How to View CPU, RAM, Disk, and Network Usage in the macOS Menu Bar

If you want to keep an eye on your Mac without leaving Activity Monitor open, the menu bar is the most convenient place to put live system information. A free, open-source app called Stats can show CPU, memory, disk, and network activity directly in the macOS menu bar, with each module configurable on its own.

The current Stats project supports stable releases of macOS 12 Monterey and later. Its official documentation lists CPU utilization, memory usage, disk utilization, and network usage among its core features. Download it only from the official Stats GitHub repository or its linked release files.

Install Stats on macOS

1. Open the latest Stats release page and download the DMG.
2. Open Stats.dmg, then drag Stats into the Applications folder.
3. Launch Stats from Applications. macOS may ask you to confirm that you want to open an app downloaded from the internet.
4. If you use Homebrew, you can install the same app from Terminal with brew install stats.

Show CPU, RAM, Disk, and Network usage in the menu bar

After Stats launches, open its settings and enable the modules you actually want to watch. The app separates system information into modules such as CPU, Memory, Disk, and Network, so you do not have to fill the menu bar with every available sensor.

1. Enable the CPU module and select a menu bar widget that gives you the level of detail you want.
2. Enable Memory to keep an eye on RAM usage without opening another window.
3. Enable Disk if you want a quick view of storage or disk activity.
4. Enable Network to watch current upload and download activity.

Once a module and at least one of its menu bar widgets are enabled, its readout appears at the top of the screen. Depending on the module and current Stats version, you can use compact text, charts, bars, or other widget styles. The goal is to keep the display readable rather than show every possible metric at once.

Customize the Stats menu bar widgets

Stats is most useful when you trim it down to the measurements you check regularly. Open the settings for a module to adjust its menu bar presentation, then repeat that for the other modules.

• Choose a clearer widget style. A numeric readout is useful when you want a precise value, while a small graph makes short spikes easier to spot.
• Disable modules you do not need. Fewer active readers can reduce clutter and unnecessary background work.
• Rearrange menu bar items. The Stats documentation notes that macOS controls menu bar ordering. Hold the Command key and drag a menu bar item to reposition it.
• Start Stats automatically. If you want the readings available after every sign-in, enable Stats' launch-at-login option. You can also review startup apps under System Settings > General > Login Items & Extensions; Apple documents those controls in its Mac login items guide.

If Stats is running but nothing appears in the menu bar

On macOS 26, there is an additional menu bar privacy control. The Stats project specifically warns that the app can be running with modules enabled while its icons remain hidden until macOS allows the app to show menu bar items.

1. Open System Settings.
2. Select Menu Bar.
3. Find Stats under the apps allowed in the menu bar.
4. Turn Stats on, then return to the app and confirm that the module and widget you want are also enabled.

If the Wi-Fi network name inside Stats appears as Unknown, that is a separate permission issue: the project's documentation says macOS requires Location Services access to read the Wi-Fi network name. You can grant that permission under System Settings > Privacy & Security > Location Services, then quit and reopen Stats.

Stats vs. Activity Monitor

Activity Monitor remains the better tool when you need to investigate a specific process, sort apps by CPU or memory use, or diagnose a performance problem. Stats solves a different problem: it keeps a small, persistent summary of your Mac's CPU, RAM, disk, and network activity visible at a glance. For everyday monitoring, that makes it much faster to notice sustained load, heavy memory use, disk activity, or an unexpected burst of network traffic.