How to check your Mac's CPU temperature and fans

macOS has no panel that shows the temperature of your Mac’s CPU: Activity Monitor tells you how hard the processor is working, not how hot it is. To read it, you need an app. Here’s how to see it, how to set the fans, and what to check when they spin more than usual.

How to check the CPU temperature on a Mac

Revs puts the CPU temperature in the menu bar, always in view. Hover over it to read the full value; click it and a panel opens with the details.

Next to the temperature you can show 5 other modules: CPU, memory, disk, network (with upload and download apart) and battery. Each module turns on and off and goes where you want it, shown as a number, a graph or a name over its value. Revs is written in Swift and goes online only for its License and updates: what it reads from your Mac stays on your Mac.

To read the temperature sensors, Revs uses a privileged helper, a small system component that installs only with your consent. Say no and the rest of the app still works.

Can Terminal show the CPU temperature?

Not in degrees, on a Mac with Apple silicon. powermetrics, the command-line tool built into macOS, has a thermal sampler, and it reports thermal pressure, not a temperature: we checked its samplers on macOS 27.0.1 with an M1 Pro, and none of them gives the temperature of the CPU. For a number in degrees you need an app that reads the sensors.

Fan control: automatic, manual, maximum

Click the temperature in the menu bar and choose how the fans run:

Automatic: macOS decides, as always.
Manual: you set the speed with a slider.
Maximum cooling: every fan at its limit.

There are safety nets. Above 95 °C, reduced speeds switch back to automatic on their own, and if you quit Revs, the fans go back to macOS. Maximum cooling is always there.

If your Mac has no fans, like a MacBook Air with Apple silicon, Revs shows the temperatures and there’s nothing to set.

Mac fans loud or always running: what to check

A Mac that heats up under load is normal: if it has fans, they start on their own to cool it down. If they run hard while you’re doing nothing heavy, Apple suggests a few checks:

Which apps are busy. Activity Monitor shows what’s using the CPU. In Revs, click the CPU module and you see the apps keeping it busy.
Updates. Install the updates for macOS and your apps.
Air. Use your laptop on a stable surface with good ventilation, not on a bed, a pillow or anything soft that covers its vents.
The room. Apple says to use Mac laptops where the temperature is between 10 and 35 °C (50 to 95 °F).
A restart. Close and open the lid, or restart your Mac.

Apple also says not to rely on temperature apps from other developers to diagnose a problem: if it doesn’t go away, contact Apple Support. An app like Revs helps you see what’s going on, and it’s not a hardware diagnosis.

Source: Apple, Keep your Mac laptop within acceptable operating temperatures, page of 2 April 2026.

With the temperature always in view and the busy apps 1 click away, you find out faster what’s heating your Mac up: a browser tab, a video export, a process left running.

What Revs costs

Revs costs $9.99 plus tax, once, and works on macOS 14 or later, on Macs with Apple silicon or Intel. Until 9 November 2026 the launch price is $4.99. No subscription: the license covers 5 active Macs, every update is free forever, and if it’s not for you, you have 30 days for a full refund. The rules are in the House Rules.

Try Revs in your browser: its page has a Demo that simulates the app, with nothing to install. If your Mac is often plugged in, read how to limit your MacBook’s battery charge too.