How to Check the CPU Temperature in Windows 11

The CPU receives commands and distributes the processing power necessary to keep everything running smoothly. Hence, its interior temperature should be regularly checked to avoid overheating.

Ideally, your CPU temperature should fall in the range of 61°C (141.80 °F) to 73°C (163.40 °F). Overheating inevitably results in a significant drop in performance increases the risk of crashes, and could even damage internal hardware.

Check the CPU Temperature in Windows 11 Using Third-Party Applications

You can also download external third-party software onto your computer. These third-party applications will detect your computer’s CPU temperature.

Core Temp

Core Temp is a third-party tool for monitoring processor temperature and other essential data. The application shows you the temperature of each core in your system.

1. Download the Core Temp setup file.

   

2. Click on the .exe file once it’s downloaded.
3. Click on Next to start the setup.
4. You will see the License Agreement dialog box. Click on the I accept the agreement radio button. Then, tap on Next.

   

5. Choose the location to install the required files and click Next.

   

6. Now, ensure you uncheck all the unnecessary checkboxes to avoid installing unwanted files. Click on Next.

   

7. Confirm your destination location and click on Install.

   

8. Click Next.

   

9. Once installed, click on Finish to launch the Core Temp application.

   

10. You will see the temperature of all the cores in your CPU listed.

    

Open Hardware Monitor

Open Hardware Monitor is a free, open-source application that keeps track of a computer’s temperature, fan speeds, voltages, load, and clock rates.

1. 1. 1. Go to the Open Hardware Monitor link and click on Download Now.

         

      2. Once the file is downloaded, right-click on the file and click on Extract All.

         

      3. Go to the extracted files folder and double-click on the OpenHardwareMonitor.exe.

         

      4. This will give you useful information data about your computer. Under the Temperatures section, you can see the temperature of each core and the overall CPU temperature in the CPU Package.

Speccy

Speccy is a freeware utility software created by Piriform that displays computer hardware and software information. Speccy has both free and paid versions.

1. 1. Go to the download link for Speccy and click on the green Download button under the “FREE” column.

      

   2. Launch the downloaded .exe setup file to install Speccy.

      

   3. Click on the Install button and wait for the installation to finish.

      

   4. Once the application is installed, select Run Speccy to launch the app.

      

   5. The app will automatically open up the Summary page. Under CPU, you can see the overall CPU temperature.

      

   6. To look at the individual core temperatures, click on CPU in the left panel. Under Cores, you can see the individual core temperatures.

Check the CPU Temperature using BIOS

BIOS is a firmware that your computer uses to initialize all the hardware components when it boots. You can use this to check the status of different hardware components.

Here’s how you can check your CPU’s temperature in BIOS:

1. Press the power button to start your computer.
2. Immediately after you see your device’s logo, you’ll need to press and hold a hotkey — it’s usually F2 or Del, but this may differ among manufacturers.
3. Pressing the key should take you to your BIOS or UEFI firmware.
4. The firmware, again, may be different based on the manufacturer, so you’ll need to look around a little to find the CPU temperature. For instance, the BIOS firmware on my MSI motherboard shows the CPU temperature on the main screen.

5.