# What is the Mac menu bar?

> The menu bar is the strip along the top of a Mac screen with the Apple menu, app menus and status icons. Learn how it works and how the notch changes it.

Canonical: https://www.notchstar.com/glossary/menu-bar/
Last updated: 2026-11-04

Published 2026-11-04.

The menu bar is the strip along the top of a Mac screen. Apple describes it as the place to choose commands, perform tasks and check status. The Apple menu sits at the left, followed by the menus of the app in front.

## Why it matters

The right end of the bar holds status menus, usually shown as icons, plus Control Center and the clock. Apps that run in the background, such as clipboard tools and timers, often live there as small icons. NotchStar is one of them: it shows a star in the menu bar and has no Dock icon.

On a MacBook with a [notch](https://www.notchstar.com/glossary/notch/), the bar is split around the cutout. The left side belongs to the app in front, the right side to system controls and background apps. When too many icons collect on the right, the ones at the edge can end up out of sight with nothing to show they are there.

## What helps

You can remove icons you do not use, or move to a tool that groups them. A notch app does not add menu bar space. It adds a panel beside the same area. The guide on [menu bar icons hidden by the notch](https://www.notchstar.com/guides/mac-menu-bar-icons-hidden-by-notch/) lists the options in order.

## Related

Read [the MacBook notch explained](https://www.notchstar.com/guides/macbook-notch-explained/) for how the two fit together, or see how [NotchStar's System tool](https://www.notchstar.com/features/system-stats/) shows CPU, memory and battery without a menu bar icon for each.

## Keep reading.

- [Mac notch menu bar replacement: fix hidden icons](https://www.notchstar.com/guides/mac-menu-bar-icons-hidden-by-notch/): If menu bar icons disappear behind the MacBook notch, compare built in fixes, menu bar managers, TopNotch and notch utilities before replacing anything.
- [What is the MacBook notch?](https://www.notchstar.com/glossary/notch/): The notch is the cutout at the top of some MacBook screens that holds the camera. Here is what it is, which Macs have it and what it does to the menu bar.
- [The MacBook notch explained](https://www.notchstar.com/guides/macbook-notch-explained/): What the notch is, which MacBooks have it, why menu bar icons disappear behind it, and the options for working around or making use of it.
- [CPU, memory, disk, battery and network](https://www.notchstar.com/features/system-stats/): Live CPU, memory, disk, battery and network speed gauges in your Mac notch. Sampling only runs while the tab is open, so it stays light.

## More in Mac basics.

- [What is the MacBook notch?](https://www.notchstar.com/glossary/notch/): The notch is the cutout at the top of some MacBook screens that holds the camera. Here is what it is, which Macs have it and what it does to the menu bar.
- [What is the safe area on a Mac screen?](https://www.notchstar.com/glossary/safe-area/): The safe area is the part of a screen where content is not covered by hardware such as the notch. Developers read it from NSScreen safeAreaInsets in AppKit.
- [What is AirDrop?](https://www.notchstar.com/glossary/airdrop/): AirDrop sends files wirelessly between nearby Apple devices. Learn what it needs, how to use it on a Mac and how a notch file shelf can start a send.
- [What is Universal Clipboard?](https://www.notchstar.com/glossary/universal-clipboard/): Universal Clipboard lets you copy on one Apple device and paste on another nearby one. Learn what it needs and how it differs from clipboard history.
- [What is Apple silicon?](https://www.notchstar.com/glossary/apple-silicon/): Apple silicon is the family of Apple designed chips that replaced Intel processors in Macs. Learn how to tell which chip your Mac has and why apps care.
- [What is a universal binary on Mac?](https://www.notchstar.com/glossary/universal-binary/): A universal binary is one Mac app file that contains code for both Apple silicon and Intel chips, so it runs natively on either. Learn how to check one.