While people are at the greatest risk from high temperature during the summertime season , your Mac may be even more fragile . ( People can be water - cooled and no current Mac offers that option — thoughsomehavetried . ) An iPhone or iPad will warn you when it detects it ’s too hot before shut down , while a Mac may simply abruptly power off . If it does n’t power down , you may be take to the woods it to close to its maximum capacity and couch a mickle of additional wear in the appendage on components that might conk out later during other season .

Knowing the temperature is one thing . The other is how hotshouldyour internal components run?Apple saysyou should only use a Mac when the ambient temperature – the temperature around you – is in the range of 50 ° F to 95 ° F ( 10 ° to 35 ° C ) and 95 percent or lower humidity .

Internal factor bring forth far more oestrus than the ambient temperature , with around 100 ° F or 40 ° coulomb often the minimum at which they operate in normal indoor circumstances . CPUs , GPUs , ports , and other elements should n’t outgo about 192 ° F ( 89 ° C ) for prolonged catamenia . At 212 ° F ( 100 ° C ) , the stewing temperature for water at sea layer , you should either compute out what zip hogs are lay down your reckoner work that intemperately or shut the organization down for a while . ( clue : It ’s almost always a browser app . ) you may practice the Activity Monitor app inApplications > Utilitiesto look atEnergy Impactin theEnergycolumn for more particulars .

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TG Pro provides an enormous amount of detail on demand and control of built-in fans, but uses color coding and a menu bar summary for at-a-glance status.

Monitoring the Mac’s temperature

Modern Macs have an inordinate number of power sensors to observe problem and handle fan fastness in models that contain them – I count 34 using one tool on an M1 Mac mini . These sensors can be monitored with the right knowledge or software . ( Also show : Why is my Mac fan so loud ) .

On some Intel Macs , you could employ Terminal or a free public utility for canonic temperature monitoring . In Terminal enter the follow bidding and press return :

sudo powermetrics –samplers smc |grep -i " CPU break down temperature "

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TG Pro provides an enormous amount of detail on demand and control of built-in fans, but uses color coding and a menu bar summary for at-a-glance status.

( remark that those quotation German mark are straight double - quotes . ) Enter your administrative password when inspire . This will leave a uninterrupted temperature reading material of the CPU ’s temperature . Press Control - C to stop the monitoring .

you may also instal the free appFanny(not the most perfect name for U.K. and other Commonwealth Mac owners ) , which offers a dewy-eyed drop curtain - down set of info in the menu bar or as a notifications widget . Details let in the modal processor and GPU temperature along with current buff speeding .

For any Intel Mac and M - series Mac , the utility TG Pro($20 but often on sale for $ 10 ) provides detailed monitoring and rooter control . you’re able to see the temperature record by every sensor in your Mac and for hard magnetic disk andSSDsthat support the industriousness - standard SMART diagnostics . Information and controls are available both in a standard app window and a drop - down fare bar . That cake shows the highest port and CPU temperature and the current fan rotation .

Fanny

you could also supervise the speed of internal fans and override Apple ’s mount . This includes creating rules for when fan and how fast fan run . The app hail with a predetermined rule that turn the blades up to their maximum rotation if the highest temperature of any CPU parameter is at least 158 ° F ( 70 ° C ) .

Best Mac Temperature Monitoring apps

Fanny

TG Pro

Ask Mac 911

We ’ve compiled a list of the questions we get take most often , along with answers and linkup to columns :   record our super FAQ   to see if your interrogation is covered . If not , we ’re always looking for novel problems to solve ! Email yours tomac911@macworld.com , let in screen captures as appropriate and whether you need your full name used . Not every enquiry will be answered , we do n’t reply to email , and we can not provide direct troubleshooting advice .