How do I see menu bar icons hidden behind the notch?

On macOS 27, click the arrow at the edge of the menu bar icons to show the hidden ones. On earlier versions, remove icons you don't need with Command-drag, or switch to an app with fewer menus, such as Finder.

How do I hide menu bar icons on a Mac?

Hold Command and drag an icon out of the menu bar, or turn the app off under Allow in the Menu Bar in System Settings, Menu Bar.

Does macOS 27 fix menu bar icons hidden by the notch?

Partly. It adds an arrow that reveals hidden icons when you click it, but the notch still takes the same space, so icons that don't fit are still hidden until you click.

Why did my menu bar icons disappear on my Mac?

On a MacBook with a notch, they are most likely hidden behind it because there are too many icons or the current app has long menus. They may also be turned off in System Settings, Menu Bar.

Can I reduce the space between menu bar icons?

Yes, with two Terminal settings, NSStatusItemSpacing and NSStatusItemSelectionPadding, followed by logging out. It works up to macOS 26 Tahoe; on macOS 27 results are mixed.

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Mac guide

Menu bar icons hidden behind the MacBook notch? How to get them back

By Aqib Javed · Updated Nov 2, 2026

On a MacBook with a notch, menu bar icons only fit to the right of the notch, and when they don't fit, the leftmost ones are hidden behind it without warning. macOS 27 adds an arrow at the edge of the icons that shows the hidden ones when you click it. On any version, make room: hold Command and drag icons you don't need out of the menu bar, or turn them off in System Settings, Menu Bar, Allow in the Menu Bar.

Why icons disappear behind the notch

The menu bar is split in two. The app you are using fills it with menus from the left, and status icons line up from the clock on the right. The notch sits in the middle and nothing can be drawn there. When the icons need more room than the space right of the notch, macOS hides the ones that don't fit, starting with the leftmost. An app with long menus, such as a code editor or Photoshop, leaves even less room, so icons can vanish when you switch to it and come back when you switch to Finder.

The hidden apps keep running. Only their icons are out of reach.

What changed in macOS 27

macOS 27 adds an overflow control: when the notch or an app's menus cover some icons, an arrow appears at the edge of the icon area. Click it to show the hidden icons to the left of the notch, and click again to fold them away. The notch itself still takes the same space, so fewer icons is still the better fix.

macOS 27 also draws the menu bar differently, and several menu bar managers that hid or rearranged icons stopped working on early builds. If you use one, check it has a macOS 27 update before relying on it.

How to get hidden icons back without extra apps

Hold Command and drag the icons you use most to the right, nearest the clock. They are the last to be hidden.
Hold Command and drag icons you don't need out of the menu bar to remove them.
Open System Settings, Menu Bar (macOS 26 and later). Under Allow in the Menu Bar, turn off apps you never click. Under Menu Bar Controls, turn off system items you can reach from Control Center instead.
Check each app's own settings: many have an option to hide their menu bar icon.
For more room overall, open System Settings, Displays and pick a scaled resolution towards More Space. Everything gets smaller, the menu bar included.

Reduce the space between menu bar icons

macOS leaves a gap between status icons, and two hidden settings make it smaller. Run the first two lines in Terminal, then log out and back in. 8 is about half the usual gap; try other numbers if you like. The last two lines undo it.

This has worked from macOS Big Sur through macOS 26 Tahoe. On macOS 27 reports are mixed, and some people find it no longer has any effect. These settings aren't documented by Apple, so if nothing changes after logging out, run the undo lines.

defaults -currentHost write -globalDomain NSStatusItemSpacing -int 8
defaults -currentHost write -globalDomain NSStatusItemSelectionPadding -int 8
# undo:
defaults -currentHost delete -globalDomain NSStatusItemSpacing
defaults -currentHost delete -globalDomain NSStatusItemSelectionPadding

Menu bar manager apps

Apps such as Bartender, Ice and Hidden Bar hide icons you rarely need behind a single icon of their own, so the rest fit. They rely on how macOS draws the menu bar, which is why macOS updates can break them; check each one supports your version of macOS. Notchet, my clipboard manager, lives in the notch but doesn't manage menu bar icons.

Questions

How do I see menu bar icons hidden behind the notch?: On macOS 27, click the arrow at the edge of the menu bar icons to show the hidden ones. On earlier versions, remove icons you don't need with Command-drag, or switch to an app with fewer menus, such as Finder.
How do I hide menu bar icons on a Mac?: Hold Command and drag an icon out of the menu bar, or turn the app off under Allow in the Menu Bar in System Settings, Menu Bar.
Does macOS 27 fix menu bar icons hidden by the notch?: Partly. It adds an arrow that reveals hidden icons when you click it, but the notch still takes the same space, so icons that don't fit are still hidden until you click.
Why did my menu bar icons disappear on my Mac?: On a MacBook with a notch, they are most likely hidden behind it because there are too many icons or the current app has long menus. They may also be turned off in System Settings, Menu Bar.
Can I reduce the space between menu bar icons?: Yes, with two Terminal settings, NSStatusItemSpacing and NSStatusItemSelectionPadding, followed by logging out. It works up to macOS 26 Tahoe; on macOS 27 results are mixed.