How do I hide menu bar icons on a Mac without Bartender?

Hold ⌘ and drag macOS’s own icons off the menu bar, or on macOS 26 Tahoe switch apps off in System Settings › Menu Bar. Either way, the icon is gone until you add it back. To keep icons one click away, turn on Hide Menu Bar Icons and ⌘-drag them left of its divider.

Does MrFixable help with icons hidden behind the notch?

Yes. When icons don’t fit, macOS hides them behind the notch. Fit More Menu Bar Icons puts icons closer together so more fit, and Hide Menu Bar Icons tucks the ones you rarely use behind an arrow, which frees room. Unlike Bartender, it doesn’t show notch-hidden icons in a separate bar.

Does Hide Menu Bar Icons need Screen Recording permission?

No. Hide Menu Bar Icons and Fit More Menu Bar Icons need no special permissions. Bartender works without Screen Recording too, but then shows app icons instead of pictures of the menu bar items. Some system icons, like Control Center and the clock, can’t be moved, so they always show.

Alternatives

Bartender alternative for Mac

Bartender is a paid Mac menu bar manager with many tools: a Bartender Bar, search, triggers, profiles and styles. As a simpler Bartender alternative, MrFixable’s Hide Menu Bar Icons tucks the icons you choose behind an arrow, and Fit More Menu Bar Icons puts icons closer together, so fewer disappear behind the notch.

Try MrFixable free for 14 daysBuy for $19.99 Lifetime license

By Mohammed Chaara. Updated October 21, 2026. Facts about Bartender come from its own website or App Store page, listed at the end.

What Bartender is

Bartender, by Applause Group, controls which menu bar items show and when. Hidden items appear when you hover, click, scroll, swipe or press a hotkey, and can sit in the Bartender Bar below the menu bar. Quick Search and the Command Bar find items from the keyboard, triggers and profiles change the menu bar automatically, and it can style the menu bar and reduce the spacing between items. It handles the notch by hiding items it would cover and showing them on demand. Bartender 7 costs $24.99 once and is built for macOS 27; for macOS 26 Tahoe and macOS 15 Sequoia you use Bartender 6, which the same license activates. Bartender Pro is a yearly plan ($19.99) that adds Top Shelf and future major versions, and Mega Supporter is a lifetime option. There’s a four-week free trial.

Bartender vs MrFixable

	Bartender	MrFixable
Price	Bartender 7: $24.99 once. Bartender Pro: $19.99, yearly. Four-week free trial.	$19.99 once (lifetime license) for all 68 fixes, with a 14-day free trial
Hide icons	Yes, shown again by hover, click, scroll, swipe or a hotkey	Yes: ⌘-drag icons left of the divider, then click the arrow
Separate bar for hidden icons	Yes, the Bartender Bar	No
Search menu bar items	Yes, Quick Search and the Command Bar	No
Triggers, profiles and automation	Yes, plus Shortcuts, AppleScript and Siri	No
Icon spacing	Yes, spacing options	Yes, one switch: Fit More Menu Bar Icons. macOS keeps it even when MrFixable isn’t running.
Permissions	Screen Recording is optional. Without it, Bartender shows app icons instead of pictures of the items.	None
macOS support	Bartender 7 for macOS 27, Bartender 6 for macOS 26 Tahoe and macOS 15 Sequoia	macOS 14.2 Sonoma or later, tested on macOS 26 Tahoe

Where each one is better

Bartender is better for

It does far more: the Bartender Bar, search, hotkeys, triggers, profiles, menu bar styles and custom menu bar items.
It handles the notch itself, showing the items the notch would cover on demand.
It can be automated with Shortcuts, AppleScript and Siri.
Its free trial is four weeks long.

MrFixable is better for

It’s simpler: ⌘-drag icons past a divider, click the arrow, and that’s it. No permissions are needed.
Fit More Menu Bar Icons narrows the gaps between all menu bar icons with one switch, so more fit beside the notch, and macOS keeps the setting even when MrFixable isn’t running.
One payment of $19.99 covers both menu bar fixes and 66 others, with no yearly plan.

Choose Bartender if

People who want full control of the menu bar: a separate bar, search, hotkeys, automatic changes for different setups, and custom styles.

Choose MrFixable if

People who just want a clean menu bar and fewer icons lost behind the notch, without setting much up.

Switching from Bartender

Quit Bartender and remove it, so two apps aren’t hiding icons at the same time. Then turn on Hide Menu Bar Icons in MrFixable, hold ⌘ and drag the icons you rarely use to the left of the thin divider, and click the arrow. On a MacBook with a notch, turn on Fit More Menu Bar Icons too. System icons update at once; other apps’ icons when those apps restart.

Questions

How do I hide menu bar icons on a Mac without Bartender?
Hold ⌘ and drag macOS’s own icons off the menu bar, or on macOS 26 Tahoe switch apps off in System Settings › Menu Bar. Either way, the icon is gone until you add it back. To keep icons one click away, turn on Hide Menu Bar Icons and ⌘-drag them left of its divider.
Is Bartender a one-time purchase?
Bartender 7 is: $24.99 once, with all updates to version 7. Bartender Pro is a yearly plan that adds Top Shelf and future major versions, and Mega Supporter is a lifetime option. MrFixable costs $19.99 once (lifetime license) for all 68 fixes, with a 14-day free trial.
Does MrFixable help with icons hidden behind the notch?
Yes. When icons don’t fit, macOS hides them behind the notch. Fit More Menu Bar Icons puts icons closer together so more fit, and Hide Menu Bar Icons tucks the ones you rarely use behind an arrow, which frees room. Unlike Bartender, it doesn’t show notch-hidden icons in a separate bar.
Does Hide Menu Bar Icons need Screen Recording permission?
No. Hide Menu Bar Icons and Fit More Menu Bar Icons need no special permissions. Bartender works without Screen Recording too, but then shows app icons instead of pictures of the menu bar items. Some system icons, like Control Center and the clock, can’t be moved, so they always show.