How to Check Data Usage by App on Mac

The summary cards separate downloaded and uploaded data and show their combined total. Downloaded data includes content moving toward an app, such as web pages, media, updates, and incoming cloud files. Uploaded data includes backups, outgoing sync, calls, and files sent from the Mac.

These totals measure transferred data, not connection speed. Use the Bandwidth tab when you need to see an app's current upload or download rate. Use the Usage tab when you want to understand how traffic accumulated over days, months, or years.

The ranking lists each identified app or service with its download, upload, total usage, and share of the selected period. Sort the columns to find the largest downloaders, uploaders, or overall users. Search is useful when the list is long or you already know which app you want to inspect.

Select an app to update the summary and usage-over-time chart for that target. Switch to Usage Share by App when you want to compare how the total is divided across apps. Some transfers may appear under a helper, updater, or background service rather than the app whose window you see.

The monthly view plots one bucket for each day, which helps identify a particular day with unusual activity. The yearly view groups usage by month so you can see longer trends without examining every day separately.

Move to an earlier period to compare it with the current one. Throttlr shows the history retained on this Mac, so an earlier period may be empty if the proxy was not running then or the data falls outside your retention setting.

Choose Internet to review traffic between your Mac and non-local destinations. Choose Local Network for transfers involving devices and services on your LAN, such as a NAS, development server, or another computer. Choose All to combine both scopes.

This distinction can explain a high total that does not match your internet usage. A large local backup or file copy can transfer substantial data without using your internet connection.

Open Settings, select Usage, and choose a retention period of one month, three months, one year, or all history. The same screen shows how much storage the history uses and provides a Clear History button.

Daily per-app totals are stored locally on your Mac. Throttlr records them only while its proxy is running. Clearing history removes the saved totals, and data older than the selected retention period is pruned.

Usage history is included in Throttlr's Free plan. If an app is transferring more than expected, Throttlr Pro can set a data quota, apply separate upload and download speed caps, or temporarily block traffic for that app.

Use a quota when the app should receive a defined allowance, a bandwidth cap when it may continue at a lower rate, or a block when its captured traffic should stop. Each control serves a different purpose, so start with the least disruptive option that addresses the problem.