Settings
Customize OtterStat's behavior and appearance through the Settings panel. Settings are organized into five tabs.
Accessing Settings
- Click any OtterStat icon in the menu bar
- Click the gear icon or "Settings" in the popover
General Tab
Refresh Interval
Control how often OtterStat updates metrics:
- 1 second - Real-time updates, slightly higher CPU usage
- 2 seconds - Balanced (default)
- 5 seconds - Less frequent updates, lowest CPU usage
Launch at Login
Enable to start OtterStat automatically when you log in.
Onboarding
Click Restart Onboarding to re-launch the setup wizard and reconfigure your menu bar preferences.
Reset
Click Reset All Settings to clear all settings and restart the app. This also resets the onboarding state.
Menu Bar Tab
Display Modes
Each metric can be displayed in one of five modes:
- Text Only - Shows the value as text
- Graph Only - Shows a mini live chart
- Text + Graph - Shows value and chart side by side
- Bar - Shows a fill bar (vertical or horizontal)
- Graph + Label - Shows chart with metric label
Visual thumbnails for each mode are shown in Settings.
Bar Orientation
When using Bar mode, choose between vertical or horizontal bar orientation.
Compact Mode
Enable compact mode for a two-line display. Automatically enabled on MacBooks with a notch.
Metrics Visibility
Choose which metrics appear in the menu bar: App Icon, CPU, Memory, Disk, Network, GPU, Battery.
Monitoring Tab
Threshold Alerts
Receive a notification when a metric exceeds your threshold:
- CPU - Alert when usage exceeds a set percentage
- Memory - Alert when usage exceeds a set percentage
- Disk - Alert when usage exceeds a set percentage
- Thermal State - Alert when CPU thermal state exceeds a set level
Each alert has a 5-minute cooldown to prevent notification spam.
CPU Temperature Helper
On Apple Silicon, install the optional privileged helper for accurate CPU temperature readings. Click Install Helper to set it up.
Trend Charts
Toggle to show or hide historical trend charts across all popovers globally.
Battery Saver Tab
Adaptive Refresh Rate
When your Mac is running on battery, OtterStat can automatically slow down its refresh rate to reduce energy usage.
- Configure separate refresh intervals for AC and battery power
- Optionally disable process monitoring on battery
- Optionally disable public IP refresh on battery
Updates Tab
Automatic Updates
Configure whether OtterStat checks for and installs updates automatically via the Sparkle framework.
Check for Updates
Click to manually check for a new version.
About Tab
Displays the current app version, build number, and license information.