TrafficMonitor User Guide

TrafficMonitor is a lightweight network‑monitoring utility for Windows. It shows your current upload/download speed in a small floating window on the desktop, and can also embed itself directly into the Windows taskbar. Beyond network speed it can display CPU usage, RAM usage, CPU frequency, GPU and disk utilization, hardware temperatures, and today's total traffic — all customizable through skins, display settings, and a plugin system.

This guide covers everything you need as a user: installing, getting the floating window and taskbar display working, customizing what is shown, changing skins, enabling hardware monitoring, reading historical traffic, using plugins, and solving common problems.

Note

TrafficMonitor runs on Windows 7, 8/8.1, 10, and 11. It is a native desktop application — there is no web interface, no command line, and no configuration file you normally need to edit by hand. Everything is controlled through the right‑click menu and the Options dialog.

1. Quick Start

1. Download the latest release and unzip it to a folder you can write to (for example D:\Tools\TrafficMonitor\).
2. Run TrafficMonitor.exe.
3. A small floating window showing your network speed appears on the screen. Drag it anywhere you like.
4. Right‑click the floating window to open the main menu.
5. To show the monitor inside the taskbar instead, right‑click and choose Show Taskbar Window.

Tip

The floating window only shows upload/download speed by default. To add CPU and memory, right‑click it and enable Show More Info. To choose exactly which items appear in the taskbar, use Display Settings (covered in Section 5).

Important

If Windows shows an error like "Cannot find MSVC*.dll" or "mfc*.dll cannot be found" when you start the program, you are missing the Microsoft Visual C++ runtime. Install the latest Visual C++ Redistributable and try again.

2. Choosing a Version: Standard vs Lite

TrafficMonitor ships in two editions. Pick the one that matches your needs.

Note

Since version 1.86, the Lite version also monitors GPU and disk usage — the only thing it lacks is temperature monitoring. The temperature feature is no longer maintained in the main program and has been moved to a separate Hardware Monitor plugin. Unless you specifically need built‑in temperature readout, the Lite version is recommended because it does not require administrator rights and is more stable.

Caution

The hardware temperature feature relies on low‑level hardware access and, according to user reports, can cause higher CPU/RAM usage or even crashes on some machines. If you do not need temperatures, use the Lite version or simply leave hardware monitoring turned off. See Section 7 before enabling it.

3. Installation

TrafficMonitor is distributed as a portable ZIP archive — there is no installer.

Standard install (recommended)

1. Download the latest .zip from the Releases page.
2. Extract the whole archive into a folder you have write permission to. Good choices: a folder under your user directory, D:\Tools\, etc. Avoid C:\Program Files\ unless you intend to run as administrator.
3. Run TrafficMonitor.exe.

Alternate download (mainland China)

If GitHub is slow or unreachable, download from one of the mirrors:

• Gitee project page: https://gitee.com/zhongyang219/TrafficMonitor
• Baidu Netdisk: https://pan.baidu.com/s/15PMt7s-ASpyDwtS__4cUhg — access code ou0m

Warning

Do not run TrafficMonitor directly from inside a .zip viewer or from a temporary/extraction folder. The program stores its settings next to the executable (or in AppData if that location is read‑only). Running from a temp folder means your settings cannot be saved. Always extract to a permanent folder first.

Tip

Keep only one copy of TrafficMonitor on your computer. Having multiple copies in different folders is the most common reason settings appear to "reset" — you may be launching a different copy than the one you configured. See Configuration is lost after restart.

First‑run checklist

• [ ] Extracted to a writable folder
• [ ] TrafficMonitor.exe launches and a floating window appears
• [ ] (Optional) Visual C++ Redistributable installed if you saw a missing‑DLL error
• [ ] Right‑click menu opens when you right‑click the floating window

4. The Two Display Surfaces

TrafficMonitor can show its information in two places. You can use either or both.

+---------------------------+         Windows Taskbar
|  ↑: 12.5 KB/s             |   +-------------------------------------------+
|  ↓: 1.20 MB/s            |   | [Start] ...      ↑ 12K ↓ 1.2M  CPU 8%  🕓 |
|  CPU: 8%   MEM: 47%      |   +-------------------------------------------+
+---------------------------+
   Floating (main) window                Taskbar window (embedded)

The floating (main) window

This is the window that appears when you start the program. You can:

• Move it — drag with the left mouse button (unless the position is locked).
• Open the menu — right‑click anywhere on it.
• Trigger a double‑click action — double‑click to open a configurable target (Task Manager by default).

The taskbar window

The taskbar window embeds the same information inside the Windows taskbar so it does not take up desktop space. Enable it with right‑click → Show Taskbar Window. It has its own independent settings (colors, fonts, which items to show, alignment), configured under Options → Taskbar Window Settings.

Note

The taskbar window and the floating window are configured separately. Changing the items shown in one does not change the other. This lets you, for example, show only speed in the taskbar but speed + CPU + RAM in the floating window.

5. Customizing What Is Displayed

TrafficMonitor can display the following built‑in items:

Show CPU and memory on the floating window

Right‑click the floating window and check Show More Info. The window grows to include CPU and memory.

Choose taskbar items with Display Settings

1. Right‑click the taskbar window.
2. Select Display Settings.
3. Check the items you want (e.g. CPU and Memory Usage) and click OK.

Tip

Temperature items only appear in the Display Settings list when the corresponding hardware monitoring is enabled under Options → General Settings → Hardware Monitoring. If you don't see temperature options, enable hardware monitoring first.

Rename the labels (e.g. change "CPU" or "MEM")

The text next to each item is fully customizable:

1. Right‑click the taskbar window → Options.
2. Go to Taskbar Window Settings → click Display Text Settings.
3. Double‑click the text on the right side of an item to edit it.
4. Click OK twice.

Note

Because the label text is customized and saved per‑skin, it does not automatically change when you switch the program language. After switching languages, open Display Text Settings and click Restore default to reset the labels to the new language.

Reorder and space items (taskbar)

You can drag items into a custom order and adjust spacing under Options → Taskbar Window Settings (item spacing, vertical margin, window offsets). Free sorting of both built‑in and plugin items is supported.

6. Skins

Skins change the appearance of the floating window (background image, colors, fonts, item layout).

Change the skin

Open the right‑click menu → Other Functions → Change Skin (also available from the notification‑area icon menu). Pick a skin from the list and apply it.

You can download additional community skins from the TrafficMonitor skin collection.

Where skins live

Skins are stored in the skins\ folder next to TrafficMonitor.exe. Each skin is a subfolder whose name is the skin's name and contains:

Important

A skin that only has skin.ini (no skin.xml) cannot display temperature or GPU usage. Since v1.85 you can use PNG backgrounds (background.png / background_l.png) to create skins with transparent backgrounds.

Automatic light/dark skin switching

Since v1.85, TrafficMonitor can switch skins automatically based on the Windows light/dark color mode. Configure which skin to use for each mode in the skin settings.

Tip

Want to build your own skin? See the project's skin‑making tutorial on the Wiki. A skin.ini lets you set text colors, fonts, the skin author, and the size and position of each displayed item.

7. Hardware Monitoring (CPU / GPU / Disk Temperature)

CPU usage, memory, GPU usage, disk usage, and CPU frequency work out of the box in both editions. Temperature monitoring is special.

Enabling temperature monitoring (Standard version)

Temperature monitoring is off by default. To turn it on:

1. Open Options → General Settings → Hardware Monitoring.
2. Enable the hardware items you want (CPU, GPU, disk, motherboard).
3. After enabling, temperature items become available under Display Settings in the taskbar right‑click menu.

Caution

Temperature monitoring uses the third‑party LibreHardwareMonitor library and low‑level hardware drivers. On some systems this causes increased CPU/RAM usage or crashes. Enable it only if you understand and accept this risk. If your computer becomes unstable, turn all hardware‑monitoring items off first.

The Hardware Monitor plugin (recommended path)

In current versions, the built‑in temperature feature is no longer maintained. To monitor temperatures (and extras like fan speed and power), install the separate Hardware Monitor plugin from the plugin download page. It exposes everything LibreHardwareMonitor can read.

Make CPU usage match Task Manager

On Windows 10+, TrafficMonitor's CPU percentage may differ slightly from Task Manager. To align them, go to Options → General Settings → Advanced → CPU usage acquisition method and select Use the performance counter.

8. Historical Traffic Statistics

TrafficMonitor records how much data you use each day so you can review it later.

• Open it from the right‑click menu (or set it as your double‑click action).
• Calendar View shows daily usage on a calendar; color intensity indicates how much traffic was used.
• List View shows traffic grouped by day, week, month, quarter, or year.
• You can set whether the week starts on Sunday or Monday.

Note

Today's upload and download totals can also be shown directly in the floating or taskbar window via the Today's Traffic display item.

9. Plugins

Since v1.82, TrafficMonitor supports plugins (.dll files) that add new display items, custom drawing, tooltips, and menu commands.

Installing a plugin

1. Create a plugins\ folder next to TrafficMonitor.exe (same directory level as the executable).
2. Copy the plugin .dll into plugins\.
3. Restart TrafficMonitor — plugins load automatically at startup.

Managing plugins

Open the right‑click menu → More Functions → Plugin Management. From there you can:

• View each plugin's name, author, version, and description.
• Enable or disable individual plugins.
• Open a plugin's own options dialog (if it provides one).
• Run plugin‑specific commands.

Download official plugins from the plugin download page.

Tip

Developers can write their own plugins against the documented C++ plugin interface. See the Plugin Development Guide on the Wiki, and the Plugin Reference section of the Admin Guide for the full interface.

Caution

Plugins are native DLLs that run inside TrafficMonitor with full access to your session. Only install plugins from sources you trust. If the program crashes on startup after adding a plugin, delete the offending .dll from the plugins\ folder.

10. Common Tasks

Run automatically when Windows starts

Open Options → General Settings and check Auto run when Windows start.

Important

If you later move the TrafficMonitor folder, autostart breaks because it points at the old path. To fix it: open Options → General Settings, uncheck Auto run when Windows start, then re‑check it (or click Reset autorun). See troubleshooting.

Embed in the taskbar

Right‑click the floating window → Show Taskbar Window. To hide the floating window entirely and keep only the taskbar display, also enable Hide Main Window.

Lock the window so you don't move it by accident

Right‑click → Lock Window Position.

Make the floating window click‑through (mouse penetrate)

Right‑click → Mouse Penetrate. The floating window will ignore all mouse clicks.

Note

When Mouse Penetrate is on, the floating window can no longer open its menu. Use the notification‑area (system tray) icon instead — right‑click it to get the exact same menu. The tray icon automatically reappears whenever mouse penetrate is enabled so you are never locked out.

Choose which network connection is monitored

If your speed reads 0 or you have multiple adapters, use the right‑click menu → Select Network Connections to pick the adapter to monitor, or use Refresh Connection List after switching networks.

Change the double‑click action

Under Options, the main window and taskbar window each have a double‑click action you can set to: connection details, history traffic, show more info, options, Task Manager, a specific application, change skin, or nothing.

11. How It Works (Concepts)

A short conceptual overview — you don't need this to use the program, but it explains its behavior.

• Network speed is measured by reading the byte counters of your selected network adapter at a fixed interval (default 1 second) and computing the difference. You can change the interval in General Settings (200 ms – 30 s).
• CPU, GPU, disk usage, and CPU frequency are read through Windows Performance Counters (PDH) — no special drivers needed.
• Temperatures require the LibreHardwareMonitor library, which needs administrator rights and the .NET runtime — this is why the Standard version requires admin and the Lite version does not.
• Settings are saved to config.ini; history to history_traffic.dat. These live either next to the executable (portable mode) or in %AppData%\Roaming\TrafficMonitor\ if the program folder is read‑only.
• Languages are loaded from external .ini files, so the UI is available in many languages (English, German, French, Italian, Russian, Polish, Korean, Spanish, Portuguese, Turkish, Hebrew, Hungarian, Vietnamese, Simplified/Traditional Chinese).

For the full configuration‑file reference, file locations, and architecture, see the Admin Guide.

12. Troubleshooting

Error: The net speed is always displayed as 0KB

Cause: TrafficMonitor is monitoring the wrong network adapter, often after a network change.

Solution:

1. Right‑click → Select Network Connections → Refresh connection list.
2. If still 0, open Select Network Connections and pick your active adapter explicitly instead of Auto select.
3. If it still fails, go to Options → General Settings → Advanced, click Select the connection to monitor, check only the adapter you want, and click OK twice.

Prevention: On laptops that switch between Wi‑Fi and Ethernet, leave Auto select on, or pin the adapter you use most.

Error: Unable to Save Settings

Cause: The program cannot write to its own directory.

Solution (easiest): Move TrafficMonitor to a folder you have write access to.

Solution (use AppData):

1. Restart TrafficMonitor as administrator.
2. Options → General Settings → Configuration and data files → Save to AppData Directory.

Solution (manual): In the program folder, create or edit global_cfg.ini:

[config]
portable_mode = false

Save it and restart. This forces settings into %AppData%\Roaming\TrafficMonitor\.

Prevention: Don't run from C:\Program Files\ without admin rights, and don't run from temporary folders.

Error: Configuration is lost after the next start‑up

Cause: You have multiple copies of TrafficMonitor.exe and are launching a different one than you configured. Each copy saved its config in its own folder.

Solution:

1. Options → General Settings → Configuration and data file → Save to AppData (so all copies share one config).
2. Delete the extra copies you don't need, then open General Settings and click Reset autorun.

Error: Auto run when Windows start does not work

Cause and fix depend on the version:

• Lite / pre‑1.80: Autostart uses a registry key at HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run. If it fails, verify the key exists and the path is correct. Running as administrator disables registry autostart — remove "run as administrator" if set.
• Standard (temperature) version: Autostart uses a Windows Task Scheduler task. Open Task Scheduler (Control Panel\System and Security\Administrative Tools) and confirm the TrafficMonitor task exists with the correct .exe path.

The most common cause for both is that you moved the program folder after enabling autostart. Toggle Auto run when Windows start off and on again to refresh the path.

Note

Third‑party security software may block autostart. Allow TrafficMonitor in your security software if needed.

Error: The CPU usage shown is inconsistent with Task Manager

Solution: Options → General Settings → Advanced → CPU usage acquisition method → Use the performance counter.

Error: The net speed value is not fully displayed (cut off)

Cause: The chosen font's character width plus the configured number of digits exceeds the reserved space.

Solution: Options → Taskbar Window Settings → Number of digits → choose a larger value.

Issue: Taskbar window overlaps the Windows 11 Widgets button

Solution: Options → Taskbar Window Settings → Settings related to Windows 11, then check Avoid overlapping with right Widgets.

Note

This option is grayed out if the Widgets button is not shown on your taskbar.

Issue: "Taskbar window appears to the left of the taskbar" is grayed out (Windows 11)

This option only works when the Windows 11 taskbar is center‑aligned. With a left‑aligned taskbar there is no room on the left for the window.

Issue: Taskbar window overlaps taskbar icons when the taskbar is full (Windows 11)

This cannot currently be fixed. Workarounds: avoid filling the taskbar, or set Settings → Merge taskbar buttons to Always in Windows.

Issue: Taskbar window not visible with a white Windows 10 taskbar

Solution: Options → Taskbar Window Settings → Preset → Light Mode. Optionally enable Auto adapt to Windows 10 dark/light theme so colors switch automatically.

Issue: Taskbar window disappears when HDR is enabled (Windows 10)

Solution: Turn off Background Transparent in Taskbar Window Settings, or (v1.85+) switch to Direct2D rendering under Taskbar Window Settings → Rendering Settings.

Error: MSVC*.dll or mfc*.dll cannot be found

Solution: Install the latest Visual C++ Redistributable.

Issue: The program crashes

Solution (in order):

1. Options → General Settings → Hardware Monitoring — turn all items off, restart. Most crashes are hardware‑monitoring related.
2. If crashes continue, Options → General Settings → Advanced → Plugin Management — disable all plugins, restart. (If the program won't start at all, delete every .dll in the plugins\ folder.)
3. If it still crashes, use Contact Author in the About dialog and send the crash details.

Caution

The author cannot fix crashes that originate inside the hardware‑monitoring library. If disabling hardware monitoring stops the crash, leave it off or use the Hardware Monitor plugin instead.

13. FAQ

Q: Which version should I download — Standard or Lite? Use Lite unless you specifically need built‑in temperature monitoring. Lite doesn't require administrator rights, monitors GPU and disk usage (since 1.86), and is more stable. For temperatures, add the Hardware Monitor plugin.

Q: Do I need to install anything? No installer is required — just unzip and run. You only need the Visual C++ Redistributable if you get a missing‑DLL error.

Q: How do I show CPU and memory in the taskbar? Right‑click the taskbar window → Display Settings → check CPU and Memory Usage.

Q: How do I change the "CPU"/"MEM" labels? Options → Taskbar Window Settings → Display Text Settings, double‑click the text to edit it.

Q: Why did my custom labels stay in the old language after I switched languages? Labels are saved as custom text and don't auto‑translate. Open Display Text Settings and click Restore default.

Q: My speed shows 0 KB — what's wrong? You're likely monitoring the wrong adapter. Use Select Network Connections → Refresh connection list, then pick your active adapter.

Q: Where are my settings stored? In config.ini, either next to the executable (portable mode) or in %AppData%\Roaming\TrafficMonitor\. History is in history_traffic.dat.

Q: How do I make the window stop moving when I click it? Right‑click → Lock Window Position.

Q: I set Mouse Penetrate and now I can't open the menu. How do I undo it? Right‑click the system‑tray icon (notification area) → uncheck Mouse Penetrate. The tray icon's menu is identical to the window's menu.

Q: Can I run it on multiple monitors? Yes. The floating window can move freely across monitors, and (since v1.86) the taskbar window can be shown on a secondary monitor via Taskbar Window Settings.

Q: How do I see how much data I used this month? Open Historical Traffic Statistics and switch to List View → Month.

Q: Does it support languages other than English and Chinese? Yes — including German, French, Italian, Russian, Polish, Korean, Spanish, Brazilian Portuguese, Turkish, Hebrew, Hungarian, and Vietnamese. Choose under Options → General Settings.

Q: How do I update the program? TrafficMonitor checks for updates at startup (toggle this in General Settings). If GitHub is unreachable, set the update source to Gitee in General Settings.

Q: Is it safe to enable temperature monitoring? It can be — but on some hardware it raises resource usage or causes crashes. Try it; if your system becomes unstable, turn it off. Prefer the Hardware Monitor plugin for temperatures.

Q: How do I add fan speed, power, or other sensors? Install the Hardware Monitor plugin, which exposes every sensor LibreHardwareMonitor can read.

Q: Can I make the taskbar text a specific color per item? Yes. Options → Taskbar Window Settings → Specify colors for each item, then click the color block next to Text Color.

14. Quick Reference

Right‑click menu (most‑used commands)

Key file locations

Useful links

• Latest release: https://github.com/zhongyang219/TrafficMonitor/releases/latest
• FAQ / Help: Help_en-us.md
• Wiki (detailed docs, Chinese): https://github.com/zhongyang219/TrafficMonitor/wiki
• Skins: https://github.com/zhongyang219/TrafficMonitorSkin
• Plugins: https://github.com/zhongyang219/TrafficMonitorPlugins