How to declutter your Mac menu bar

Updated 2026 · a 4-minute read

The menu bar — that strip of icons in the top-right of your Mac — fills up fast. Every app you install seems to add one, and before long the clock is crowded out by things you forgot you had. This guide covers the free, built-in ways to tidy it, plus what a dedicated app adds.

1. The ⌘-drag trick (built in, free)

Most people don't know macOS lets you rearrange menu bar icons directly. Hold ⌘ Command and drag any icon left or right. Release it where you want. You can even drag an icon off the bar entirely to remove it (for some system icons).

This works for nearly every third-party icon. A few Apple items — the clock, Control Center, Spotlight — are pinned to the far right and won't move past other icons.

2. Turn off the icons you never use

Many icons can simply be switched off at the source:

Control Center items (Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, Sound): System Settings → Control Center, then set each to "Don't Show in Menu Bar."
Spotlight, Siri, Time Machine: each has a toggle in System Settings.
Third-party apps: check the app's own preferences — many have a "Show icon in menu bar" checkbox.

3. Hide the rest with a menu bar organizer

If you want icons available but out of sight, a menu bar organizer hides them behind a single toggle. The idea: a thin divider splits your bar into "always visible" and "hidden." Click a chevron to reveal the hidden ones when you need them, click again to tuck them away.

This is what Barkeep does — for free. It also lets you group several apps into one button that opens a labelled dropdown, so you can reach a hidden icon by name instead of hunting for it.

Installing an independent Mac app safely

Apps you download outside the App Store are common and safe when they come from a source you trust — but macOS is cautious by default. If you see "cannot be opened because Apple cannot check it for malicious software," that's the normal Gatekeeper prompt for an independent app, not a virus warning.

To open it the first time:

Try to open the app. When macOS blocks it, open System Settings → Privacy & Security.
Scroll down; you'll see a note about the blocked app with an Open Anyway button. Click it, then confirm.
You only do this once. Only ever do it for apps you actually trust.

Which approach should you use?

Start free and built-in: ⌘-drag the icons you want visible to the right, switch off the ones you never use. If your bar is still crowded, add an organizer to hide and group the rest. You rarely need to pay for this — good free options exist.

Try Barkeep — free