Rock may undergo thermal microcracking when heated, affecting its physical, mechanical, thermal, and transport properties. Thermal microcrack monitoring in the laboratory has mainly been performed during heating, and rarely during the cyclic heating and cooling relevant for volcanoes and geothermal reservoirs. For this, a new dedicated apparatus for the acoustic emission monitoring and wave velocity measurement at high temperatures was elaborated, building on previous designs. Microcrack damage was assessed with a new algorithm for quantitative microstructural analysis, and the influence of thermal microcracks on rock properties was measured and modelled. Depending on the rock type and initial microcrack content, microcracking occurred during either heating, cooling, or neither, and existing microcracks reversibly opened or closed with increasing temperature. In Earth's crust, the evolution of rock properties with temperature may be significant and is determined by the microstructure.