Mac menu bar guide
How to Rearrange, Hide or Remove Icons in the Mac Menu Bar
To rearrange the icons on the right side of the Mac menu bar, press and hold the Command key while you drag an icon. To remove an icon, press and hold the Command key while you drag it out of the menu bar. To hide the menu bar itself, use the "Automatically hide and show the menu bar" setting in System Settings. The Command-drag steps and the four auto-hide choices are the same in the Apple Support pages for macOS Sequoia 15, macOS Tahoe 26 and macOS 27 Golden Gate. The Menu Bar settings, pop-up options and Edit Controls steps below are from the macOS Tahoe 26 and macOS 27 Golden Gate pages. On macOS Sequoia 15 the wording differs: Apple says to "choose Apple menu > System Settings, then click Control Center in the sidebar", with options "Show in Menu Bar", "Show When Active" and "Don't Show in Menu Bar", and the Control Center tip is "you can drag it from Control Center to the menu bar". Updated October 20, 2026.
Rearrange or remove a status icon
Apple says the icons toward the right end of the menu bar are sometimes called status menus. They let you check the status of your Mac, such as the battery charge, or customize features, such as keyboard brightness. Apple gives two steps for them:
- To rearrange status menus, press and hold the Command key while you drag an icon.
- To quickly remove a status menu, press and hold the Command key while you drag the icon out of the menu bar.
Some icons can also be turned off in Menu Bar settings instead of being dragged out. On macOS Tahoe 26 and macOS 27 Golden Gate, an app’s icon can be turned off under "Allow in the Menu Bar" in Menu Bar settings. Not every icon can be removed. Apple says: "The clock is always shown in the menu bar."
Show or hide items in Menu Bar settings
To change which items appear in the menu bar, choose Apple menu > System Settings, then click Menu Bar in the sidebar. You may need to scroll down. Apple says you can use Menu Bar settings to choose items to include in the menu bar, and that more items are available in Control Center. For items such as Sound or Now Playing, click the pop-up menu next to the item and choose an option: Show When Active only shows the status icon in the menu bar when the item is active, and Always Show shows it at all times. On macOS Tahoe 26 and macOS 27 Golden Gate, Menu Bar settings also have an "Allow in the Menu Bar" section. Apple says: "Some applications provide menu bar items for extra functionality." For each app listed there, Apple’s text is "Select to show in the menu bar." The macOS Sequoia 15 page does not have this section.
Hide and show the menu bar automatically
The menu bar can be hidden so it is shown only when you move the pointer to the top of the screen. In Menu Bar settings, the "Automatically hide and show the menu bar" option has four choices, exactly as Apple writes them:
| Choice | What Apple says it does |
|---|---|
| Always | Always hide and show the menu bar. |
| On Desktop Only | Hide and show the menu bar when not using an app in full screen. |
| In Full Screen Only | Hide and show the menu bar when using an app in full screen. |
| Never | Never hide the menu bar. |
Apple adds: move the pointer to the top of the screen to show the menu bar when it is hidden.
Drag items from Control Center to the menu bar
You can also put a copy of a Control Center item in the menu bar. Click the Control Center icon in the menu bar, then click Edit Controls, and drag items to the menu bar. Apple’s tip: if you often use an item, you can put a copy on the menu bar to keep it handy. Control-click the item, then choose Copy to Menu Bar or Add to Menu Bar. The same Edit Controls window is where you add, remove, rearrange and resize items inside Control Center itself, and you click Done when you finish.
Questions about rearranging and hiding
How does Apple say to move or remove a status icon?
Apple’s steps both start with the Command key held down: press and hold the Command key while you drag an icon to rearrange status menus, and press and hold the Command key while you drag the icon out of the menu bar to remove one.
Where do I turn the menu bar back on?
Choose Apple menu > System Settings, then click Menu Bar in the sidebar. Under "Automatically hide and show the menu bar", choose Never. On macOS Sequoia 15, click Control Center in the sidebar instead. Apple says to move the pointer to the top of the screen to show the menu bar while it is hidden.
Can I hide the menu bar only in full screen?
Yes. Apple’s "In Full Screen Only" choice hides and shows the menu bar when using an app in full screen. "On Desktop Only" hides and shows it when you are not using an app in full screen.
Which icons can I turn off in Menu Bar settings?
Dragging an icon out of the menu bar with the Command key removes it quickly. For an icon that you added from Control Center, Apple says to click Edit Controls, then drag the item off the menu bar. On macOS Tahoe 26 and macOS 27 Golden Gate, Menu Bar settings control the built-in items such as Spotlight, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, Battery, Focus, Screen Mirroring, Display, Sound and Now Playing. The Allow in the Menu Bar section there also lists apps that provide menu bar items. Apple’s condition for Battery: "If you’re using a Mac laptop, you can select to show the Battery status in the menu bar."
How do I show an item in the menu bar again?
In Menu Bar settings, Apple’s text for most items is "Select to show in the menu bar." On macOS Sequoia 15, click Control Center in the sidebar and choose Show in Menu Bar. Apple also describes customizing the menu bar this way: click Menu Bar in the sidebar (you may need to scroll down), then select the icon you want to appear in the menu bar.
Sources, fetched on October 20, 2026, from the Apple Mac User Guide:
- What's in the menu bar on Mac?. The page gives the Command-drag steps for status menus and the note about automatically hiding the menu bar. The pages for macOS Sequoia 15, macOS Tahoe 26 and macOS 27 Golden Gate give the same Command-drag steps.
- Change Menu Bar settings on Mac. The page shows macOS 27 Golden Gate and lists the "Automatically hide and show the menu bar" choices. The macOS Sequoia 15 text is on Change Control Center settings on Mac.
- Use Control Center on Mac. The page shows macOS 27 Golden Gate and says you can drag items to the menu bar and gives the Edit Controls steps and the Copy to Menu Bar tip. The drag steps are on Customize the menu bar. The macOS Sequoia 15 tip is on the macOS Sequoia 15 version of this page.
- Customize the menu bar on Mac. The page shows macOS 27 Golden Gate and gives the step to select an icon in Menu Bar settings so that it appears in the menu bar.