# Why do 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. Canonical: https://www.notchstar.com/tips/why-macbooks-have-a-notch/ Last updated: 2026-11-04 Published 2026-11-04. MacBooks have a notch because Apple wanted the screen to run closer to the top edge of the lid while keeping the camera in the middle. Instead of a thick bezel above the display, the screen wraps around the camera, and the cutout is the part that is left over. Apple has said that much and not more. ## What Apple said Apple introduced the notch on the 14 inch and 16 inch MacBook Pro on 18 October 2021. The press release says the display "features even thinner borders and extends up around the camera". It also presents the new 1080p FaceTime HD camera as an upgrade, and notes that the display has rounded corners at the top. That is the whole official account. Apple's pages do not list design alternatives it considered or give a reason beyond the thinner borders and larger screen area. Any longer story you read, such as a particular camera size forcing the cutout, is the writer's guess unless it quotes Apple. ## What the trade off is You get more screen height in the same lid, and the menu bar fits in the extra space above your windows. In exchange there is a fixed shape in the middle of the menu bar, and some menu bar items can end up behind it. The [hidden icons page](https://www.notchstar.com/tips/menu-bar-icons-hidden-behind-the-notch/) lists the fixes. ## Why developers care Because the notch is in the same place on every Mac that has one, it is a predictable anchor. Apps can read the cutout area from macOS and draw something around it. That is why a category of [notch apps](https://www.notchstar.com/guides/what-is-a-notch-app/) exists. It is not an Apple feature. Apple supplies the geometry, and the apps supply the panels. ## Related questions - [What the notch is](https://www.notchstar.com/tips/what-is-the-macbook-notch/) and what Apple calls it. - [Whether the notch holds a camera and sensors](https://www.notchstar.com/tips/does-the-macbook-notch-have-a-camera/). - [Which models have one](https://www.notchstar.com/tips/which-macbooks-have-a-notch/). For a wider view, read [the MacBook notch explained](https://www.notchstar.com/guides/macbook-notch-explained/). NotchStar uses the space under and around the cutout for [ten small tools](https://www.notchstar.com/features/clipboard/), and it opens when you point at the notch. ## Quick answers. ### Did Apple explain the notch? Apple's October 2021 press release says the display has thinner borders and extends up around the camera. It does not give a longer explanation. ### Is the notch needed for the camera? Apple's 2021 press release describes the camera as a 1080p FaceTime HD camera and the display as extending around it. It does not say a cutout was the only option. ## Keep reading. - [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. - [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. - [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. - [What is a notch app? A plain English guide](https://www.notchstar.com/guides/what-is-a-notch-app/): A notch app turns the dead space around the MacBook notch into a tiny control center. Here is how they work, what they do and what to watch for. ## 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. - [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. - [Menu bar icons hidden behind the notch: fixes](https://www.notchstar.com/tips/menu-bar-icons-hidden-behind-the-notch/): 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.