How to see all menu bar icons on a Mac
To see all your menu bar icons, turn on the ones you want in Menu Bar settings, make sure each app is allowed to show its icon, and remove the ones you do not need so the rest have room. On a MacBook with a notch the right side is shorter, so a crowded bar can leave some icons without space.
Show the icon
- Open the Apple menu, then System Settings, then Menu Bar in the sidebar. You may need to scroll down.
- In Menu Bar Controls, turn on the Apple items you want. Some, such as Sound, Focus and Now Playing, have a pop up menu with Show When Active or Always Show. Choose Always Show if you want the icon to stay put.
- In Allow in the Menu Bar, select the app menu bar items you want to see.
- If the app is not in the list, open the app and look for its own setting for showing an icon in the menu bar.
Make room
Apple’s Control Center guide says: to remove a menu bar icon, hold Command and drag it off the bar. Remove the icons you can reach another way, such as through Control Center, and the rest fit.
If the bar is hidden
If the whole menu bar disappears, Apple’s Menu Bar settings include Automatically hide and show the menu bar, with choices Always, On Desktop Only, In Full Screen Only or Never. Pick Never to keep it on screen. Moving the pointer to the top of the screen reveals a hidden bar.
When the notch is the reason
The cutout takes space in the middle of the bar and Apple’s menu bar page says nothing about it, so macOS gives you no extra row. A few things help: removing icons, using smaller sets of controls, or using a third party menu bar manager. Our guide to fixing hidden icons compares those options, and menu bar icons hidden behind the notch gives the fix order.
Privacy dots
Apple notes that the privacy indicator dots in the menu bar are part of Control Center. They show when the camera, microphone or system audio is in use, and clicking one shows which app is using it.
Related: how to hide the menu bar. If you want shortcuts without more icons, NotchStar’s Timers tool opens from the notch instead of from a menu bar slot.
