Quick CPU FAQ: Does Quick CPU Work on Your PC?

Yes. Windows 10 and Windows 11 are both supported, 64-bit only, and the installer is the same file for either one. There is no separate build to pick. Our system requirements page covers the edge cases.

Yes, for monitoring and for power-plan control. Where AMD and Intel diverge is the advanced tuning: per-core turbo ratio limits and Intel Speed Shift are Intel-only features, so those panels stay inactive on a Ryzen machine. Everything on the main dashboard works either way.

Yes, and laptops are where it tends to be most useful — the AC/battery toggle lets you apply one set of processor settings when plugged in and another on battery, which is exactly the split most laptop owners want.

No. Core parking, turbo behaviour and power plans are machine-wide Windows settings, and Windows will not let any application change them from a standard account. Expect a UAC prompt when the installer runs and again when the app applies a change. On a managed work laptop this is usually the thing that blocks you.

Partly, and this trips people up. It installs and monitors fine, but the CPU control sliders go inert because the hypervisor owns those settings, not Windows. The app says so directly with an "Incompatible OS feature enabled" warning. If your sliders look stuck, check whether Hyper-V or virtualisation-based security is switched on — that is the usual cause, not a broken install.

Generally yes, but two tools writing the same processor settings will fight. Reading sensors alongside HWiNFO or Task Manager is harmless; running ThrottleStop or ParkControl at the same time and having both apply settings is not. Pick one to do the writing. See how it compares to the alternatives.

Yes. The version covered throughout this site is free, with no trial period, no watermark and no feature locked behind a payment. The About dialog lists the licence as "Free version". There is a paid Pro tier the developer promotes inside the app, but nothing described on this site depends on it.

No. No sign-up, no licence key, no email. It does not need an internet connection either once installed — the only thing that reaches the network is the optional update check.

CoderBag, the developer, and nowhere else. Because this is closed-source freeware it is the kind of app that gets repackaged on third-party download portals, sometimes with extras bundled in. Our Quick CPU download page links to the developer's own file rather than mirroring a copy.

Only if you tell it to. "Minimize to system tray when closing" and "Start application on system startup" are both in the Options menu and both off by default. Left alone, closing the window ends the process.

Not by themselves. Processor settings are applied at runtime, so a restart returns them to whatever Windows defaults to. If you want them to stick, enable startup launch in Options and save the combination as a custom profile set to apply on startup.

Edit → Temperature units → Fahrenheit. Every reading in the app changes over, including the charts and the sensor list.

Not in the voltage-and-multiplier sense. It adjusts turbo power limits, per-core turbo ratios and Windows power management, which goes further than most people expect but stops short of real overclocking. Our page on whether Quick CPU overclocks draws the line precisely.

The settings it exposes are ones Windows and your firmware already expose; it does not lift voltage or bypass thermal protection. Your processor still throttles itself if it gets too hot. The realistic risk is instability from an aggressive profile, not hardware damage — and the app asks for confirmation before applying a preset.