessible to everyday users. Considering my history as a technical writer, copywriter, and all-around freelancer covering baseball, comics, and more at various outlets, I am used to making myself into an expert.

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