NetSpeed – Display Download / Upload Speed in Ubuntu 20.04 | 22.04 Panel

Need an indicator applet to display internet download and upload speed in the top panel of Ubuntu 20.04 Gnome Shell?

NetSpeed used to be an old Gnome applet, then an indicator for Unity desktop. Now it’s a Gnome Shell extension that displays real time internet speed for all network interfaces.

For Ubuntu 22.04, Ubuntu 24.04 LTS and higher, please scroll down and see the update method to install the net speed indicator.

Install NetSpeed in Ubuntu 20.04:

In your web browser, simply go to extensions.gnome.org/extension/104/netspeed/

If you don’t see the toggle icon, do:

Click the link text “click here to install browser extension” and follow the pop-ups to install the browser extension:
Then open terminal via Ctrl+Alt+T and run command:
```
sudo apt install chrome-gnome-shell
```

Finally refresh the extension page, toggle on and click ‘install’ in the confirm pop-up.

To manage the Gnome Shell extension, either use ‘Extensions‘ utility or Gnome Tweak Tool, both are available in Ubuntu Software.

How to Uninstall the applet:

To remove the extension, you may either re-open the web-page via the previous link and turn off the toggle icon.

Or, open terminal and run command to install “Gnome Extensions” app:

sudo apt install gnome-shell-extension-prefs

After that, search for and launch the tool, which allows to manage all extensions installed on your system.

App to Manage your extensions

(UPDATE) Install Net Speed Indicator in Ubuntu 22.04, 24.04, & Higher:

~~Since Ubuntu 22.04 defaults to Firefox as Snap, which does not support installing Gnome extensions, there’s another way to install the indicator.~~

For Ubuntu 22.04, Ubuntu 24.04, and higher, there’s a Extension Manager app available in system repository. It makes things easy to install and manager Gnome Shell extensions.

1. Firstly, press Ctrl+Alt+T on keyboard to open terminal. When it opens, run the command below to install extension manager app:

sudo apt install gnome-shell-extension-manager

2. Next, click the top-left ‘Activities’, then search for and open the app:

3. Finally, search for and install ‘net speed’ in the “Browser” tab of the pop-up tool and enjoy!

Ji m

I'm a freelance blogger who started using Ubuntu in 2007 and wishes to share my experiences and some useful tips with Ubuntu beginners and lovers. Please comment to let me know if the tutorial is outdated! And, notify me if you find any typo/grammar/language mistakes. English is not my native language. Buy me a coffee: https://ko-fi.com/ubuntuhandbook1 |

17 responses to NetSpeed – Display Download / Upload Speed in Ubuntu 20.04 | 22.04 Panel

Jerry September 22, 2020 at 12:41 pm

Hello Jim,

Anyway to get NetSpeed Monitor for “Ubuntu-unity-desktop” 20.04 LTS?

Thanks in advance!

Jerry
- Ji m September 22, 2020 at 2:38 pm
  
  I don’t use Unity Desktop, but you can try the Ubuntu 19.10 eoan package from this PPA:
  
  https://launchpad.net/~fixnix/+archive/ubuntu/netspeed/+packages
grek December 29, 2020 at 11:48 pm

thx its work fine !
Mohan S January 9, 2021 at 4:21 pm

how to change the unit from bit to bytes
For eg; it shows in kilobit, not showing in kilobyte
- Ji m January 9, 2021 at 4:42 pm
  
  No setting for this unless hack in the source code. You may request this feature in the project page:
  
  https://github.com/hedayaty/NetSpeed/pulls
- Charles L August 31, 2022 at 5:02 pm
  
  You can change this pref in gnome-shell-extension-prefs, just check “Use multiples of byte”
Sudhirkumar October 24, 2021 at 7:46 pm

hey… i am using kali linux.. and i need a internet speed monitor. gnome shell extensions are not for kali linux.. can you please suggest me how to install a internet speed monitor for kali linux
- Ji m October 25, 2021 at 1:31 pm
  
  It depends on which DE you use. Kali Linux has XFCE4, KDE Plasma, and GNOME. For KDE, there’s a Netspeed Widget available in KDE Store.
  
  For XFCE4, use either xfce4-netload-plugin (sudo apt install xfce4-netload-plugin) or Network monitor applet. By adding the applet to panel, it will work after selecting network device. And use “ip addr” to list available network interfaces, they are usually eth0, eth1. wlan0, wlan1, wlo1, etc.
elinotes April 9, 2022 at 12:39 am

thanks, Thank you very much, I’ve been looking for this tutorial for a long time. Previously I used Windows OS using the Netspeed Monitor application, I finally found the alternative
Henil April 23, 2022 at 9:38 pm

Hey How to Remove it After Installing. As In my Laptop it has been showing 6 Speedmeters.
- Ji m April 24, 2022 at 8:35 am
  
  Hi, thanks for your comment. I’ve added the section about how to uninstall the applet.
n0bsvr June 17, 2022 at 9:39 am

Its work sir, thanks for tutorial, next time pls made content list to easly reader for searching the topic.
Makaveli84 July 21, 2022 at 9:24 pm

Hello,
For 22.04, I get the following error on step 1:
“Unable to locate package gnome-shell-exension-manager”

Help!
- Ji m July 22, 2022 at 2:50 pm
  
  You have a typo, the package name should be “gnome-shell-extension-manager”.
  
  And, on a brand new installed system, try launching “Software Updater” to automatically refresh the package cache first.
- Garcia August 12, 2022 at 1:24 pm
  
  just add t:)
  
  sudo apt install gnome-shell-extension-manager
  
  dont use
  sudo apt install gnome-shell-exension-manager
Garcia Jerom August 12, 2022 at 1:21 pm

Thanks working amazing on Ubuntu 22.04.1
but,

You are missing a “t”: extension instead of exension :)

sudo apt install gnome-shell-exension-manager
R. Drabek January 7, 2023 at 5:10 pm

step 3 was not needed. Was already installed.
Thank you.