Open Hardware Monitor
Monitor temperature, fan speed, and voltages of your hardware.
Open the official app on openhardwaremonitor.org
This tool is hosted by its maintainers. Click below to open openhardwaremonitor.org in a new tab — it's their official demo.
Browse developer tools →What's next with Open Hardware Monitor?
Choose how you want to get started.
Use it free
Open the official tool or demo — no account needed.
Self-host it
Run the open-source version on your own infrastructure.
What is Open Hardware Monitor?
Open Hardware Monitor is a free, open-source software tool designed to monitor critical hardware metrics on Windows and Linux systems. It tracks temperature sensors, fan speeds, voltages, load, and clock speeds of CPUs, GPUs, and storage devices. The tool is primarily used by PC enthusiasts, system builders, and IT professionals to ensure hardware stability during stress tests, gaming sessions, or long-term operation. It addresses the need for real-time hardware health monitoring by providing detailed insights into components like Intel/AMD processors, ATI/Nvidia GPUs, and SMART-enabled hard drives. By offering customizable display options and lightweight operation, it helps users preemptively detect overheating, voltage irregularities, or performance bottlenecks without requiring complex setup.
How it works
Open Hardware Monitor is a cross-platform tool that leverages hardware monitoring chips on motherboards to collect data from sensors. It provides a user-friendly interface to visualize metrics like CPU core temperatures, GPU fan speeds, and hard drive health. The software is particularly valuable for users who need to track system performance under load, such as during benchmarking or high-intensity gaming. Its primary purpose is to act as a diagnostic and monitoring utility, enabling users to identify potential hardware issues before they cause system instability. The tool supports both 32-bit and 64-bit Windows versions (XP to 10) and x86 Linux, making it accessible to a wide range of users. The tool monitors core temperatures for Intel and AMD processors, fan speeds for CPUs and GPUs, and voltage levels across critical components. It also reads SMART data from hard drives to track disk temperatures and health status. Users can display these metrics in a main window, a desktop gadget, or the system tray. Recent versions, like 0.9.6, added support for AMD Zen 3 (family 19h) CPUs, expanding compatibility with modern hardware.
How to use it
- 1Download the latest version from the official GitHub repository or sourceforge.net. 2. Install the.NET Framework 4.5 or later if prompted during setup. 3. Launch the application, which automatically detects hardware sensors. 4. Use the main window or system tray icon to view real-time metrics. For advanced users, the desktop gadget option allows quick access to critical data. Practical tips include checking for firmware updates on hardware components, using the 'Refresh' button to recalibrate sensor readings, and enabling logging for long-term analysis of hardware trends.
What it can do
- system monitoring
Use cases
Assumptions and limitations
Assumptions
- source: https://github.com/openhardwaremonitor/openhardwaremonitor
- license: MPL-2.0 — free to use
- privacy: Self-hosted — you control your data
Limitations
- Limited support for macOS and modern ARM-based Linux distributions.
- Requires the .NET Framework 4.5 or later on Windows, which may conflict with newer OS updates.
- No built-in cloud integration or remote monitoring capabilities.
- Some hardware sensors may not be accessible due to manufacturer restrictions or driver incompatibilities.
- Lacks real-time alert notifications beyond visual displays.
Understanding the result
Monitor temperature, fan speed, and voltages of your hardware.
Tool details
- Clearly flagged when a network request is needed.
- No account, no sign-up, and no tracking of your content.
- Powered by (MPL-2.0).
- Built with
- (openhardwaremonitor/openhardwaremonitor)
- License
- MPL-2.0
- Runs locally
- No — requires a network request
- Verification
- Not yet verified
- Input
- Query
- Output
- Text
Built with openhardwaremonitor/openhardwaremonitor. OpenToolVault provides the discovery and browser interface while crediting the original project maintainers.
- Built with
- License
- MPL-2.0
Open-source project
OpenToolVault is an independent directory. We are not affiliated with or endorsed by this project.
References
- / — GitHub Repository
Upstream project · GitHub
- MPL-2.0 License
Upstream project
Frequently asked
How does Open Hardware Monitor access hardware sensors?
The tool communicates with hardware monitoring chips on motherboards via the SMBus protocol. These chips, present in most modern motherboards, expose sensor data like temperatures and voltages. For GPUs and hard drives, it reads data from vendor-specific interfaces (e.g., NVidia's NVSMI for GPUs) or SMART protocols. This allows it to gather metrics without requiring additional hardware.
What hardware is supported by Open Hardware Monitor?
It supports Intel and AMD CPUs (including Ryzen and Zen 3 architectures), ATI and Nvidia GPUs, and SMART-enabled hard drives. Motherboards with hardware monitoring chips (e.g., SMSC, ITE, or VIA) are required for core temperature and fan speed tracking. Some systems may need updated BIOS/UEFI firmware to expose all sensors.
How do I install Open Hardware Monitor on Linux?
Download the source code from GitHub and compile it using a toolchain compatible with x86 Linux. Ensure the system has the necessary dependencies, such as the .NET runtime (if using the Windows-compatible version) or native libraries for Linux. For advanced users, compiling from source allows customization of sensor polling intervals and display options.
How does it compare to alternatives like HWMonitor or Core Temp?
Open Hardware Monitor offers broader hardware coverage by integrating motherboard sensors, GPUs, and storage devices, whereas HWMonitor focuses primarily on motherboard sensors. Core Temp specializes in CPU core temperatures but lacks fan speed and voltage monitoring. Open Hardware Monitor's advantage lies in its comprehensive, unified interface for multiple hardware components.
What should I do if sensors are not detected?
First, verify that the motherboard's hardware monitoring chip is enabled in BIOS/UEFI. Check for firmware updates for the motherboard and GPU. Ensure the .NET Framework is installed on Windows. If specific sensors (e.g., Ryzen temperatures) are missing, update to the latest version (e.g., 0.9.6+) which includes improved AMD support. Reinstalling the tool after disabling and re-enabling sensor access in the OS may resolve detection issues.