05 / UTILITIES · 5 min read
How to Fix MacBook Notch Hiding Menu Bar Icons
On MacBooks with a camera notch, macOS hides menu-bar icons when there is no room left. Here is how to get space back.
When icons disappear on a MacBook with a notch, the menu bar has run out of room beside the notch. macOS does not show icons behind it, and it has no overflow menu, so the extra icons just vanish. To fix it, remove icons you do not need, choose a screen setting with more space, or replace several small menu-bar apps with one.
On MacBooks with a camera notch, menu-bar icons can vanish without warning once you have too many of them.
Why macOS hides menu bar icons
macOS does not draw menu-bar icons behind the notch. The current app's menus (File, Edit, View and so on) fill the left side. Your icons fill the right side. When the two meet at the notch, the icons that do not fit are hidden.
There is no overflow menu or second row. The apps are still running, but you cannot click their icons.
Quick fixes in System Settings
- Choose more screen space. Open System Settings, Displays and select More Space if it is offered. Everything gets smaller, and the menu bar gets more room on each side of the notch.
- Remove built-in icons you rarely use. Open System Settings, Control Center and set items such as Spotlight, Siri, Now Playing or Sound to not show in the menu bar.
- Remove icons by dragging. Hold
Commandand drag an icon off the menu bar. This works for many built-in icons and some apps. - Quit apps you do not need. Some apps keep an icon in the menu bar all day without doing anything useful. Quit them, or remove them from System Settings, General, Login Items & Extensions so they do not start with your Mac.
Why it happens so often
Many people run six or more small menu-bar apps, each with its own icon: a clipboard manager, a brightness tool, a battery checker, a screenshot tool, a keyboard layout switcher, a system monitor. Add Wi-Fi, Battery, the clock and Control Center, and a 13-inch or 14-inch MacBook runs out of room.
One icon instead of many
Tegaro puts ten tools behind a single menu-bar icon:
- Dictation
- Screenshots
- Clipboard
- Layout fix for typing in the wrong language (EN and RU)
- Displays, including brightness for external monitors
- Power
- Critter
- AI usage limits
- Disk
Using one icon for these tools leaves more room in your menu bar. It does not replace Wi-Fi, Battery or the clock.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why did my menu bar icons disappear behind the notch?
macOS gives the left side to the current app's menus and does not draw icons behind the notch. When the right side runs out of room, the extra icons are hidden.
Can macOS show an overflow menu for hidden menu bar icons?
No. macOS has no overflow menu or second row for hidden icons. You have to remove some icons or use fewer menu-bar apps.
Does Tegaro help reduce menu-bar notch clutter?
It can. Tegaro puts ten tools (dictation, screenshots, clipboard, layout fix, displays, power, Critter, AI usage limits and disk) behind one icon, so you may be able to quit several other menu-bar apps.
Ten Mac tools, one icon
Tegaro puts Displays, Clipboard, Displays, Power and more in one menu-bar icon. Everything is free for 14 days, no card needed; after that the core tools stay free and Pro unlocks the rest.