taskbar-monitor is a free, open-source Windows DeskBand, written in C# and licensed under GPL-3.0, that draws live CPU, memory, disk, and network charts directly on the Windows taskbar for people who want resource usage visible at all times without opening a separate monitoring window.

What it is

taskbar-monitor is a Windows desktop utility delivered as a DeskBand — a component that embeds itself into the taskbar itself rather than living in a window of its own. It is built with the CS DeskBand library, written in C#, and published under the GPL-3.0 licence. According to its README, it displays graphs of CPU and memory usage on the taskbar; the project tagline and topic list extend that scope to disk usage and network visualization. It sits in the Productivity & Utilities / System Cleanup & Optimization category of this registry.

The concrete problem it solves is the context switch. Watching how a machine is behaving normally means keeping a separate monitoring window open, or repeatedly switching to one, just to glance at processor and memory load. taskbar-monitor puts those charts into screen space that is already occupied by the taskbar, so the readings are continuously visible without an additional window competing for room. It lives in the Windows ecosystem, depends on the .NET Framework 4.7.2 runtime, and installs itself for every user account on the computer.

Key capabilities

• Renders CPU and memory usage as charts inside the Windows taskbar as a DeskBand, using the CS DeskBand library rather than a custom taskbar implementation.
• Covers disk usage and network visualization according to the project tagline and topic list, alongside the CPU and memory graphs described in the README.
• Runs on the .NET Framework 4.7.2 runtime, which is already installed on Windows 10 version 1803 (April 2018) or later.
• Ships as a single Windows installer, TaskbarMonitorInstaller.exe, which installs into the Program Files (x86) folder.
• Registers itself for all users of the computer, so the installed DLL files are accessible from every account on the machine.
• Uninstalls through the standard "Add or Remove Programs" list rather than a custom removal procedure.
• Distributed as C# source under GPL-3.0.

Who uses it and how

• Individual Windows users who want a permanent, at-a-glance reading of CPU and memory without keeping a monitoring window open.
• Shared or multi-user computers: because the tool registers for all users, a single installation covers every account on the machine.
• Administrators and users performing a manual install, since the installer requires administrator rights to write into Program Files (x86).
• Windows 10 machines at version 1803 or later, where the required .NET Framework 4.7.2 runtime is already part of the operating system.

Getting started

Install the .NET Framework 4.7.2 runtime if it is not already present, then download TaskbarMonitorInstaller.exe and run it with administrator rights. The download is available from the project homepage at https://lugarinho.tech/tools/taskbar-monitor.

How it compares

The facts provided do not name any paid products that taskbar-monitor replaces, and they do not name any comparable monitoring tool either. The only related project mentioned is the CS DeskBand library, which taskbar-monitor is built on rather than competes with, so within this registry it stands alone as a Windows taskbar DeskBand monitor.

When to use it — and when not to

It suits Windows users who are content to run an elevated installer that writes into Program Files (x86) and registers the tool for every account on the machine. It is not for macOS or Linux users, nor for anyone who cannot grant administrator rights at installation time. The README is sparse — it documents installation and uninstallation but little else, and it describes only CPU and memory graphs while the tagline and topic list claim disk and network coverage as well, so the exact feature scope should be verified before relying on it.