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How to Check Your CPU’s Cache Size and Core Count in Windows

Use Task Manager to see CPU cores and logical processors, and PowerShell to retrieve reported L2 and L3 cache sizes in Windows.
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To check how many cores your CPU has, open Task Manager with Ctrl+Shift+Esc, select Performance > CPU, and read Cores. For cache-size fields, run a short PowerShell command to retrieve the Windows-reported L2 and L3 values; if they are missing or unclear, look up your exact processor model in its manufacturer’s official specifications.

Check CPU core and logical-processor counts in Task Manager

  1. Press Ctrl+Shift+Esc to open Task Manager. You can also right-click Start and select Task Manager.
  2. Open Performance. In Windows 11, it is in the navigation pane; in Windows 10, Microsoft’s instructions call it the Performance tab.
  3. Select CPU.
  4. Read the separate Cores and Logical processors values.

Cores is the physical core count. Logical processors is a different count that reflects the processor’s logical execution units, often called threads. If someone asks how many cores your CPU has, report the Cores value rather than substituting the logical-processor count. Microsoft documents this Task Manager method for Windows 11 and Windows 10. Microsoft’s instructions for finding processor cores also note that Windows 10 support ended on October 14, 2025; the PCs continue to function, but free Windows Update software updates, technical assistance, and security fixes ended.

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Check reported L2 and L3 cache sizes with PowerShell

Task Manager is the quickest built-in view for the counts, while PowerShell can return the processor model, core and logical-processor counts, and Windows-reported L2 and L3 cache-size fields together.

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  1. Open PowerShell from Start.
  2. Run this command:
Get-CimInstance -ClassName Win32_Processor |
  Select-Object Name, NumberOfCores, NumberOfLogicalProcessors, L2CacheSize, L3CacheSize

The Name field identifies the processor model. NumberOfCores and NumberOfLogicalProcessors correspond to the two counts shown in Task Manager. Microsoft documents the L2 and L3 cache fields in kilobytes and maps them to cache-handle information in SMBIOS processor data. The Win32_Processor class reference describes these properties, and Microsoft’s PowerShell computer-information guidance demonstrates retrieving processor information with Get-CimInstance.

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What the cache result does—and does not—tell you

The CIM/WMI fields provide reported L2 and L3 cache-size values. Microsoft’s documentation does not guarantee that those values enumerate every cache level or describe the complete per-core and shared-cache topology on every PC. Treat them as Windows-reported system information, not a full architectural diagram of how cache is divided or shared.

If a value is blank, zero, or surprising, use the processor model shown by the command’s Name field and find that exact model on the manufacturer’s official specification site. The model-specific specification is the better cross-check for cache details. Intel also offers processor-identification options, but its Processor Identification Utility is not supported across all processor generations; check Intel’s applicability information rather than assuming the utility works for every Intel CPU. Intel’s information on alternatives for unsupported processors outlines that limitation.

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Find the processor model with System Information

Windows’ System Information tool, launched by typing msinfo32 in Start or Run, provides a broader overview of hardware and software and can help identify the machine. Microsoft notes that System Information is limited in Safe Mode and that some information may require administrator privileges to update correctly. It is not documented as a guaranteed cache-topology viewer. See Microsoft’s System Information (Msinfo32.exe) overview.

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Choose the right method for the question

What you need Best place to look What it reports
Core count Task Manager > Performance > CPU The Cores value.
Logical-processor count Task Manager > Performance > CPU The separate Logical processors value.
Windows-reported cache fields and model name PowerShell Get-CimInstance query Processor Name, core and logical-processor counts, and L2/L3 cache sizes in the CIM data.
Model-specific cache specifications Official processor manufacturer specification Specification for the exact CPU model; use this when Windows cache values are absent or unclear.

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