To fix Open Hardware Monitor not showing CPU temperatures, run it as administrator, enable CPU under File > Hardware, and reveal hidden sensors. If readings remain missing, try fresh application files, check for a blocked driver, and use a separate monitoring application when hardware compatibility is the issue.
The main steps use original Open Hardware Monitor 0.9.6. The separately maintained HardwareMonitor/OpenHardwareMonitor 3.x fork has different controls, covered below.
The short version
- Start with permissions: Most hardware sensors require administrator rights.
- Check visibility: Enable CPU monitoring, show hidden sensors, and restore the current-value column.
- Check driver warnings: Administrator rights cannot overcome a blocked driver or unsupported hardware.
- Try another application: Libre Hardware Monitor is a separate option for checking the missing temperature.
| Check or option | When it helps | Scope or limitation |
|---|---|---|
| Administrator privileges | Sensors lack access | Original 0.9.6 on Windows |
| CPU monitoring | Processor monitoring is disabled | Supported Intel and AMD processors |
| Hidden sensors | A temperature was hidden | Restores deliberately hidden sensors |
| Value column | Names appear without current readings | Original 0.9.6 display setting |
| Tray and gadget controls | A reading is missing outside the main window | Requires a detected sensor |
| Mainboard monitoring | Checking motherboard temperatures | Requires a supported monitoring chip |
| Fresh official download | Checking with clean files and settings | Extract the complete package into a new folder |
| Zen 3 support update | An older original release misses an AMD Zen 3 CPU | Original 0.9.6 added this support |
| Hardware detection reset | Retrying detection in the current session | Does not add hardware support |
| Saved settings reset | Checking without saved preferences | Back up the configuration first |
| Code Integrity log | Investigating driver blocking | Windows 10 and Windows 11 |
| Defender exclusion | Confirmed WinRing0 detection | Microsoft discourages this workaround |
| Memory Integrity workaround | A notification identifies this blocker | Seek a compatible update first |
| Vulnerable driver blocklist | Windows reports a blocked driver | Diagnostic check on Windows 11 |
| Libre Hardware Monitor | Checking with a separate monitoring application | Compatible Windows PCs |
| PawnIO installation | Libre Hardware Monitor requests its driver | Libre Hardware Monitor 0.9.6 |
| Same-name fork download | Trying its additional hardware support | Separate HardwareMonitor project |
| Fork visibility controls | Menus or sensors are hidden in the fork | HardwareMonitor fork 3.0.9795 |
| Fork update controls | Updating the separate fork | HardwareMonitor fork 3.x |
| Fork browser display | A detected temperature is missing in the browser | Restore the desktop reading first |
| UEFI temperature check | Cross-checking a firmware reading | Specified steps apply to ASUS ROG X870E-series boards |
| Diagnostic report | Investigating compatibility | Does not guarantee a fix |
Run Open Hardware Monitor as administrator
Exit Open Hardware Monitor, right-click OpenHardwareMonitor.exe, and select Run as administrator. If Windows requests consent, select Yes, then check the CPU readings again. Open Hardware Monitor says most hardware sensors are inaccessible without administrator rights.
Administrator privileges cannot overcome unsupported hardware or a blocked driver. If the temperature is still missing, continue with the monitoring and display settings.
Restore CPU monitoring and visible readings
Open File > Hardware and check CPU. Expand the processor entry in the sensor tree to inspect its readings. This enables CPU monitoring for supported Intel and AMD processors.
Next, open View and check Show Hidden Sensors, then expand the processor and temperature branches. Right-click a hidden temperature sensor and select Unhide. This restores a deliberately hidden sensor; it cannot recover an undetected sensor.
When sensor names appear without their current readings, open View > Columns and check Value. Expand the CPU sensor branches again and inspect the current temperatures.
If a temperature appears in the main window but is missing from the tray, right-click that sensor and check Show in Tray. For the desktop gadget, right-click the sensor and check Show in Gadget, then open View and check Show Gadget. Both displays require an already detected temperature sensor.
You can also inspect motherboard-provided temperatures by opening File > Hardware and checking Mainboard. Expand the motherboard sensor branches to inspect temperatures from a supported monitoring chip. Do not assume an unidentified channel measures CPU cores, because motherboard readings may differ from processor core or package temperatures.
Try fresh files and reset saved preferences
Open the official Open Hardware Monitor download page and select Download Now Open Hardware Monitor 0.9.6. Extract the complete ZIP into a new folder, then run OpenHardwareMonitor.exe with administrator privileges. A fresh folder lets you check detection without carrying over existing settings or mismatched files.
If you have an AMD Zen 3 processor and an older original release, use the complete 0.9.6 package. Version 0.9.6 added AMD family 19h, or Zen 3, CPU support. That addition does not establish compatibility with subsequent processor generations.
The hardware reset command reinitializes hardware detection. To retry detection in an existing session, select File > Reset. This retries detection without adding hardware support.
Resetting saved settings clears display and hardware-selection preferences, so preserve them by backing up OpenHardwareMonitor.config before renaming it. Select File > Exit, back up and rename that file in the application folder, then reopen OpenHardwareMonitor.exe. This starts the application without its saved customization, but it cannot fix unsupported processors or Windows driver blocks.
Check Windows driver warnings
On Windows 10 or Windows 11 installations affected by driver-blocking policies, open Event Viewer > Applications and Services Logs > Microsoft > Windows > CodeIntegrity > Operational. Review driver-blocking information with the administrator. Running the application as administrator does not override these policies.
On a managed computer, ask the administrator to assess App Control and driver policies and provide a compatible monitoring application. If Microsoft Defender identifies VulnerableDriver:WinNT/Winring0, Microsoft lists Open Hardware Monitor among the affected applications. An antivirus exclusion does not override every driver-blocking mechanism.
Microsoft discourages its temporary exclusion workaround because the WinRing0 vulnerability is real. If that exact Defender detection is confirmed and you choose the workaround, on Windows 11 open Start > Settings > Privacy & security > Windows Security > Virus & threat protection. On Windows 10, open Settings > Update & Security > Windows Security > Virus & threat protection.
Under Virus & threat protection settings, select Manage settings. Under Exclusions, select Add or remove exclusions, then select Add an exclusion and choose the affected file or folder. If driver blocking continues, seek a compatible application or driver.
If a driver-load notification specifically identifies Memory Integrity as the blocker, first seek a compatible driver or application update. Microsoft's fallback applies only when that feature prevents the required driver from loading and policy permits changing the setting. Disabling it reduces protection and is not a general missing-temperature fix.
For that fallback on Windows 11, open Start > Settings > Privacy & security > Windows Security > Device Security > Core isolation details. On Windows 10, open Settings > Update & Security > Windows Security > Device Security > Core isolation details. Turning off Memory Integrity reduces protection. Set Memory Integrity to Off and restart.
On Windows 11, open Windows Security > Device security and inspect the core-isolation security settings, including Microsoft vulnerable driver blocklist. Memory Integrity, Smart App Control, or S mode can enforce that blocklist, so an antivirus exclusion is insufficient in those cases. When Windows reports a blocked driver, seek a compatible application or driver.
Check temperatures with Libre Hardware Monitor
Libre Hardware Monitor is a separate application you can use to check whether it detects the missing CPU temperature on a compatible Windows PC. Open its official releases page and choose the latest stable release, listed as v0.9.6. Download the application package rather than a source-code archive.
Launch Libre Hardware Monitor and respond to its PawnIO driver prompt if one appears. When it asks to install PawnIO because the driver is missing, select OK; when it asks to update an outdated PawnIO driver, select OK. These prompts belong to Libre Hardware Monitor 0.9.6.
Check whether this application detects the CPU temperature. Libre Hardware Monitor and original Open Hardware Monitor share the version number 0.9.6, but they are separate projects. Installing PawnIO for Libre Hardware Monitor does not add PawnIO support to the original application.
Use the right controls for the same name fork
The HardwareMonitor/OpenHardwareMonitor 3.x fork is another separately maintained project with additional hardware support. Get its package from the fork's official releases page, where the listed release is 3.0.9795. Treat it as a separate fork rather than an official update from the original project.
In fork version 3.0.9795, press Alt if the menu is hidden, then open File > Hardware and check CPU. Select View > Expand All Nodes, then check Show Hidden Sensors under View. Right-click a hidden CPU or sensor and select Unhide.
Press F5 to reset detection in this fork. These additional commands and shortcuts apply to the fork, so use the original application's menu steps when running original 0.9.6.
Cross check temperatures in supported ASUS firmware
For an ASUS ROG X870E-series motherboard, you can inspect firmware temperatures to help distinguish software-access trouble from a broader sensor problem. Restart the computer and press Delete or F2 during the startup self-test, then press F7 for Advanced Mode.
Open Monitor > Temperature Monitor and inspect CPU Temperature and CPU Package Temperature. This check does not repair Open Hardware Monitor. Other motherboard manufacturers and models use different keys and menus, so use these steps only for the specified ASUS boards.
Save a report when detection still fails
In original Open Hardware Monitor 0.9.6, select File > Save Report... and save the hardware report. Use the original project's GitHub support channel to report the missing CPU sensor, including your processor model, Windows version, application version, and any driver warning. A report supplies diagnostic information for a compatibility investigation, but it does not guarantee a fix or response.
Frequently Asked Questions
What does original Open Hardware Monitor need to run?
Original Open Hardware Monitor 0.9.6 requires .NET Framework 4.5 or later on Windows. On Linux, it requires Mono with WinForms.
Can Open Hardware Monitor check for updates from inside the app?
In the HardwareMonitor/OpenHardwareMonitor 3.x fork, select Help > Check for updates, or press Ctrl + U. For automatic updates, open Options and check Auto-Update Application. Original Open Hardware Monitor 0.9.6 does not provide these update controls.
How do you restore a missing temperature in the fork's browser display?
First restore the sensor in the fork's desktop application, then open Options > Remote Web Server, check Run, and select Open. Hidden sensors are omitted from the server output, so enable Show Hidden Sensors or unhide the sensor. The browser view, JSON, WMI, and monitoring integrations reuse detected readings and cannot independently recover an undetected sensor.
Does Reset Min/Max retry hardware detection?
Selecting View > Reset Min/Max clears recorded minimum and maximum readings. To reinitialize hardware detection in original Open Hardware Monitor 0.9.6, select File > Reset.