{
  "schema": "https://storagestudio.us/schema/wiki-page.v1",
  "title": "The menu bar icon and popover",
  "slug": "the-menu-bar-icon-and-popover",
  "url": "https://storagestudio.us/wiki/the-menu-bar-icon-and-popover",
  "markdown_url": "https://storagestudio.us/wiki/the-menu-bar-icon-and-popover.md",
  "category": "Getting started",
  "category_url": "https://storagestudio.us/wiki/getting-started/",
  "tags": [
    "menu bar",
    "getting started",
    "notifications",
    "troubleshooting"
  ],
  "summary": "Storage Studio lives in the menu bar. A small coloured dot on its icon shows its state and a number shows notifications. Clicking opens the Home window or, in the Advanced view, a popover; right-clicking opens a short menu.",
  "published_at": "2026-10-01T06:19:43.000Z",
  "updated_at": "2026-10-01T05:35:25.000Z",
  "headings": [
    {
      "level": 2,
      "text": "What the icon tells you",
      "id": "what-the-icon-tells-you"
    },
    {
      "level": 2,
      "text": "Clicking the icon",
      "id": "clicking-the-icon"
    },
    {
      "level": 2,
      "text": "The Advanced popover",
      "id": "the-advanced-popover"
    }
  ],
  "links_out": [
    {
      "slug": "demo-mode",
      "label": "Demo Mode",
      "exists": true,
      "url": "https://storagestudio.us/wiki/demo-mode"
    },
    {
      "slug": "interface-settings",
      "label": "Interface settings",
      "exists": true,
      "url": "https://storagestudio.us/wiki/interface-settings"
    },
    {
      "slug": "the-home-screen",
      "label": "Home screen",
      "exists": true,
      "url": "https://storagestudio.us/wiki/the-home-screen"
    },
    {
      "slug": "service-is-stopped",
      "label": "\"Service is stopped\" won't go away",
      "exists": true,
      "url": "https://storagestudio.us/wiki/service-is-stopped"
    },
    {
      "slug": "pausing-and-stopping",
      "label": "Pausing or stopping everything",
      "exists": true,
      "url": "https://storagestudio.us/wiki/pausing-and-stopping"
    },
    {
      "slug": "when-your-drive-is-disconnected",
      "label": "When your drive is disconnected",
      "exists": true,
      "url": "https://storagestudio.us/wiki/when-your-drive-is-disconnected"
    },
    {
      "slug": "menu-bar-icon-missing",
      "label": "The menu bar icon doesn't appear",
      "exists": true,
      "url": "https://storagestudio.us/wiki/menu-bar-icon-missing"
    },
    {
      "slug": "learning-center-and-notifications",
      "label": "The Learning Center and notifications",
      "exists": true,
      "url": "https://storagestudio.us/wiki/learning-center-and-notifications"
    },
    {
      "slug": "keyboard-shortcuts",
      "label": "Keyboard shortcuts",
      "exists": true,
      "url": "https://storagestudio.us/wiki/keyboard-shortcuts"
    },
    {
      "slug": "preferences-window",
      "label": "The Preferences window",
      "exists": true,
      "url": "https://storagestudio.us/wiki/preferences-window"
    }
  ],
  "links_in": [
    {
      "slug": "demo-mode",
      "title": "Demo Mode",
      "url": "https://storagestudio.us/wiki/demo-mode"
    },
    {
      "slug": "interface-settings",
      "title": "Interface settings",
      "url": "https://storagestudio.us/wiki/interface-settings"
    },
    {
      "slug": "keyboard-shortcuts",
      "title": "Keyboard shortcuts",
      "url": "https://storagestudio.us/wiki/keyboard-shortcuts"
    },
    {
      "slug": "share-your-experience",
      "title": "Share Your Experience",
      "url": "https://storagestudio.us/wiki/share-your-experience"
    },
    {
      "slug": "show-apps-in-dock",
      "title": "Show in Dock",
      "url": "https://storagestudio.us/wiki/show-apps-in-dock"
    },
    {
      "slug": "the-home-screen",
      "title": "The Home screen",
      "url": "https://storagestudio.us/wiki/the-home-screen"
    },
    {
      "slug": "learning-center-and-notifications",
      "title": "The Learning Center and notifications",
      "url": "https://storagestudio.us/wiki/learning-center-and-notifications"
    },
    {
      "slug": "menu-bar-icon-missing",
      "title": "The menu bar icon doesn't appear",
      "url": "https://storagestudio.us/wiki/menu-bar-icon-missing"
    },
    {
      "slug": "what-storage-studio-does",
      "title": "What Storage Studio does",
      "url": "https://storagestudio.us/wiki/what-storage-studio-does"
    },
    {
      "slug": "when-your-drive-is-disconnected",
      "title": "When your drive is disconnected",
      "url": "https://storagestudio.us/wiki/when-your-drive-is-disconnected"
    },
    {
      "slug": "your-first-launch",
      "title": "Your first launch, step by step",
      "url": "https://storagestudio.us/wiki/your-first-launch"
    }
  ],
  "diagrams": [
    {
      "kind": "flowchart",
      "caption": "How the popover decides which state to show",
      "outline": "- Open the popover\n  - leads to Is the background service running?\n- Is the background service running?\n  - No: leads to Service is stopped: Start Service\n  - Yes: leads to Automatic actions paused?\n- Automatic actions paused?\n  - Yes: leads to Paused: click Resume\n  - No: leads to Is your drive connected?\n- Is your drive connected?\n  - No: leads to External drive disconnected\n  - Yes: leads to Normal: space and status\n",
      "source": "%% caption: How the popover decides which state to show\nflowchart TD\n  A[Open the popover] --> B{Is the background service running?}\n  B -->|No| C[Service is stopped: Start Service]\n  B -->|Yes| D{Automatic actions paused?}\n  D -->|Yes| E[Paused: click Resume]\n  D -->|No| F{Is your drive connected?}\n  F -->|No| G[External drive disconnected]\n  F -->|Yes| H[Normal: space and status]"
    }
  ],
  "images": [],
  "screenshots_pending": [
    {
      "alt": "The Storage Studio menu bar icon with an orange state dot and a notification number, next to the macOS clock",
      "caption": "The menu bar icon with a state dot and a notification count"
    }
  ],
  "faqs": [],
  "text": "Storage Studio lives in your menu bar, next to the clock. A small coloured dot on its icon tells you its state at a glance, and a number in the corner counts notifications that need you. Click the icon to open Storage Studio; right-click it for a short menu. What the icon tells you When everything is fine there is no dot. Otherwise one dot shows the most important thing going on: Dot Meaning None All normal Green, pulsing Working — a clear-up, a move or a copy is running Orange Automatic actions are paused, or your Mac is low on space Red Your external drive isn't connected or isn't the expected disk, your Mac is critically low on space, or your licence isn't active Yellow Full Disk Access isn't granted By default, \"low\" means less than 40 GB free on your built-in disk and \"critically low\" means less than 15 GB. A number at the top-right of the icon counts notifications that need your attention; it uses the colour of the most serious one and goes away when there are none left. In Demo Mode the icon changes to a record symbol. Clicking the icon What opens depends on the view you've chosen in Interface settings : Intelligence (the default for new installs) opens the Storage Studio window on its Home screen . Advanced opens the popover described below. Right-click (or Control-click) the icon for: Settings… , Eject your drive, More… (the full tools menu), Turn On Demo Mode… , Restart Storage Studio , Quit Storage Studio and About Storage Studio . The Advanced popover The popover's header line sums up the state, for example All systems normal , Internal disk low , External drive disconnected or Paused — automatic actions disabled . Below it are status rows, buttons such as Free Up Space Now , Run Rules Only and Dry Run , and Pause / Resume . How the popover decides which state to show Flowchart outline: How the popover decides which state to show Open the popover leads to Is the background service running? Is the background service running? No: leads to Service is stopped: Start Service Yes: leads to Automatic actions paused? Automatic actions paused? Yes: leads to Paused: click Resume No: leads to Is your drive connected? Is your drive connected? No: leads to External drive disconnected Yes: leads to Normal: space and status Service is stopped. The background service isn't running. Click Start Service . After that, Storage Studio starts it each time the app opens. If it won't stay started, see \"Service is stopped\" won't go away . Paused. Pause halts automatic actions while the service keeps running; Resume turns them back on. See Pausing or stopping everything . External drive disconnected. Work that needs the drive waits until you plug it back in. See When your drive is disconnected . The footer has Log (⌘L), Rules , Inspect (⌘I), Help (⌘?), More , and a power button to quit (⌘Q). More lists every other window, the Legal documents, Share Your Experience… and a Setup & maintenance submenu with Re-run Setup Wizard… , Check for updates , Verify configuration… , Start at login , Restart Storage Studio… , Reset Storage Studio… and Uninstall Storage Studio… . To go back to the calmer window, choose More → Switch to Intelligence view… . If the icon doesn't appear at all, see The menu bar icon doesn't appear . See also: The Learning Center and notifications , Keyboard shortcuts , The Preferences window .",
  "markdown": "Storage Studio lives in your menu bar, next to the clock. A small coloured dot on its icon tells you its state at a glance, and a number in the corner counts notifications that need you. Click the icon to open Storage Studio; right-click it for a short menu.\n\n## What the icon tells you\n\nWhen everything is fine there is no dot. Otherwise one dot shows the most important thing going on:\n\n| Dot | Meaning |\n|---|---|\n| None | All normal |\n| Green, pulsing | Working — a clear-up, a move or a copy is running |\n| Orange | Automatic actions are paused, or your Mac is low on space |\n| Red | Your external drive isn't connected or isn't the expected disk, your Mac is critically low on space, or your licence isn't active |\n| Yellow | Full Disk Access isn't granted |\n\nBy default, \"low\" means less than 40 GB free on your built-in disk and \"critically low\" means less than 15 GB. A number at the top-right of the icon counts notifications that need your attention; it uses the colour of the most serious one and goes away when there are none left. In [Demo Mode](https://storagestudio.us/wiki/demo-mode) the icon changes to a record symbol.\n\n## Clicking the icon\n\nWhat opens depends on the view you've chosen in [Interface settings](https://storagestudio.us/wiki/interface-settings):\n\n- **Intelligence** (the default for new installs) opens the Storage Studio window on its [Home screen](https://storagestudio.us/wiki/the-home-screen).\n- **Advanced** opens the popover described below.\n\n**Right-click** (or Control-click) the icon for: **Settings…**, **Eject** your drive, **More…** (the full tools menu), **Turn On Demo Mode…**, **Restart Storage Studio**, **Quit Storage Studio** and **About Storage Studio**.\n\n## The Advanced popover\n\nThe popover's header line sums up the state, for example **All systems normal**, **Internal disk low**, **External drive disconnected** or **Paused — automatic actions disabled**. Below it are status rows, buttons such as **Free Up Space Now**, **Run Rules Only** and **Dry Run**, and **Pause** / **Resume**.\n\n```mermaid\n%% caption: How the popover decides which state to show\nflowchart TD\n  A[Open the popover] --> B{Is the background service running?}\n  B -->|No| C[Service is stopped: Start Service]\n  B -->|Yes| D{Automatic actions paused?}\n  D -->|Yes| E[Paused: click Resume]\n  D -->|No| F{Is your drive connected?}\n  F -->|No| G[External drive disconnected]\n  F -->|Yes| H[Normal: space and status]\n```\n\n*Flowchart — How the popover decides which state to show. Outline:*\n\n- Open the popover\n  - leads to Is the background service running?\n- Is the background service running?\n  - No: leads to Service is stopped: Start Service\n  - Yes: leads to Automatic actions paused?\n- Automatic actions paused?\n  - Yes: leads to Paused: click Resume\n  - No: leads to Is your drive connected?\n- Is your drive connected?\n  - No: leads to External drive disconnected\n  - Yes: leads to Normal: space and status\n\n- **Service is stopped.** The background service isn't running. Click **Start Service**. After that, Storage Studio starts it each time the app opens. If it won't stay started, see [\"Service is stopped\" won't go away](https://storagestudio.us/wiki/service-is-stopped).\n- **Paused.** **Pause** halts automatic actions while the service keeps running; **Resume** turns them back on. See [Pausing or stopping everything](https://storagestudio.us/wiki/pausing-and-stopping).\n- **External drive disconnected.** Work that needs the drive waits until you plug it back in. See [When your drive is disconnected](https://storagestudio.us/wiki/when-your-drive-is-disconnected).\n\nThe footer has **Log** (⌘L), **Rules**, **Inspect** (⌘I), **Help** (⌘?), **More**, and a power button to quit (⌘Q). **More** lists every other window, the **Legal** documents, **Share Your Experience…** and a **Setup & maintenance** submenu with **Re-run Setup Wizard…**, **Check for updates**, **Verify configuration…**, **Start at login**, **Restart Storage Studio…**, **Reset Storage Studio…** and **Uninstall Storage Studio…**. To go back to the calmer window, choose **More** → **Switch to Intelligence view…**.\n\nIf the icon doesn't appear at all, see [The menu bar icon doesn't appear](https://storagestudio.us/wiki/menu-bar-icon-missing).\n\nSee also: [The Learning Center and notifications](https://storagestudio.us/wiki/learning-center-and-notifications), [Keyboard shortcuts](https://storagestudio.us/wiki/keyboard-shortcuts), [The Preferences window](https://storagestudio.us/wiki/preferences-window).\n"
}