[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":35},["ShallowReactive",2],{"doc-en-status-monitor":3},{"meta":4,"html":10,"headings":11,"raw":34},{"title":5,"description":6,"icon":7,"order":8,"updated":9},"System Status Monitor","Watch live CPU, memory, disk and network activity in the menu bar, the status panel or a floating window, and free up memory quickly.","menu-bar",11,"2026-10-28","\u003Cp>WashBear can stay in the menu bar and show live CPU, memory, disk and network readings. Click a reading to open a detailed status panel, or show the readings in a floating window on your desktop instead.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Ch2 id=\"turn-on\">\u003Ca class=\"heading-anchor\" href=\"#turn-on\" aria-hidden=\"true\" tabindex=\"-1\">#\u003C\u002Fa>Turn it on and choose where it appears\u003C\u002Fh2>\n\u003Cp>In \u003Cstrong>Settings → General\u003C\u002Fstrong>, find \u003Cstrong>System status\u003C\u002Fstrong> and turn on the switch (it is on by default), then click \u003Cstrong>Configure…\u003C\u002Fstrong> to adjust what it shows. Under \u003Cstrong>Display mode\u003C\u002Fstrong>, choose:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cul>\n\u003Cli>\u003Cstrong>Menu bar\u003C\u002Fstrong>: readings appear in the menu bar at the top of the screen. This is the default.\u003C\u002Fli>\n\u003Cli>\u003Cstrong>Floating window\u003C\u002Fstrong>: readings appear in a small window on your desktop, and the menu bar keeps only the WashBear icon.\u003C\u002Fli>\n\u003Cli>\u003Cstrong>Both\u003C\u002Fstrong>: readings appear in both places.\u003C\u002Fli>\n\u003C\u002Ful>\n\u003Cp>While System status is on, closing the main window leaves WashBear running in the menu bar. Turn on \u003Cstrong>Launch at login\u003C\u002Fstrong> in \u003Cstrong>Settings → General\u003C\u002Fstrong> to have it appear after you sign in. To quit completely, right-click the menu bar icon and choose \u003Cstrong>Quit\u003C\u002Fstrong>.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Ch2 id=\"display-items\">\u003Ca class=\"heading-anchor\" href=\"#display-items\" aria-hidden=\"true\" tabindex=\"-1\">#\u003C\u002Fa>Choose display items\u003C\u002Fh2>\n\u003Cp>In \u003Cstrong>Display items\u003C\u002Fstrong>, select the metrics to show and drag them to change their order. CPU, memory, disk usage and network are shown by default. Depending on your Mac's hardware, you can also add GPU, temperatures, fan speed, charging power, battery power, system power and CPU core frequencies. Some metrics let you choose a specific network interface, disk or fan.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Click \u003Cstrong>Colors\u003C\u002Fstrong> next to a metric to set colors for value ranges, for example red when CPU utilization reaches 90%. \u003Cstrong>Logo\u003C\u002Fstrong> controls whether the WashBear icon appears in the menu bar.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Ch2 id=\"appearance\">\u003Ca class=\"heading-anchor\" href=\"#appearance\" aria-hidden=\"true\" tabindex=\"-1\">#\u003C\u002Fa>Adjust the appearance\u003C\u002Fh2>\n\u003Cp>Under \u003Cstrong>Appearance\u003C\u002Fstrong>, turn on \u003Cstrong>Color indicators\u003C\u002Fstrong> to color readings by your rules, or turn on \u003Cstrong>Compact mode\u003C\u002Fstrong> for the menu bar to tighten spacing and shorten network units to K, M and G. For the floating window you can set \u003Cstrong>Layout\u003C\u002Fstrong>, \u003Cstrong>Font size\u003C\u002Fstrong>, \u003Cstrong>Bold text\u003C\u002Fstrong>, \u003Cstrong>Show dividers\u003C\u002Fstrong>, \u003Cstrong>Background\u003C\u002Fstrong> and \u003Cstrong>Background opacity\u003C\u002Fstrong>.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\u003Cstrong>Restore defaults\u003C\u002Fstrong> resets display items, their order and appearance, and keeps the enabled state, display mode and window position.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Ch2 id=\"status-panel\">\u003Ca class=\"heading-anchor\" href=\"#status-panel\" aria-hidden=\"true\" tabindex=\"-1\">#\u003C\u002Fa>Status panel\u003C\u002Fh2>\n\u003Cp>Click the readings in the menu bar to open the status panel. It has \u003Cstrong>Overview\u003C\u002Fstrong>, \u003Cstrong>CPU\u003C\u002Fstrong>, \u003Cstrong>GPU\u003C\u002Fstrong>, \u003Cstrong>Memory\u003C\u002Fstrong>, \u003Cstrong>Disk\u003C\u002Fstrong> and \u003Cstrong>Network\u003C\u002Fstrong> pages, plus \u003Cstrong>Power\u003C\u002Fstrong> on Macs with a battery. There you can see last-minute trends, temperatures, disk reads and writes, network interface details and battery health.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The \u003Cstrong>CPU\u003C\u002Fstrong> and \u003Cstrong>Memory\u003C\u002Fstrong> pages list apps by usage. Expand an app to \u003Cstrong>Open location\u003C\u002Fstrong> or quit it normally, just like choosing Quit in the app, so it can ask you to save first.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At the bottom of the panel are \u003Cstrong>Settings\u003C\u002Fstrong>, \u003Cstrong>Open WashBear\u003C\u002Fstrong> and \u003Cstrong>Quit\u003C\u002Fstrong>.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Ch2 id=\"release-memory\">\u003Ca class=\"heading-anchor\" href=\"#release-memory\" aria-hidden=\"true\" tabindex=\"-1\">#\u003C\u002Fa>Release memory\u003C\u002Fh2>\n\u003Cp>On the \u003Cstrong>Memory\u003C\u002Fstrong> page, click \u003Cstrong>Release\u003C\u002Fstrong>. WashBear reclaims memory that apps have marked as discardable. It does not close apps or need an administrator password, and it shows the change it observed when it finishes. When memory shows \u003Cstrong>Normal pressure\u003C\u002Fstrong>, releasing is usually unnecessary.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Open the menu next to \u003Cstrong>Release\u003C\u002Fstrong> and choose \u003Cstrong>Release settings\u003C\u002Fstrong> to turn on \u003Cstrong>Automatic release\u003C\u002Fstrong>, set \u003Cstrong>Check every\u003C\u002Fstrong> and \u003Cstrong>Memory usage at least\u003C\u002Fstrong>, and add \u003Cstrong>Excluded apps\u003C\u002Fstrong>. Both manual and automatic release skip excluded apps. You can also click \u003Cstrong>Exclude\u003C\u002Fstrong> in the app list.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Ch2 id=\"floating-window\">\u003Ca class=\"heading-anchor\" href=\"#floating-window\" aria-hidden=\"true\" tabindex=\"-1\">#\u003C\u002Fa>Floating window\u003C\u002Fh2>\n\u003Cp>Drag the floating window anywhere. It appears on all desktops but not over full-screen apps. For details, click the readings in the menu bar to open the status panel. Right-click the window to switch between \u003Cstrong>Horizontal\u003C\u002Fstrong> and \u003Cstrong>Vertical\u003C\u002Fstrong>, adjust \u003Cstrong>Appearance\u003C\u002Fstrong> or open \u003Cstrong>Configure…\u003C\u002Fstrong>. If you can't find the window, choose \u003Cstrong>Reset position\u003C\u002Fstrong>.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Ch2 id=\"readings\">\u003Ca class=\"heading-anchor\" href=\"#readings\" aria-hidden=\"true\" tabindex=\"-1\">#\u003C\u002Fa>About the readings\u003C\u002Fh2>\n\u003Cp>All readings are collected on your Mac and are not uploaded. They are sent, encrypted, to your paired phone only if you turn on \u003Ca href=\"\u002Fen\u002Fdocs\u002Fremote\">Phone Remote Access\u003C\u002Fa>. If a reading can't update for a while, the panel keeps showing the last successful value. Metrics your Mac can't provide show the reason in \u003Cstrong>Display items\u003C\u002Fstrong>.\u003C\u002Fp>\n",[12,16,19,22,25,28,31],{"depth":13,"id":14,"text":15},2,"turn-on","Turn it on and choose where it appears",{"depth":13,"id":17,"text":18},"display-items","Choose display items",{"depth":13,"id":20,"text":21},"appearance","Adjust the appearance",{"depth":13,"id":23,"text":24},"status-panel","Status panel",{"depth":13,"id":26,"text":27},"release-memory","Release memory",{"depth":13,"id":29,"text":30},"floating-window","Floating window",{"depth":13,"id":32,"text":33},"readings","About the readings","\nWashBear can stay in the menu bar and show live CPU, memory, disk and network readings. Click a reading to open a detailed status panel, or show the readings in a floating window on your desktop instead.\n\n## Turn it on and choose where it appears {#turn-on}\n\nIn **Settings → General**, find **System status** and turn on the switch (it is on by default), then click **Configure…** to adjust what it shows. Under **Display mode**, choose:\n\n- **Menu bar**: readings appear in the menu bar at the top of the screen. This is the default.\n- **Floating window**: readings appear in a small window on your desktop, and the menu bar keeps only the WashBear icon.\n- **Both**: readings appear in both places.\n\nWhile System status is on, closing the main window leaves WashBear running in the menu bar. Turn on **Launch at login** in **Settings → General** to have it appear after you sign in. To quit completely, right-click the menu bar icon and choose **Quit**.\n\n## Choose display items {#display-items}\n\nIn **Display items**, select the metrics to show and drag them to change their order. CPU, memory, disk usage and network are shown by default. Depending on your Mac's hardware, you can also add GPU, temperatures, fan speed, charging power, battery power, system power and CPU core frequencies. Some metrics let you choose a specific network interface, disk or fan.\n\nClick **Colors** next to a metric to set colors for value ranges, for example red when CPU utilization reaches 90%. **Logo** controls whether the WashBear icon appears in the menu bar.\n\n## Adjust the appearance {#appearance}\n\nUnder **Appearance**, turn on **Color indicators** to color readings by your rules, or turn on **Compact mode** for the menu bar to tighten spacing and shorten network units to K, M and G. For the floating window you can set **Layout**, **Font size**, **Bold text**, **Show dividers**, **Background** and **Background opacity**.\n\n**Restore defaults** resets display items, their order and appearance, and keeps the enabled state, display mode and window position.\n\n## Status panel {#status-panel}\n\nClick the readings in the menu bar to open the status panel. It has **Overview**, **CPU**, **GPU**, **Memory**, **Disk** and **Network** pages, plus **Power** on Macs with a battery. There you can see last-minute trends, temperatures, disk reads and writes, network interface details and battery health.\n\nThe **CPU** and **Memory** pages list apps by usage. Expand an app to **Open location** or quit it normally, just like choosing Quit in the app, so it can ask you to save first.\n\nAt the bottom of the panel are **Settings**, **Open WashBear** and **Quit**.\n\n## Release memory {#release-memory}\n\nOn the **Memory** page, click **Release**. WashBear reclaims memory that apps have marked as discardable. It does not close apps or need an administrator password, and it shows the change it observed when it finishes. When memory shows **Normal pressure**, releasing is usually unnecessary.\n\nOpen the menu next to **Release** and choose **Release settings** to turn on **Automatic release**, set **Check every** and **Memory usage at least**, and add **Excluded apps**. Both manual and automatic release skip excluded apps. You can also click **Exclude** in the app list.\n\n## Floating window {#floating-window}\n\nDrag the floating window anywhere. It appears on all desktops but not over full-screen apps. For details, click the readings in the menu bar to open the status panel. Right-click the window to switch between **Horizontal** and **Vertical**, adjust **Appearance** or open **Configure…**. If you can't find the window, choose **Reset position**.\n\n## About the readings {#readings}\n\nAll readings are collected on your Mac and are not uploaded. They are sent, encrypted, to your paired phone only if you turn on [Phone Remote Access](\u002Fdocs\u002Fremote). If a reading can't update for a while, the panel keeps showing the last successful value. Metrics your Mac can't provide show the reason in **Display items**.\n",1793257449910]