To check your CPU temperature on Windows 10 or Windows 11, download the free HWiNFO portable ZIP from hwinfo.com, extract it, run HWiNFO64.exe, click Start, and then click the Sensors button. Scroll down to the CPU section — you’ll see current, minimum, maximum, and average temperatures for every core. Windows does not have a built-in CPU temperature readout, so a third-party tool like HWiNFO is required.
Applies to: Windows 10 (22H2) and Windows 11 (23H2, 24H2, 25H2) | Last updated: April 15, 2026
Key Takeaways
- Windows 10 and Windows 11 have no built-in CPU temperature readout — you need a third-party tool like HWiNFO, LibreHardwareMonitor, or Core Temp.
- HWiNFO is free, portable, and reads every temperature sensor on modern Intel and AMD CPUs, including per-core temps, CCD temps on Ryzen, and package temperatures.
- A healthy CPU sits between 30–50 °C at idle and stays below 85 °C under full load. Brief spikes above 90 °C are normal; sustained readings over 95 °C mean thermal throttling and usually point to a cooler problem.
- HWiNFO tracks minimum, maximum, and average over the current session, so you can leave it running during gaming or a heavy workload and then read the peak numbers afterwards.
Quick Steps
- Download the HWiNFO portable ZIP (not the installer).
- Right-click the ZIP and Extract All (or use 7-Zip).
- Open the extracted folder and run
HWiNFO64.exe. - Click Start when the splash screen appears.
- Click the Sensors button (thermometer icon) on the main toolbar.
- Scroll down to the CPU section to see current, minimum, maximum, and average temperatures.
Why Windows Doesn’t Show CPU Temperature
Temperature sensors live inside the CPU die and motherboard chipset. Windows doesn’t query them directly because reading them requires a signed kernel driver — something Microsoft doesn’t ship by default. Task Manager, Settings, and the Performance Monitor can all show CPU utilisation and clock speed, but not temperature. Every tool that does show temperature (HWiNFO, Core Temp, HWMonitor, LibreHardwareMonitor, AIDA64) loads its own driver to read those sensors.
If you want to monitor temperatures long-term, HWiNFO is the one I install on every bench machine in my repair shop. It reads more sensors than any other free tool, doesn’t bundle adware, and the portable version leaves no trace behind when you’re done.
Step 1: Download HWiNFO Portable
Open your browser and go to the official HWiNFO download page. Two free versions are listed — pick HWiNFO Portable (ZIP) rather than the installer. Portable doesn’t write to the registry, doesn’t need admin rights to install, and can be deleted by removing the folder.
Click Free Download, then pick any mirror (the US server is usually fastest for me). The ZIP is around 8 MB.
Step 2: Extract the ZIP
HWiNFO ships as a ZIP archive. Right-click the downloaded file and choose Extract All (Windows has built-in ZIP support), or use 7-Zip — right-click → 7-Zip → Extract to “HWiNFO…”. Either produces a folder containing both the 32-bit (HWiNFO32.exe) and 64-bit (HWiNFO64.exe) executables.
Step 3: Launch HWiNFO64 and Open Sensors
Open the extracted folder and run HWiNFO64.exe. If you’re on an older 32-bit system, use the 32-bit version instead — Windows 10/11 on any modern hardware is 64-bit, so HWiNFO64.exe is the right choice for practically all current PCs.
A splash screen appears with two options — Sensors-only and Summary-only. Leave both unchecked for full access, then click Start. HWiNFO takes a few seconds to enumerate every sensor on your system.
Once the main window appears, click the Sensors button (a green thermometer icon on the top toolbar). This opens the sensor status window where every readable temperature, voltage, fan, and clock is listed.
Step 4: Find Your CPU Temperature
The sensors window is long. Scroll down until you reach a section labelled with your CPU’s name (e.g., Intel Core i7-13700K or AMD Ryzen 7 7800X3D). Inside that section, look for:
- CPU Package — the overall CPU temperature, reported by the hottest core. This is the number you usually care about.
- CPU (Tctl/Tdie) — AMD Ryzen equivalent of package temp.
- Core #0 through Core #N — individual core temperatures. A large spread between cores (e.g., 20 °C difference) often means uneven thermal paste contact.
- CCD1 / CCD2 — on Ryzen 7900X / 7950X and similar, each chiplet reports its own temperature.
Each row shows four columns: Current, Minimum, Maximum, and Average. The maximum is what you want after leaving HWiNFO running during a gaming session or heavy workload — that’s the peak temperature your CPU hit under real load.
What Temperatures Are Normal?
Modern Intel and AMD CPUs are rated to run up to around 100 °C before throttling, but you never want to live there. Use these bands as a rule of thumb:
- Idle: 30–50 °C. Higher than 60 °C at idle points to background processes pinning a core, an unseated cooler, or poor case airflow.
- Gaming / medium load: 60–80 °C. Typical for mid-range cooling on a reasonably powerful CPU.
- Full synthetic load (Cinebench, stress test): 75–95 °C. Brief peaks above 90 °C are normal; sustained readings above 95 °C mean the CPU is thermal throttling.
- Danger zone: sustained readings over 95 °C under any real-world load. The CPU will throttle, reducing performance, and extended exposure shortens its lifespan.
Tip: If idle temps are high, reboot first — a software process running at 100% on one core will keep temps elevated. Task Manager’s CPU column tells you if something’s pegged. If CPU usage is near zero but temps are still high, the cooler is the problem.
What to Do If Your CPU Is Overheating
If HWiNFO shows sustained temperatures above 95 °C under normal load, work through these in order:
- Clean the PC. Dust in the CPU cooler, fan blades, and case filters is the most common cause of sudden temperature increases. Use a can of compressed air with the PC powered off.
- Check that the cooler is seated. A mount that’s come loose or a backplate that’s shifted will cause dramatic temperature spikes. Re-tension the mounting screws evenly.
- Reapply thermal paste. On desktops older than 3–4 years, the original paste is usually dried out. A pea-sized blob of fresh paste (Arctic MX-6, Thermal Grizzly Kryonaut) drops temps noticeably.
- Check fan curves in BIOS. Some manufacturers ship conservative fan profiles for noise. A custom fan curve that ramps to 100% at 70 °C can buy 10 °C of thermal headroom.
- Run a stability test to confirm. Use the AIDA64 System Stability Test with CPU, FPU, and cache ticked for an hour. If the machine still overheats, the cooler is undersized for the CPU.
If you want a deeper diagnostic workflow covering every major component, see my hardware diagnostic tests guide.
Alternative Temperature Tools
HWiNFO is the most complete free tool, but these alternatives are worth knowing about:
- LibreHardwareMonitor — open-source fork of OpenHardwareMonitor. Clean tree view, supports most recent hardware.
- Core Temp — lightweight, CPU-focused. Good if you only care about CPU cores and want a tiny app.
- HWMonitor (CPUID) — another free option with similar sensor coverage to HWiNFO.
- Ryzen Master — AMD’s official tool for Ryzen CPUs. Shows Tctl and per-CCD temperatures alongside PBO tuning.
- Intel XTU — Intel’s equivalent. Temperature readouts plus undervolt controls on unlocked CPUs.
If you’re also worried about drive temperatures (which can cause storage performance to drop), see my guide on how to check hard drive and SSD temperature on Windows.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is a safe CPU temperature under load?
Below 85 °C for sustained workloads, with brief spikes to 90 °C acceptable. Modern Intel and AMD CPUs throttle around 100 °C to protect themselves, but running near that limit shortens the chip’s lifespan and causes frame drops in games. If your CPU sits above 85 °C while gaming, your cooling needs attention.
Can I check CPU temperature without installing software?
Not on Windows. Some motherboard BIOS screens show a CPU temperature at boot, but that only reflects idle temps before Windows loads. For real-time monitoring while you use the PC, you need a third-party tool like HWiNFO, LibreHardwareMonitor, or Core Temp. Windows has no built-in CPU temperature readout.
Does overheating damage the CPU?
Brief spikes at 95–100 °C won’t damage a modern CPU — they’ll trigger thermal throttling, which drops the clock speed until temperatures recover. Sustained high temperatures over weeks or months can cause electromigration, which gradually degrades the chip. More immediately, overheating causes performance loss (throttling), random crashes, and shorter fan and VRM lifespan.
Why is one core hotter than the others?
On Intel CPUs, the hottest core is usually the one boosted highest by Turbo Boost — different cores reach different peak clocks depending on silicon quality. A spread of 5–15 °C between cores is normal. A spread of 20 °C or more points at uneven cooler contact; reseating the cooler with fresh thermal paste usually flattens the spread.
Does cleaning my PC reduce CPU temperature?
Yes, often dramatically. Dust builds up on cooler fins, case filters, and fan blades, restricting airflow and insulating the heatsink. In my shop I regularly see 15–20 °C drops after a thorough clean on PCs that haven’t been opened in years. Use compressed air with the PC unplugged, and blow through the cooler fins in both directions.
Should I keep HWiNFO running in the background all the time?
Only if you’re actively troubleshooting. For continuous monitoring, HWiNFO can minimise to the system tray or output selected sensors to a small gadget window. For casual use, launch it when you want to check temperatures and close it afterwards — there’s no benefit to leaving it running 24/7 on a healthy PC.
