> For the complete documentation index, see [llms.txt](https://captivatehelp.newbluelive.com/llms.txt). Markdown versions of documentation pages are available by appending `.md` to page URLs; this page is available as [Markdown](https://captivatehelp.newbluelive.com/get-started/chapter-index-2/top-bar-status-meaning.md).
# Top-bar status indicators
The Captivate top bar shows machine health, streaming state, and license status at a glance. This article explains what each indicator means.
## APP and SYS CPU meters
The two horizontal bars on the right of the top bar are both CPU meters.
* **APP** shows the CPU used by the Captivate process itself.
* **SYS** shows total CPU usage across the entire machine.
Each meter draws in its own color, so you can tell them apart at a glance. Hover over a meter to see the exact percentage.
| APP | SYS | What it means |
| ---- | ---- | -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| Low | Low | Healthy. |
| Low | High | Something else on the machine is busy. Close other apps. |
| High | High | Machine saturation. Expect frame drops. Reduce layers, lower resolution, or use a faster computer. |
| High | Low | Captivate is busy while the rest of the machine is mostly idle. |
## Start Streaming and Stop Streaming
The streaming button is the on-air control for streaming.
* **Idle, a destination switched on and ready.** Clicking starts streaming straight away; the label flips to **Stop Streaming**.
* **Idle, nothing ready.** Clicking opens the Streaming dialog instead of starting a stream, so you can finish setting up and go live from there. See [Streaming with Captivate](/set-up-your-production/chapter-index-6/set-up-streaming.md).
* **Streaming live.** Clicking stops streaming.
The elapsed-time label under the button counts up in `HH:MM:SS` from stream start. The counter does not pause if the connection drops — check the per-destination status to confirm the stream is alive.
## Per-destination streaming status
When you stream to one or more destinations, each one gets its own readout in the **bottom status bar** — not on the top bar. Each shows the destination’s name followed by its state:
| Reads | Color | Meaning |
| --------------------------- | ------ | --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| A bitrate, e.g. `4500 Kbps` | Green | Connected and sending. This is the only state that shows a number, so a bitrate means it’s working. |
| `Connecting...` | Yellow | Handshaking. Wait for it. |
| `Reconnecting (1)` | Orange | Dropped, retrying, with the attempt number. Check your network if it persists. |
| `Error` | Red | Authentication, URL, or server-side failure — it has stopped retrying. Other destinations are unaffected. |
| `Idle` | Gray | Not sending. An SRT destination in Listener mode reads this until a receiver connects. |
Hover a destination for its server address and, if it has one, the error behind the status.
The top bar carries a one-line summary beside the elapsed time — `Connected (2)`, `Connecting...`, `Error (1)`, or `Idle` — for a glance-check that everything you armed is up.
## The video panic button
The icon button at the right end of the top bar is the video kill switch. Use it when a live video source shows something that shouldn’t be on air.
* **Double-click** fades out every live video input. The default fade is 100 ms.
* A **single click** triggers nothing — it opens a **Stop Video Inputs** message reminding you to double-click. The two-click gesture is the safeguard against accidental triggering during a show.
* **Right-click** opens a menu to choose the fade duration: **500 ms**, **100 ms**, **10 ms**, or **0**.
**❗ IMPORTANT**\
The panic fade affects live video inputs only. Graphics stay on air — use **Stop All** on each channel to take them down — and audio is not muted; mute the Audio Mixer separately.
After the fade, there is no "panic engaged" banner or undo. Bring sources back deliberately when you’re ready.
**💡 TIP**
The video panic button can be hidden by a system-level setting. If your install has no button, an administrator turned it off — there is no in-app toggle to bring it back.
## The Help button
The **Help** button on the top bar toggles the Help Center panel — one click opens it docked in your workspace, another closes it. Panel-specific `?` buttons elsewhere in the interface open the Help Center directly on the matching article.
## Related
* [Tour the Captivate interface](/get-started/chapter-index-2/the-playout-interface.md)
* [Activation flow reference](/reference/license-activation-flow.md)
* [Feature availability by edition](/reference/entitlements-sku-matrix.md)
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