Easily Check NVMe SSD Temperature in Linux

Monitoring your NVMe SSD temperature is crucial if you’re concerned about thermal throttling, system stability, or simply want to keep an eye on hardware health. On Linux, it’s surprisingly easy — and you don’t need a full-blown GUI tool to do it.

Here’s how you can quickly check your NVMe SSD temperature from the command line.

✅ 1. Use nvme CLI Tool (Best Method)

Most Linux distros support the nvme-cli utility, which gives direct access to NVMe drive stats — including temperature.

Install nvme-cli

sudo apt install nvme-cli        # Debian/Ubuntu

sudo dnf install nvme-cli        # Fedora

sudo pacman -S nvme-cli          # Arch

Check NVMe Temperature

sudo nvme smart-log /dev/nvme0

Look for this line in the output:

temperature  : 42 C

This is your current SSD temperature in Celsius.

💡 Tip: If you have more than one NVMe drive, they’ll be listed as /dev/nvme1, /dev/nvme2, etc.

✅ 2. Use smartctl (Part of smartmontools)

This tool works with all kinds of drives, including NVMe.

Install smartmontools

sudo apt install smartmontools

Check Temperature:

sudo smartctl -a /dev/nvme0

You’ll see a long readout. Look for a line like:

Temperature:                        40 Celsius

This gives you roughly the same info as nvme-cli, and can be useful if you’re already using SMART tools for health monitoring.

✅ 3. Use watch for Live Monitoring

If you want real-time temperature updates:

watch -n 1 'sudo nvme smart-log /dev/nvme0 | grep temperature'

This refreshes every second and shows the current temperature continuously.

✅ 4. Bonus: GUI Options

If you prefer a graphical interface:

• GNOME Disks: May show drive temperature under SMART Data.
• Psensor: Installable via package manager; shows temps for CPU, GPU, and drives.
• Hardinfo or KSysGuard: Depending on your distro and desktop environment.

Final Thoughts

Keeping tabs on your NVMe SSD’s temperature is quick and easy on Linux using tools like nvme-cli and smartctl. These lightweight, terminal-based solutions get you the info you need without the bloat.

If you’re running a server, gaming rig, or working with large data sets, consider monitoring SSD temps regularly — it’s one of the easiest ways to extend your drive’s life and avoid performance dips.

Have a question or want to automate this with a shell script? Let me know in the comments!