# Menu bar icons hidden behind the notch: fixes > Mac menu bar icons disappearing behind the notch? Remove icons you do not need, use Menu Bar settings and Apple's Scale to fit setting. Steps in order. Canonical: https://www.notchstar.com/tips/menu-bar-icons-hidden-behind-the-notch/ Last updated: 2026-11-04 Published 2026-11-04. When the menu bar fills up, some icons on the right side can end up with no room to show beside the notch, with nothing to tell you they are still there. The fix is to free space: remove icons you do not need, set others to show only when active, and, if one app's own menus are the problem, use Apple's Scale to fit setting for that app. ## Step 1: remove Apple controls you do not use 1. Open the Apple menu, then System Settings, then click Menu Bar in the sidebar (you may need to scroll down). 2. Under Menu Bar Controls, turn off items you do not need. 3. For Sound, Focus, Now Playing and similar items, use the pop up menu to choose Show When Active instead of Always Show. Apple's guide lists these controls. Battery is a control on MacBooks, so check its options too. ## Step 2: remove icons by dragging Apple's Control Center guide says: hold Command and drag the icon off the menu bar. This works for Apple's own items. Some third party icons cannot be removed this way. Open that app's settings and look for an option to show it in the menu bar. ## Step 3: check third party icons Menu Bar settings has an Allow in the Menu Bar list. Select app menu bar items there to show or hide them. Apps you rarely open do not need a permanent icon. ## Step 4: when one app's menus are the problem If the app's own menus on the left run into the cutout, use `Scale to fit below built-in camera` in the app's Get Info window. Read [what Scale to fit does](https://www.notchstar.com/tips/scale-to-fit-below-built-in-camera/). ## Step 5: a menu bar manager If you still need more icons than fit, a menu bar manager app can hold the extras. Our longer [hidden icons guide](https://www.notchstar.com/guides/mac-menu-bar-icons-hidden-by-notch/) compares the options. Note that a manager is another app with its own icon and permissions. ## Check that it worked Open the app whose icon was missing and look at the right of the menu bar. Change one thing at a time, so you know which change helped and can undo the one that did not. Hiding the shape of the notch does not bring icons back. See [how to hide the notch](https://www.notchstar.com/tips/how-to-hide-the-notch-on-mac/), and [how to see all menu bar icons](https://www.notchstar.com/tips/see-all-menu-bar-icons-on-mac/) for the checklist version. NotchStar adds one small star icon to the menu bar for settings and quitting, and its ten tools open from the notch instead of from menu bar icons. The [System tool](https://www.notchstar.com/features/system-stats/) is one example. ## Quick answers. ### Are the hidden icons gone? Not necessarily. The apps that own them can still be running while their icons have no room to show. ### Does Apple mention the notch on its Menu Bar settings page? No. The page covers which controls to show and when, and says nothing about icons hidden behind the camera area. ## 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. - [How to see all menu bar icons on a Mac](https://www.notchstar.com/tips/see-all-menu-bar-icons-on-mac/): A short checklist for showing every menu bar icon on a Mac: Menu Bar settings, Control Center, app settings and what to do when the notch takes the space. - [What Scale to fit below built in camera does](https://www.notchstar.com/tips/scale-to-fit-below-built-in-camera/): How Apple's Scale to fit below built in camera setting works, where to find it in Get Info, which Macs it applies to and why it sometimes does not show. - [What is the notch on a MacBook?](https://www.notchstar.com/tips/what-is-the-macbook-notch/): The notch is the cutout at the top centre of some MacBook displays that holds the camera. What it is, what Apple calls it and how macOS works around it. ## More in The notch. - [What is the notch on a MacBook?](https://www.notchstar.com/tips/what-is-the-macbook-notch/): The notch is the cutout at the top centre of some MacBook displays that holds the camera. What it is, what Apple calls it and how macOS works around it. - [Why do MacBooks have a notch?](https://www.notchstar.com/tips/why-macbooks-have-a-notch/): Apple added a camera cutout to the MacBook display in 2021 so the screen could reach closer to the edges. What Apple said and what it did not say. - [How big is the MacBook notch?](https://www.notchstar.com/tips/how-big-is-the-macbook-notch/): Apple does not publish the notch size in its tech specs. Here is what Apple does list, and how apps and you can find the size on your own Mac. - [Does the MacBook notch have a camera and sensors?](https://www.notchstar.com/tips/does-the-macbook-notch-have-a-camera/): Yes, the notch holds the camera. What Apple lists for it, where the green light is, and how to see which apps can use the camera. - [How to hide the notch on a Mac](https://www.notchstar.com/tips/how-to-hide-the-notch-on-mac/): You cannot remove the notch, but you can make an app sit below it with Apple's Scale to fit setting or change how the menu bar looks. Steps and limits. - [What Scale to fit below built in camera does](https://www.notchstar.com/tips/scale-to-fit-below-built-in-camera/): How Apple's Scale to fit below built in camera setting works, where to find it in Get Info, which Macs it applies to and why it sometimes does not show.