Computers have evolved quite a lot over the last few years. Most of that comes from the internals getting more attention -- they've shrunk in size and gotten better at power consumption and performance. But the kind of things we do with computers have also gotten more power-intensive, which means even the most efficient computers will heat up at some point. While today's machines are designed to function at high CPU temperatures, it can lead to performance issues.

The good news is you don't need a thermal gun or any other special equipment to check your temps. Computers come with built-in sensors you can use to check system temperatures. However, you will need a third-party utility to access the data from those sensors. Here's how you can check your computer's CPU temperature.

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Checking CPU temperature on a Windows PC

There are many utilities for tracking your computer's CPU temperatures in Windows. These utilities also let you do other things, like adjust the fan speeds for your cabinet and CPU cooler fans and, in some cases, overclock your CPU and GPU. A good example of such a tool is MSI Afterburner (and, yes, it works on non-MSI components).

These kinds of utilities are great as all-purpose solutions, but they can be overwhelming to new users. Moreover, you wouldn't want to accidentally mess with settings you don't understand. If you just want to monitor your PC's CPU temperature, we recommend using a simple utility like Core Temp. The Core Temp app is straightforward, and you can follow the steps below to check CPU temp on your Windows PC.

• Download and install the Core Temp app from the official website. We recommend the 64-bit standalone version of the app for most users.
• Run Core Temp, either from the option at the end of the installation wizard or from the desktop icon.
• To check your CPU temperature, look next to the CPU #0 or Core #0 field under Temperature readings.

Core Temp will show you a lot of data even on the default screen, mainly the different temperature readouts from each CPU core, but the CPU #0 figure is the temperature you want to monitor.

If you want to monitor temps regularly, you can keep Core Temp running on your taskbar. Follow these steps:

• Run Core Temp.
• Click the Options button on the menu bar of Core Temp, and click Settings.
• Click the Notification Area tab in the new window that opens.
• Under the Notification Area Icon, select Highest temperature per processor. Configure the appearance under the Colors option.
• Click Apply.
• Open the system tray on your Windows taskbar by clicking the Up arrow located near the Clock, typically on the right side of the taskbar, to see the current CPU temperature. It will be a number with the appearance as tweaked in the last step.
• If you want the temperature to always be readily visible, click, hold and drag the temperature readout down to the taskbar and release to pin it to the taskbar.

If you're a power user, you can use this app with its many plug-ins to get more data and control. If you want to monitor GPU temps instead, you can use a utility like GPU Temp.

Checking CPU temperature on a Mac

For Macs, we recommend using the temperature monitoring utility Hot from XS Labs. There are a few other utilities, but they're big on features you don't need if you just want to monitor CPU temperatures. Follow the steps below to monitor CPU temp on Mac.

• Download the latest version of the Hot MacOS menu bar app from its official GitHub page.
• Run the app from the download location, typically the Downloads folder.
• The Hot app will start on the menu bar and show you the current CPU temperature on the right side.
• Click the Hot icon in the menu bar (it'll be a fire symbol with a temperature readout next to it) to see more details about the thermals, temperature graph and more.

If you want to tweak it further, you can click the Hot icon and click Preferences. If you'd like to keep the temperature monitor on the menu bar constantly, you can enable the Start at login option in the same Preferences window.

Note that Hot will give you readouts from all the temperature sensors in your Mac, but the default readout is the CPU temperature you want.

Why should you monitor CPU temperature?

Computers are designed to heat up a little, but depending on what you're doing and the temperature of their environment, they can overheat. Case in point -- my gaming PC with an AMD Ryzen 9 7950X and Nvidia GeForce RTX 3080 gets pretty toasty when gaming, and my M3 Pro MacBook Pro also gets warm when I push it with one too many Google Chrome tabs. High temps can result in things as small as increased fan noise to bigger issues like slow performance, a system shutdown and increased wear on components.

That being said, you can use a CPU temp monitor utility to monitor the temperatures to ensure they're not too high. You'd need to begin by checking the normal ranges of temperature for your CPU according to the manufacturer.

However, note the CPU temperature is different from the operating temperature. CPU temperature is the temperature of the actual chip itself, and it runs quite high, with some modern CPUs reaching up to 95-100 degrees Celsius (203-212 degrees Fahrenheit). On the other hand, operating temperature, as commonly listed by manufacturers, is the temperature range of the environment (e.g. your room) in which your computer can function properly.

Understanding CPU temperatures and thermal throttling

So why should you monitor CPU temps? Once the CPU hits its maximum operating temperature, CPU performance is largely throttled to prevent damage. This upper limit is known as maximum thermal junction temperature, aka TJMax (not to be confused with T.J. Maxx, the retailer, of course).

If your CPU hits this point very often, that means it's being held back from performing to its fullest and is also getting worn out in the process. If you monitor CPU temperature, you can check if this is happening and try to fix the underlying issue.

Overheating can happen due to a few issues, like improper thermal paste application or thermal paste drying out, dirt and debris getting caught in the internals and fans, blocking airflow, etc. In any case, if you notice overheating, you need to get the underlying issue solved.

CPU usage is typically proportionate to your usage, so if it's high all the time, the CPU temperature will be higher than usual. Instead of an external cooling solution, it's better to ensure your computer's internal cooling system is functioning properly.

Sometimes, just closing or uninstalling an app that is malfunctioning may help lower your CPU temperature. It could be the dirt and debris on your computer are making it heat up. To remedy that, you can follow our guide on how to clean your MacBook, which also applies to other laptops. If it's a PC that's overheating or if the debris seems to be on the inside of your laptop, we recommend taking it to a professional to get it serviced.