Linux: Read out CPU temperature - how it works

With the Linux console you can read out the temperature of the CPU. We show you which packages you need and how you can display the temperature.

Install the package

To display the temperature, you need the "lm-sensors" package. You can download this from the console with the following command:

• "sudo apt-get install lm-sensors"

Determine sensors

Then you should check the mainboard for existing sensors.

• Enter "sudo sensors-detect".
• The tool is now looking for sensors. Confirm the inquiries with "Yes".

Display temperature under Linux

To display the sensor data, enter "sensors" in the console.

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In addition to the processor temperature, the "acpi" tool also shows the capacity of the battery.

• "acpi -t" shows you the CPU temperature.
• With "acpi -i" you can see the battery level, remaining battery life and total capacity
• If the command is not found, reinstall the package. To do this, enter "sudo apt-get install apci".

These instructions, especially the command to install the package, refer to Linux distributions based on Debian (e.g. Ubuntu).

Read this practical tip to find out how to find out your kernel version under Linux.