# How to control music from the menu bar on a Mac

> Add the Now Playing control to the menu bar in System Settings, then pause, skip or go back from any app. Steps, options and what it cannot do.

Canonical: https://www.notchstar.com/tips/control-music-from-the-menu-bar-on-mac/
Last updated: 2026-11-04

Published 2026-11-04.

Add Now Playing to the menu bar in System Settings. Open Menu Bar, select Now Playing in the Menu Bar Controls list, and choose Show When Active or Always Show. Click the icon whenever music or video plays, and use the controls for the app that is playing.

## Steps

1. Choose **Apple menu > System Settings**, then click **Menu Bar** in the sidebar. You may need to scroll down.
2. In the **Menu Bar Controls** list, select **Now Playing**.
3. Click the pop up menu next to Now Playing and choose:
   - **Show When Active:** the icon appears only while something is playing.
   - **Always Show:** the icon stays in the menu bar.

Apple lists the same two choices for Focus, Screen Mirroring, Display, Sound and Now Playing. To hide the item, deselect it in the Menu Bar Controls list.

## Without the menu bar icon

You can also use Control Center. Click the Control Center icon in the menu bar, and you will find Now Playing among its controls. Apple's page shows it in the Control Center screenshot but does not describe its buttons in text, so look at it on your own Mac. To rearrange Control Center, click **Edit Controls**, change the items, and click **Done**.

## Why Show When Active

If Now Playing is always visible, it takes menu bar space even when nothing plays. Show When Active keeps the bar tidier, and the icon comes back when a player starts. If you cannot find the icon, nothing may be playing. See [why Now Playing may not show](https://www.notchstar.com/tips/why-now-playing-is-not-showing-on-mac/).

## Limits

The menu bar item works with apps that report to the system's Now Playing. A player that does not report will not appear, whatever the setting. The menu bar item is also a small popup, so it shows less than a full player window.

## A hover away in the notch

NotchStar's [Now Playing](https://www.notchstar.com/features/now-playing/) card sits on the Home tab. It shows the cover, the title and artist, and previous, play or pause and next buttons, which go to whichever app is playing. A progress bar and timestamps appear when the player gives a duration and elapsed time. It listens only while the card is on screen. It relies on a macOS interface that Apple does not document, and for Music and Spotify there is an AppleScript fallback. The [technical guide](https://www.notchstar.com/guides/how-notch-apps-read-now-playing/) explains how, and the [music troubleshooting guide](https://www.notchstar.com/guides/mac-notch-music-controls-not-working/) covers faults.

To stop music at a set time, use a [Clock timer](https://www.notchstar.com/tips/stop-music-with-a-timer-on-mac/).

## Keep reading.

- [Now playing, with real album art](https://www.notchstar.com/features/now-playing/): See the song playing on your Mac with album artwork and controls in the notch. Live updates, and a progress bar when the player provides one.
- [Why Now Playing is not showing on your Mac](https://www.notchstar.com/tips/why-now-playing-is-not-showing-on-mac/): If the Now Playing icon or notch card is empty, check the menu bar setting, whether the player reports to macOS, and how NotchStar handles Music and Spotify.
- [How to make a Mac stop playing music after a timer](https://www.notchstar.com/tips/stop-music-with-a-timer-on-mac/): Set a timer in the Clock app and choose Stop Playing in the When timer ends menu, so music or video stops on its own, for example before you sleep.
- [How notch apps read what is playing, after macOS 15.4](https://www.notchstar.com/guides/how-notch-apps-read-now-playing/): Why showing the current song got harder in macOS 15.4, how open source adapters work around it, and the tradeoffs. Tested, with real findings.
- [Mac notch music controls not working: what to check first](https://www.notchstar.com/guides/mac-notch-music-controls-not-working/): Check the player, missing track information and Music or Spotify permissions before reinstalling a notch app. Learn which missing controls are expected.

## More in Music.

- [Why Now Playing is not showing on your Mac](https://www.notchstar.com/tips/why-now-playing-is-not-showing-on-mac/): If the Now Playing icon or notch card is empty, check the menu bar setting, whether the player reports to macOS, and how NotchStar handles Music and Spotify.