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Core Temp is a small Windows utility that answers one question well: how hot is each core of your processor right now? Rather than quoting a single figure measured somewhere near the socket, it queries the sensor built into the silicon itself, so a busy core and an idle one are shown for what they are.

It runs on Windows 11, Windows 10 and earlier releases, installs in seconds and then stays out of the way in the notification area. Because the reading comes from the processor and not from the board, the same chip reports comparable values wherever it is installed.

Readings update live, so you can watch the effect of a game, a render or a virus scan as it happens, and compare a quiet desktop with a machine under full load.

New here? Download Core Temp and follow the install steps, then read how to use Core Temp to make sense of the main window. If you only want to check your CPU temperature once, that guide covers the quickest routes. To interpret a reading, see the CPU temperature guide. Platform notes are on the Windows 11 and Windows 10 pages, and anything that misbehaves is covered under troubleshooting.

Per-core readings, straight from the processor

Intel, AMD and VIA all build a DTS (Digital Thermal Sensor) into their chips. It sits on the die next to the hottest circuitry, responds far faster than a board-mounted sensor and reports each core separately — which is exactly the detail a single averaged number throws away. Core Temp reads it directly, so results do not depend on which motherboard the chip is plugged into (how does it work?).
Every recent x86 processor from those three vendors supports it; the full list of supported processors is published separately.

Small, configurable and open to other software

Nothing has to be configured before the first reading appears, yet almost everything can be: which sensors reach the taskbar and in what colours, Celsius or Fahrenheit, how often the sensor is polled, logging to a file, and an overheat action that fires when a core crosses a limit you set.
Readings are also published to other programs through a plug-in interface, which is how the desktop gadget and third-party tools show the same values — the existing plug-ins live on the add-ons page, and the developer page documents the interface if you want to build your own.

What you need to run Core Temp

Core Temp goes mobile

Desktop gadget and Media Center add-on

CoreTempMC brings the readings into the Windows Media Center interface on Windows 7 and Vista, so the temperatures — and memory utilisation — can be checked from the couch with a remote rather than at the keyboard.

Version 1.20.1 - 2nd May, 2026

Version 1.20 - 4th April, 2026

- Add new notification tray configuration. It now allows you to show/hide any of the sensors that are available. This change means that existing color configs will be reset.
- Add a battery status indicator for the notification area.
- Add updated Mini-Mode.
- Add zoom setting for the main UI (in Options --> Settings --> Display)
- Add show Processor model name in a tool-tip when the name is too long to fit in the model field.

- Fix incorrect readings or missing readings or incorrectly mapped CPUs/cores on some Intel platforms.
- Fix driver security vulnerability.
- Fix BSOD on machines with Kernel-mode Hardware-enforced Stack Protection enabled.
- Fix BCLK detection on some Intel gen 10 and 11 systems.
- Fix BCLK detection in some situations on AMD K8 chips.
- Fix core temperature detection on some AMD Matisse, Rembrandt and Strix APUs.
- Fix TjMax for some Zen1 CPUs
- Fix Min/Max/Avg fields not recording changes while the Core Temp window is minimized
- Fix platform detection of LGA 2066 Kaby Lake processors.
- Fix temperature reporting on AMD AM2 CPUs (G-revision)
- Fix some AMD K8 (G-revision) CPU not detected on startup message
- Fix model name detection for K8 through K14 generations
- Fix Core Temp randomly crashing (caused by 3rd party SW)
- Fix Core Temp crash on start on some AMD Ryzens with a single CCD.
- Fix Core Temp starting at the wrong window position in certain situations.

- Change G15 applet to support displaying more than 8 temperatures, use the 3rd button to scroll to the next set of temps. And fix spacing for a less twitchy UI.
- Change ini file to correctly save each setting under its section (this may lead to some settings being reset to defaults)

Full change log

Supported CPU list

Publication attribution: ALCPU.org editorial resource. Documentation and attribution updated 2026-10-05. No hands-on Windows test is claimed.