How to check hard drive temperature in Linux

Maintaining your hard drive within its optimal temperature range is crucial for extending its lifespan. By keeping an eye on its temperature, you can ensure the longevity of your hard drive.

Modern hard drives, including both traditional magnetic and Solid State Drives (SSDs), usually feature built-in temperature sensors. These sensors are managed by the hard drive's S.M.A.R.T. (Self-Monitoring, Analysis, and Reporting Technology) system, which allows for temperature monitoring.

In Linux, you can use the hddtemp command-line utility to monitor your hard drive's temperature.

1. Open a terminal application.
2. Install the hddtemp utility.

   $ sudo apt update && sudo apt install --assume-yes hddtemp 

3. Start the hddtemp service.

   $ sudo systemctl start hddtemp

4. Configure the hddtemp service to automatically start during system boot.

   $ sudo systemctl enable hddtemp
   hddtemp.service is not a native service, redirecting to systemd-sysv-install.
   Executing: /lib/systemd/systemd-sysv-install enable hddtemp

5. Identify available disk drives.

   $ lsblk | grep disk
   sda      8:0    0 465.8G  0 disk

6. Monitor the temperature of a chosen disk drive.

   $ sudo hddtemp /dev/sda
   /dev/sda: TOSHIBA MQ01ACF050: 39°C