How to hide or show the menu bar on a Mac
To hide the menu bar, open System Settings, click Menu Bar in the sidebar and use the Automatically hide and show the menu bar setting. Apple lists four choices: Always, On Desktop Only, In Full Screen Only and Never. When the bar is hidden, move the pointer to the top of the screen to reveal it.
Steps
- Open the Apple menu and choose System Settings.
- Click Menu Bar in the sidebar. You may need to scroll down.
- Next to Automatically hide and show the menu bar, choose an option.
The four choices, as Apple names them, are Always, On Desktop Only, In Full Screen Only and Never. Never is the choice to use if you want the bar to stay on screen.
Other Menu Bar settings on the same page
- Show menu bar background lets you show your wallpaper behind the bar or show the menu bar background.
- Recent documents, applications and servers sets how many items appear in Recent Items.
What this does for the notch
On a MacBook with a cutout the menu bar is split by it. Hiding the bar means the top edge is mostly wallpaper, and the cutout is the only thing left there. It does not remove the cutout. For apps that run into the camera area, see Scale to fit below built in camera, and for the full set of options, read how to hide the notch.
If the bar seems to be missing
If the bar does not show when you expect it to, read Apple menu bar missing on Mac. The most common reason is one of the settings above.
NotchStar opens from the notch when you hover, and it stays out of the way when you do not. Its Quick Notes tool is a good place to leave a reminder if you hide the bar and lose track of icons.
