This page gets one live sensor onto a Stream Deck key in about a minute, then points you at everything else.

Before you start. This is a Windows-only plugin that reads a running copy of HWiNFO. You need Windows 10 or later, Stream Deck software 6.9+, and HWiNFO publishing data on either Shared Memory Support (preferred) or Gadget reporting. If HWiNFO isn’t running yet, do that first: see Install & requirements.

1. Install the plugin

Install the plugin from the Elgato Marketplace, or double-click the .streamDeckPlugin file from GitHub Releases. The Stream Deck app asks you to confirm the install, then adds an HWiNFO Sensors category to the actions list on the right.

2. Drag “Sensor Reading” onto a key

In the actions list, open HWiNFO Sensors and drag Sensor Reading onto any empty key.

The key immediately shows a blue “Pick a sensor / in settings” screen. That’s the plugin working, waiting for you to choose what to display. The settings panel (the property inspector) opens below the canvas at the same time.

First run? The settings panel starts with a collapsible “First time? HWiNFO setup” tip that walks through the three HWiNFO steps: install and start HWiNFO in Sensors-only mode, enable Shared Memory Support (or, on the free version, right-click sensors and tick “Report value in Gadget”; no 12-hour limit), then pick a sensor. Expand it if you haven’t set HWiNFO up yet.

3. Pick a sensor

Click the Sensor search box to open the picker. It lists every reading HWiNFO is currently publishing:

• Grouped by source: CPU, GPU, drives, motherboard and so on, under headings that match HWiNFO’s own sensor names.
• Live values: each row shows the reading’s value, unit, and type (Temp, Fan, Power…), captured when the list loads; the ⟳ button re-reads them.
• Type to filter: search is multi-token: cpu die matches a row only if it contains both words, in any order, across the group name and the label. So gpu hot narrows straight to the GPU hotspot temperature.
• ⟳ refresh: reload the list if you just enabled a sensor in HWiNFO and want it to appear.

Click a row to select it. The Live value line just under the picker previews the chosen reading (current value plus min / max / avg), and the key on your deck switches from the blue prompt to the live number straight away.

That’s the whole loop: drag, pick, done. The key now updates roughly once a second (see Poll every under Advanced settings to change the rate). Your choice is stored by HWiNFO’s stable sensor identity, not by list position, so the key survives restarts and hardware reordering.

Where to go next

Everything below is optional; the defaults already give you a clean live reading.

• Sensor Reading (keys). Every key setting: custom Label, Show (current / min / max / average), Decimals, Unit (°F for temperatures), Layout (one reading, two stacked, three rows, or a quad grid of four), Display (sparkline, bar or ring), and press-to-cycle stat modes.
• Sensor details (drill-down). A key press can instead open a full page of related readings, with the pressed key staying live as the Back tile. One bundled view per deck type, installed on first use.
• Sensor Dial (Stream Deck +). The dial/touchscreen action for the Stream Deck + and + XL: rotate-to-switch, rotation sets, auto cycle, push-to-reset, and a session range bar.
• Dial controls & presets. The Legacy, Elite and Custom gesture presets, touch zones, pause/pin, reset reach, and the HWiNFO Control key action that drives dials from any key or pedal.
• Themes. The seven presets (Void, Graphite, Ultraviolet, Midnight, Forest, Ember, Paper), per-key vs. deck-wide, and type accents.
• Thresholds & alerts. Warn at / Critical at and the Direction flip for fan RPM, free space, and other alert-when-low readings.
• Data sources. Shared Memory vs. Gadget registry, what each gives you, and the automatic fallback.
• Status screens. What “Start HWiNFO”, “Shared Memory is off”, “Not updating”, “Access denied”, and “Sensor missing” mean and how to fix each.
• Hardware compatibility. What is physically verified (the Stream Deck + XL), what is SDK simulated, and how to report your own device.