Search for an app that shows hardware metrics directly in the taskbar or system tray.
Search for an app that shows hardware metrics directly in the taskbar or system tray.
I've been relying on OpenHardwareMonitor for this. The system tray isn't the most user-friendly: it doesn't support labels (just color coding), the percentage display looks odd, some values are rounded to the nearest whole number—though temps are fine—I'd prefer smoother memory usage trends. Tray icons sometimes disappear, and I have to toggle windows with the WIN + D key to access them. Are there better options available?
It's a common question about how Windows handles visual elements. This feature is often referred to as the display manager or rendering engine. User applications can interact with it, but access depends on permissions. For API details, check Microsoft's official documentation or developer portals.
Taskbar, Context Menu, and File Explorer all accommodate extensions. However, there isn't a dedicated management interface for them. The APIs exist, like with Lenovo's battery meter on the taskbar, which resembles the weather display on laptops. I've experimented with these APIs in the past. You might be looking for software that utilizes them.
For the record, this is the thing i was looking for: https://github.com/dsafa/CSDeskBand
This tool can handle nearly all my requirements: https://github.com/zhongyang219/TrafficMonitor