How to Clean Up Your Mac Menu Bar: The Complete Guide

If your Mac’s menu bar looks like a crowded parking lot of icons, you’re not alone. Every app seems to want a spot up there, and before you know it, you can’t even see them all. Here’s how to take back control.

macOS gives apps permission to add menu bar icons (officially called “menu extras” or “status items”). Some are essential—Wi-Fi, battery, clock. Others are apps you installed that decided they needed constant visibility. The problem is that macOS doesn’t provide a built-in way to hide or organize these icons beyond basic drag-and-drop.

Built-in macOS Options

Rearrange Icons

You can reorder most menu bar icons by holding Command (⌘) and dragging them. This works for system icons and many third-party apps. Some icons, like Spotlight and Control Center, have fixed positions.

Remove System Icons

For Apple’s own menu bar items, go to System Settings > Control Center. Here you can choose which items appear in the menu bar and which only appear in Control Center. You can set items to:

Show in Menu Bar — Always visible
Show When Active — Only appears when relevant
Don’t Show in Menu Bar — Hidden entirely

Quit Unnecessary Apps

Some menu bar icons belong to apps running in the background. Check which apps launch at login by going to System Settings > General > Login Items. Remove apps you don’t need running constantly.

The Notch Problem

If you have a MacBook with a notch (MacBook Pro 14" or 16", or MacBook Air M2 and later), menu bar space is even more limited. Icons that don’t fit simply disappear behind the notch with no way to access them.

For real control over your menu bar, you’ll need a dedicated app. These tools let you:

Hide icons you rarely need
Create collapsible sections
Access hidden icons when you need them
Set up different layouts for different situations

Bar Bar Jinks takes this approach with a three-tier visibility system: always visible, collapsible, or completely hidden. You can expand the collapsible section with a click when you need those icons, and collapse it when you don’t.

Keep only essentials visible — Clock, battery, Wi-Fi, and the one or two apps you check constantly
Collapse the occasional — Apps you use daily but don’t need to see every second
Hide the rare — Apps that run in the background but you only interact with occasionally
Review periodically — Your needs change; audit your menu bar every few months

The Privacy Consideration

When choosing a menu bar organizer, consider privacy. Some apps collect usage data or require accounts. Look for apps that work entirely offline and don’t phone home. Your menu bar configuration is part of how you work—it shouldn’t be anyone else’s business.

Conclusion

A cluttered menu bar is a solvable problem. Start with macOS’s built-in options, and if you need more control, a dedicated organizer can transform that chaotic strip of icons into a clean, functional workspace.