Home > Download > Windows 10

Core Temp on Windows 10

Plenty of perfectly good desktops and laptops are still running Windows 10, and they are exactly the machines where temperature is worth watching — older coolers, older paste, years of dust. Core Temp runs on Windows 10 the same way it always has, and this page covers the setup end to end.

Installing

1. Download the installer from the download page.
2. Confirm the account-control prompt so the driver that reads the sensor can be loaded.
3. Look at the component screen before clicking through — any optional third-party offer has its own checkbox.
4. Launch the program; readings appear as soon as the processor is identified.

On a machine you do not want to alter, the portable archive is the better option: unpack, run, delete when you are done.

Temperatures in the taskbar

The notification area is the most useful part of the program on a daily basis. Pick the sensors you care about in the settings, then drag the icon out of the hidden-icons flyout so it stays visible next to the clock. Colour thresholds make an abnormal reading obvious from across the desk.

Older hardware, older habits

On a system that has been in service for a few years, a high reading is far more often a maintenance issue than a hardware failure. Before changing anything in software, take the side panel off, clear the heatsink fins, and check that every fan still spins freely. Then record an idle and a load figure so you can tell whether the cleaning helped — the CPU temperature guide explains what to compare.

Support status

Core Temp also supports Windows 8.1, 7 and XP, so the same build works across a mixed set of machines. If you have moved a machine to the current Windows release, the Windows 11 page covers what is "different there.

If something does not work

Missing readings, an icon that never appears, or a program that will not start are covered on the troubleshooting page.