Documentation
The menu
Click the menu bar icon to open the interface list. The header has two quick toggles:
- Inactive shows interfaces that are down, have no link, have a disabled network service, or have no address beyond IPv6 link-local. These are hidden by default.
- All details turns on every element for every interface until you turn it off again. It doesn't change your settings.
Pinned interfaces sit at the top, in the order you choose, and stay visible even when inactive or unplugged. The rest follow in the order ifconfig prints them. Pin or unpin with the pin button. Reorder pinned interfaces by dragging, or select one and press ⌘↑ or ⌘↓. Esc closes the menu.
What each interface shows
Always: the BSD name (such as en0), the interface type, its flags and the pin button. The rest is optional and set in Settings › Elements, either for all interfaces or for one:
| Element | Default | Shows |
|---|---|---|
| Enable toggle | on | Whether the interface's network service is active. Changing it needs the admin helper; without it, a link opens System Settings. |
| Bandwidth graph | on | The last minutes of download (up) and upload (down) rates. |
| Transfer rates | on | Current rates and, per period, average and minimum–maximum. |
| MTU | off | Maximum transmission unit. |
| Options | off | Hardware offload capabilities, as ifconfig prints them. |
| ND6 options | off | IPv6 neighbor discovery options. |
| Addresses | on | IPv4 (with netmask) and IPv6 (with prefix and flags), scope IDs (off by default) and the hardware address. |
| Media | off | Link media and status, for example autoselect (1000baseT <full-duplex>). |
| Wi-Fi details | off | Network name, signal, noise, channel, PHY mode, transmit rate and security. |
Statistics
The app samples interface counters at the update frequency (5 seconds by default) whether or not the menu is open, and keeps a raw hour, a day of per-minute data and 90 days of per-hour data. For each period you add in Settings › Statistics (there are none until you do), it shows the average rate and the lowest and highest sampled rates. Periods shorter than two updates are hidden. A dimmed row means the app hasn't observed the whole period yet, for example right after launch or after sleep.
Menu bar
Settings › General chooses between an icon, upload and download rates, a small graph, or icon and rates. Rates can come from the primary interface, all active interfaces together, or one pinned interface.
Wi-Fi network name
macOS only tells apps the Wi-Fi network name (SSID) if they have Location Services permission. Network Status Menu asks only when you choose to show it, and uses it for nothing else.
Public IP address
Off by default. When on, the app asks a service for your public IPv4 and IPv6 addresses: ifconfig.me, ipconfig.io, or any URL you enter that returns an address as plain text or JSON (give a key path such as data.ip if the address isn't under a common key like ip). The service sees your address, as any website you visit does. Redirects aren't followed.
Notifications
Settings › Notifications turns on alerts for: an interface connecting or disconnecting, an address change, the primary interface changing, the public IP changing, and Wi-Fi joining a different network. Only interfaces with a network service and pinned interfaces are watched, so VPN tunnels coming and going stay quiet.