How to check cpu temp windows 11?

[ethanwalker]

I want to monitor my CPU temperature on Windows 11 what’s the easiest/safest way? Can I check it from BIOS/Windows itself or do I need third-party tools? Recommendations for lightweight apps that show temps per core?

 

[captainghost]

Hey good question! Therefore, yes, at boot, when your PC loads, you can look at your BIOS/UEFI ( find something in there that says Hardware Monitor or PC Health Status ) and in some motherboards, the core temperatures of the CPUs will be displayed. However, the minute you start using windows you will feel the need to have some monitoring utility. I operate the free and lightweight Core Temp and it displays the temp of each core in real-time. It is just necessary to install it, run it, and you will see the numbers. Unless your idle temperatures are below, say, 50 degC, and your load performance falls below, say, 80-90 degree (depending on your CPU), then you are fine. When you are seeing crazy figures you would want to inspect your cooler, airflow etc.

 

[AngelinaFi]

My laptop was literally trying its level best to imitate a portable heater so yes I searched into this.
My impression: Windows 11 does not include an inbuilt show CPU temp gadget (regretting), so yes you will need a microscopic application. I did this just to play a game and look inside the temps, and now I leave Speccy like this to play games to seemingly be a nuclear power station. When one of the cores strikes as hard as 90-and-up and has no explanation why, then it is time to quit surfing Reddit and get your fans cleaned.

 

[jimmy]

I do say... do we really mind too much? Provided the PC is comfortable, nothing strange slows down, nothing strange fans going you really need to mother the temperatures?
With this said, yes, provided you care (also, provided you are overclocked or have a smaller PC case) you will need a monitoring tool. However, it can be excessive to run a third-party application just to be able to see a number every few minutes in case the system works well. You need to, choose something bare bones, such as Core Temp and do a check maybe once, install it, and forget it.

 

[ArthurMex]

For anyone with a custom build: you’ll want to monitor per‐core temps because sometimes one core runs hotter than the others (especially if boost/turbo is active). I’d recommend using HWiNFO (or similar) which lets you log temps over time, see min/max etc. If you find one core is consistently much hotter than others, you might check your cooler seating, thermal paste, airflow. Also keep in mind: the “safe temp” depends on your CPU model. Some CPUs are fine up to 100 °C before throttling. Always check your CPU’s specs (look up “TJ Max” for Intel/AMD).
Example: Tom’s Hardware notes “idle under 50 °C good, load under 80 °C (though some CPUs go higher by design)”.

 

[marcowayne]

I used Core Temp and Speccy and they worked fine. Just download from the official site, avoid random “temperature booster” junk. If you install something shady, yeah you might get into problems but that’s not the tool’s fault. Choose a known tool, maybe run a virus scan afterward, and you’re good. BIOS method is okay but too limited. For real use (gaming, multi‑tasking) you want real‐time monitoring.