Sheet 01 · Taskbar network meter
NetSpeedMonitor is a lightweight network monitoring tool that displays real-time download and upload speeds directly on your Windows taskbar. Easily track internet speed, monitor bandwidth usage, and keep an eye on your network performance.
Sheet 02 · What it is
NetSpeedMonitor is a taskbar toolbar, not a window. It sits next to the notification area and shows two numbers that keep changing: how fast data is arriving and how fast it is leaving through one network adapter you choose.
Florian Gilles wrote it for Windows XP, Server 2003, Vista and Windows 7, in 32-bit and 64-bit builds. It reads the traffic counters Windows already keeps for the adapter, so it needs no extra drivers and sends no test traffic of its own. Behind the two-line readout there is more: a hover tooltip with session, daily and monthly totals, a Connections table listing TCP and UDP endpoints, and a Data Traffic window with daily and monthly statistics you can export.
Version 2.5.4.0 from April 2010 is the last release. The developer's own site no longer offers it, and the program has not been updated for newer Windows. It still installs on Windows 8 and 10 with compatibility mode, and the toolbar works there because those versions keep taskbar toolbars. Windows 11 removed that toolbar slot, which is the single most important thing to know before you download it.
Sheet 03 · Features
The toolbar is the part everyone sees. The useful extras live one click away in its right-click menu. Each plate below describes one part, with a note on where to find it.
Two rows, D: and U:, refresh continuously beside the clock. The rate is measured on the adapter you pick, so it covers everything on the PC: browsers, updates, game launchers and cloud sync.
Right-click the readout → Configuration → Layout to change font and size, which helps on vertical taskbars.
Hovering over the toolbar opens a short summary: data received and sent in the current session, today and this month. That is the quickest way to keep an eye on a capped or metered plan.
Totals belong to the selected adapter only. Switch adapters and you start a different count.
The Connections table lists TCP and UDP endpoints with the process that owns them. Download-site changelogs for 2.5.4.0 mention copying a process name or path and ending a running process from here.
Illustrative bars · received (green) and sent (orange)
The Data Traffic window keeps per-day and per-month totals for the monitored adapter, and its reports can be exported and imported again, which is handy before you reinstall Windows.
Choose the network interface, switch the bitrate from the default kbit/s to kB/s or larger units, and adjust labels and font so the readout fits your taskbar.
Jumps straight to Windows' Network and Network Connections folders from the toolbar menu.
Unlike packet-capture tools, it reads the counters Windows already keeps, so there is no network driver or filter to install. The trade-off: it reports totals per adapter, not per application.
Sheet 04 · How it works
The whole job takes a few minutes. Station 02 is the one people miss, and station 03 is the one that makes the numbers meaningful.
Use the x64 package on 64-bit Windows and the x86 package on 32-bit Windows, then accept the administrator prompt.
Windows 8 or 10 refusing it? Set the MSI to Windows 7 compatibility first.
Answer Yes when Windows asks to add the NetSpeedMonitor toolbar, or tick it later under taskbar right-click → Toolbars.
No Toolbars menu? You are on Windows 11's taskbar.
On first run, select the Ethernet or Wi-Fi adapter that actually carries your traffic, then save.
A reading stuck at 0 nearly always means the wrong adapter.
Read D: and U: at a glance, hover for totals, and right-click for Connections, Data Traffic and Configuration.
Change kbit/s to kB/s if you think in file sizes.
Sheet 05 · Release information
There is no release schedule to follow. Everything below describes the build that download sites still list.
| Rev | Date | Changes as listed | State |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2.5.4.0 | Apr 2010 |
|
Current |
| — | Since 2010 | No newer build. Releases labelled "Windows 11 edition" or "3.0" are not from the developer. | None |
The program will not receive fixes for newer Windows builds or security updates. That matters less for a passive meter than for a browser, but it is the reason compatibility mode is needed on Windows 8 and 10 and why Windows 11 is a poor fit.
The change list above is the summary printed on the FileHorse listing; we have not seen an original changelog from the developer.
Sheet 06 · Compatibility
"Supports Windows 10" on a download page usually means "installs with a workaround". This matrix separates what the program was built for from what people get working today.
| System | Status | Installer | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Target systems | |||
| Windows XP · Server 2003 | Built for | x86 / x64 MSI | Original target. Both editions were released. |
| Windows Vista | Built for | x86 / x64 MSI | Installs and adds the toolbar normally. |
| Windows 7 | Built for | x86 / x64 MSI | The best fit. Note that Windows 7 itself no longer gets updates. |
| Later Windows | |||
| Windows 8 · 8.1 | Workaround | Compatibility mode | The installer reports an unsupported OS unless it runs in Windows 7 compatibility mode. |
| Windows 10 | Workaround | Compatibility mode | Toolbar works via taskbar → Toolbars. Expect occasional glitches after big Windows updates. |
| Windows 11 | No toolbar | May install | The new taskbar has no toolbar (deskband) support, so the readout has nowhere to appear. |
| Other platforms | |||
| macOS | No version | — | Windows only. Mac users need a different tool. |
| Linux | No version | — | Windows only. |
Some download pages list Windows 10 or 11 as supported. Those lists come from the hosts, not the developer, who stopped at Windows 7. Details per version: Windows 10 guide, Windows 11 guide.
Sheet 07 · Use cases
A steady U: figure while you are doing nothing points to cloud sync, a backup or an update being shared. Open Connections to see which process it is.
The month total in the tooltip is a simple running count for mobile hotspots, satellite links and other metered connections.
A progress bar that has not moved could be a slow server or a dead transfer. A D: reading near zero settles it.
Switch the monitored adapter and watch the same large download on each. It is a rough but honest comparison of real throughput.
On a Windows 7 workshop or media PC, it is a native, light way to see that the machine is online and moving data.
Run a speed test and watch the toolbar at the same time. If D: stays far below the test result during normal use, the bottleneck is the server, not your line.
Sheet 09 · Download
The final version of the taskbar network meter, as a Windows Installer (MSI) package. Free to use, no account needed.
Sheet 10 · Installation / setup
Written for Windows 10, with the steps that differ on Windows 7 and 8 marked. On Windows 11, read step 5 before you start.
Settings → System → About → System type. A "64-bit operating system" needs the x64 package; only a 32-bit Windows needs x86.
Use the download section. The file should be named
netspeedmonitor_2_5_4_0_x64_setup.msi or …_x86_setup.msi.
Right-click the MSI → Properties → Compatibility → tick Run this program in compatibility mode for → choose Windows 7 → Apply. On Windows 7 and earlier, skip this step. See detail B.
Double-click the MSI, accept the User Account Control prompt and finish the short wizard.
When Windows asks whether to add the NetSpeedMonitor toolbar, choose Yes. If you missed it, right-click an empty part of the taskbar → Toolbars → NetSpeedMonitor (detail A). On Windows 11 this menu does not exist; see the Windows 11 guide.
Pick the adapter that carries your internet traffic (usually the Ethernet controller or the Wi-Fi adapter, not a VPN or virtual switch) and save.
Unlock the taskbar to resize the toolbar, then lock it again. Right-click the readout → Configuration to change units, labels or font.
Windows 7, 8 and 10 keep this submenu. Ticking NetSpeedMonitor docks the readout beside the notification area.
Without this, newer Windows reports that the operating system is not supported and stops the install.
Sheet 11 · Troubleshooting
Seven problems cover almost every report about NetSpeedMonitor on modern Windows. Work down the list; the first three solve most cases.
Likely cause: Windows 8, 8.1 or 10 without compatibility mode.
Set the MSI to Windows 7 compatibility (Properties → Compatibility), then run it again.
If the Compatibility tab is missing, right-click the MSI → Troubleshoot compatibility and tell the troubleshooter the program worked on Windows 7.
Likely cause: toolbar not switched on, or Explorer has not reloaded it.
Right-click the taskbar → Toolbars → tick NetSpeedMonitor.
If it is ticked but invisible, untick and tick it again, or restart Windows Explorer from Task Manager.
Likely cause: the wrong network interface is selected.
Right-click the readout → Configuration and choose the adapter that is connected. VPN, Hyper-V and other virtual adapters often show nothing.
Full walkthrough: fixing a 0 kbit/s readout.
Likely cause: bits versus bytes.
The default unit is kilobits per second. Browsers show megabytes per second. Switch the bitrate unit to kB/s or MB/s in Configuration, or divide by eight.
Likely cause: you are using the Windows 11 taskbar.
Windows 11 dropped taskbar toolbars. Use Task Manager → Performance, or a meter built for Windows 11. See the Windows 11 options.
Likely cause: a feature update reset taskbar toolbars.
Re-enable it under Toolbars. If that fails, uninstall, set compatibility mode on the MSI again and reinstall; your adapter choice may need to be set again.
Likely cause: default layout is wide.
Configuration → Layout: shorten the labels, use a smaller font, or drag the toolbar wider while the taskbar is unlocked.
Sheet 13 · Pros and cons
Sheet 14 · FAQ
Twenty answers in two chapters. Use the arrow keys to move between questions.
Two continuously updated rates on the taskbar: how fast data is being received (D:) and sent (U:) through one network adapter. Hovering adds session, daily and monthly totals; right-clicking opens the Connections table, Data Traffic statistics and Configuration.
D: is the download rate, data arriving at your PC. U: is the upload rate, data leaving it. Both are measured on the adapter selected in Configuration, so they include every program on the machine, not just your browser.
Kilobits per second is the default. Open Configuration from the right-click menu and change the bitrate unit to kB/s, MB/s or Mbit/s. If you compare with download dialogs that show megabytes, remember that one byte is eight bits.
The one that carries your internet traffic: usually the Ethernet controller on a wired PC or the Wi-Fi adapter on a laptop. VPN, Hyper-V, VirtualBox and loopback adapters tend to show little or nothing. If a reading stays at zero, change the adapter first.
Hover over the toolbar for a quick summary of the session, today and this month. For the full history, right-click the readout and open Data Traffic, which lists totals per day and per month.
It lists open TCP and UDP endpoints together with the program that owns each one, which helps when you want to know what is using the connection. Download-site notes for 2.5.4.0 also mention copying a process name or path and ending a process from that table.
Yes. The Data Traffic window can export its report and import it again later, which is useful before you reinstall Windows or move to another PC. Keep in mind that the statistics only cover the adapter that was being monitored.
It reads the byte counters Windows keeps for each network interface and turns the change over time into a rate. Because it does not capture packets, it needs no extra driver, sends no traffic of its own and cannot show per-application speeds on the toolbar itself.
No. A speed test sends a short burst of traffic to a test server to estimate the maximum your connection can do. NetSpeedMonitor shows what your PC is actually transferring right now. The two answer different questions and are not related products. Read the comparison.
Untick it under taskbar right-click → Toolbars first, then remove NetSpeedMonitor from Settings → Apps or from Programs and Features. If Windows reports a file in use, sign out or restart Windows Explorer and try again.
No. netspeedmonitor.org is an independent guide. NetSpeedMonitor was written by Florian Gilles, and his own site no longer offers the program. The download button on this page leads to FileHorse, a third-party host.
Yes. It was released as freeware, with donations welcome, and it has no adverts, trial period or paid edition. It is not open source; the source code was never published.
Version 2.5.4.0, released in April 2010, is the final build. Anything presented as a newer official release, such as a "3.0" or a "Windows 11 edition", did not come from the developer.
Usually, with one workaround: set the MSI installer to Windows 7 compatibility mode before running it, then enable the toolbar under taskbar → Toolbars. Large Windows updates can occasionally turn the toolbar off again. Windows 10 guide.
Not on the standard Windows 11 taskbar. Windows 11 removed taskbar toolbars, which is exactly where NetSpeedMonitor draws its readout. Task Manager and newer taskbar meters are the practical options. Windows 11 guide.
Match your Windows, not your processor. On a 64-bit Windows install the x64 MSI; use x86 only on a 32-bit Windows. Check under Settings → System → About → System type. More on choosing the installer.
Yes. Windows 7 is one of the systems it was built for, so it installs and adds its toolbar without compatibility tricks. Windows 7 itself no longer receives security updates, which is worth weighing separately.
No. NetSpeedMonitor is Windows-only and there has never been a macOS version. On a Mac, Activity Monitor's Network tab shows live traffic, and third-party menu bar apps can put a speed readout at the top of the screen. Mac options.
No. It is closed-source freeware with no public repository. Projects on GitHub with similar names are unrelated or are separate open-source alternatives. What you will find on GitHub.
The original MSI is a small, passive tool, but it is unmaintained and runs inside Explorer. Download it from a reputable host, confirm the filename and checksum, scan it, and avoid repackaged "new versions". The safety notice lists the checks.