How To See Data Transfer Speed On Mac

How To See Data Transfer Speed On Mac

Sometimes we want to check the data transfer rate in our devices to keep an eye on how our devices perform. Also, we want to check the upload speed and download speed to check the overall internet speed our ISP ensures. We even want to check how much data we consume at a particular time.

People may also check the speed at their whim without any specific purpose. The process is straightforward whether you have an Android, Windows, or Mac device. This short article will show you how to see data transfer speed on Mac.

Why do we need to check the data transfer rate in our devices?

There are several reasons. Firstly you may want to see how fast your computer can copy files between external drives and internal storage. Besides, people want to compare their computers’ reading and writing speeds.

How To See Data Transfer Speed On Mac Step by Step

How To See Data Transfer Speed On Mac Step by Step

There are several ways you can see your mac device’s data transfer rate or internet speed. We show a few of them. The first one uses Rsync or remote sync, the second uses system IO speed measurement tools, and the third is based on n a third-party app. In the end, I will show two bonus methods as well.

First Method: Using Rsync

By using remote sync or rsync you can see the data transfer rate and allow you to manage files. Besides, you can transfer files to remote devices or servers. However, you should have rsync on your device.

Let me just show you how you can check whether you have rsync or not. As we are talking about Mac Operating System, you have homebrew in your device so let me show you how you can check if you have rsync.

First, open your terminal and type the following command without quotation marks. And then press the enter button.

“brew search rsync”

If you have rsync installed on your PC, you will have a window like the following one with a green tick mark.

How To See Data Transfer Speed On Mac Using Rsync

If you don’t have the rsync On your Mac, please follow the following instructions:-

Now, type the following command in your terminal without the brackets and press enter.

[brew install rsync]

The latest version of remote sync will be installed on your Mac.

Another alternative way to install rsync is to type the following command in your terminal without the brackets.

[apt get rsync install]

Now, as you have already installed rsync on your Mac, you can easily see data transfer statistics if you use rsync command in transferring your files. Let me show you how you can transfer files using rsync.

You first need to open the terminal and type “rsync” without the quotations, and hit the enter button. You will get many command hints but don’t be confused; follow our instructions.

Be sure of the directories in between which you want to transfer the files. In order to copy files from one directory to another, type the following commands with the directed changes.

[rsync-avp–progress –stats –human-readable path_to_source directory_to_dest]

You can also type them like the following commands:

[rsync –stats –human-readable ~/desktop/PhotoFiles /Stats/OtherDisk/Dest]

Note: After typing the commands till the source directory, you need to drag the files and drop them in the terminal window. Then type the source directory and the destination directory. Now hit enter, and your files will be transferred with the speed size and other relevant information.

Second method: Using I/O speed measurements tools

Using I/O speed measurements tools

There are two simple ways of checking your disk performance. The first is using the system I/O speed measurements on your Mac, and the second is based on third-party I/O speed measurement tools.

Here are the ways how you can use system I/O performance tools:

First, open the terminal and type [diskutil list] without the brackets, and hit the enter button; you will get the list of your disks.

Now determine the disk you want to check the status and type [iostat]  and the disc number leaving the brackets. for example [iostat 1]

the system will show the statistics. For closing the window, press control + c.

Here are the ways of checking disk status using third-party tools:

In order to do this, you need to download a third-party app available in the Apple app store. Go to the Apple App store and download the “Blackmagic disk speed Test.” Then, open the app, and on the interface, you will get two options: the right speed and the reading speed. You can say them separately by clicking each option.

Third method: Using the Activity Monitor

Using the Activity Monitor

For those of you who don’t know what the activity monitor is, the activity monitor is similar to the task manager of the window. By the activity monitor, you can see the data transfer rate and other background activities on your Mac. to check the data reading and writing speeds, follow the short methods:

Firstly go to your Central search window on your Mac and type [activity monitor], and you will get the activity monitor. Double-click on it and have it opened.

Or you can go to applications, and there you will find utility. In the utility option, you will find the activity monitor.

After opening the activity monitor on the upper side, we will get several options, including one named “disc.” Click on the disc option and find the option called “finder.” If you click the finder option at the bottom of your window, you will get the file transfer speeds.

Fourth method: Using MEnu meters or iStat pro app:

Also, there are two applications in the Appstore, Menumeters and iStat pro, where you will quickly get the statistics.

Final words

In total, we have shown five methods of getting data reading and writing speeds on your Mac Operating System. You will recommend the last two methods where you will get statistics directly on the activity monitor, which is very easy.

The first two methods also are pretty easy if you are familiar with using the terminal commands. Using third-party apps is also straightforward, but you have to download them.