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User Guide

Everything you need to know about using Backup Bar.

Getting Started

Get up and running in under a minute. Backup Bar is designed to stay out of your way while keeping you informed.

  1. 1

    Download Backup Bar from the releases page.

  2. 2

    Open the DMG and drag the app to your Applications folder.

  3. 3

    Grant Full Disk Access for the best experience (see the section below).

  4. 4

    Launch the app. A small LED indicator appears in your menu bar — that's it!

Full Disk Access

Full Disk Access is the single permission that unlocks all of Backup Bar's features. It allows the app to query tmutil for detailed backup data.

How to grant Full Disk Access

  1. 1.Open System Settings.
  2. 2.Navigate to Privacy & Security > Full Disk Access.
  3. 3.Find Backup Bar in the list and toggle it on.
  4. 4.If prompted, enter your password to confirm.

What degrades without Full Disk Access?

  • •Backup history is limited — only the most recent backup is available.
  • •Storage details (space used, available capacity) are unavailable.
  • •Destination disk information may be incomplete.

The core LED indicator (green/red) always works, regardless of this permission.

Understanding the LED

The LED indicator in your menu bar communicates backup status at a glance. There are two states:

Green — Safe

No backup is currently running. It is safe to disconnect your backup drive, eject external disks, or shut down your Mac.

Red — Backup in Progress

A Time Machine backup is actively running. Do not disconnect your backup drive or shut down your Mac until the LED turns green.

Backup Details

Click the LED in your menu bar to open a dropdown with detailed backup information:

  • Current StatusWhether a backup is idle, preparing, in progress, or completing.
  • ProgressA percentage and progress bar shown during active backups.
  • Last BackupThe date and time of the most recent completed backup.
  • Next BackupAn estimate of when the next scheduled backup will start.
  • DestinationThe name and type of your backup drive.
  • StorageA visual bar showing used vs. available space on your backup drive.
  • Recent HistoryThe last 3 completed backups with their timestamps.

Back Up Now

You can trigger a manual Time Machine backup directly from the menu bar without opening System Settings.

  1. 1.Click the LED indicator in your menu bar to open the dropdown.
  2. 2.Click the Back Up Now button.
  3. 3.The LED turns red and the dropdown shows progress as the backup runs.

Make sure your backup drive is connected before triggering a manual backup.

Notifications

Backup Bar can send macOS notifications to keep you informed even when you're not looking at the menu bar.

Notification types

  • Backup Completed — sent when a backup finishes successfully.
  • Backup Failed — sent when a backup encounters an error, so you can investigate.

You can toggle notifications on or off from the preferences section in the dropdown menu.

Launch at Login

For continuous monitoring, you can configure Backup Bar to start automatically when you log in to your Mac.

  1. 1.Click the LED indicator in your menu bar to open the dropdown.
  2. 2.In the preferences section, toggle Launch at Login on or off.

When enabled, the app launches silently in the background and appears in your menu bar. No windows are opened.

Troubleshooting

Common issues and how to resolve them.

LED not appearing in the menu bar

The app may not be running, or may be hidden by other menu bar items.

  • •Check Activity Monitor to confirm the app is running.
  • •If it is not running, open it from your Applications folder.
  • •If your menu bar is crowded, try holding Command and dragging items to reorder.

Full Disk Access warning banner

The dropdown shows a banner asking you to grant Full Disk Access.

  • •Follow the steps in the Full Disk Access section above.
  • •After granting access, restart the app for changes to take effect.

Backup not being detected

The LED stays green even when you expect a backup to be running.

  • •Open System Settings > General > Time Machine and verify that Time Machine is enabled.
  • •Confirm your backup drive is connected and mounted.
  • •Try triggering a manual backup with the Back Up Now button to see if the LED changes.

App not updating status

The LED or dropdown information seems stale or frozen.

  • •Quit the app (click the LED, then select Quit from the dropdown).
  • •Relaunch it from your Applications folder.
  • •If the issue persists, check that Full Disk Access is still enabled, as macOS updates can sometimes reset permissions.