From the earliest versions of Apple’s operating system, the menu bar has always been clearly visible at the top of the screen. The design has changed subtly over the years and since macOS Tahoe 26 the menu bar has become transparent.
Another new feature in macOS 26 is the option to disable app icons. This gives you more control over the space on the right side of the menu bar and you can decide which apps are visible there.
The macOS menu bar is divided into left and right parts. For new users of macOS, here is a brief explanation of the menu bar. Next, we’ll discuss how to hide an app icon.
The left side of the macOS menu bar
The left half of the macOS menu bar consists of the Apple menu and the app menus. At the top left of the screen is the Apple menu with the Apple logo. This menu contains commonly used commands such as updating apps, opening system settings, locking the screen, and turning off the Mac.
Next to the Apple menu are the menu bar menus of the active application. The name of the app you are using appears in bold. Immediately next to it are further menu items with standard names such as “Archive”, “Edit”, “Format” and “Window”. Each app also has a Help menu that allows you to quickly get information about using the app.
The menu bar acts as the anchor point of the macOS user interface and changes depending on the currently running app. This allows you to invoke specific commands and functions of the app via these menu options.
The right side of the macOS menu bar
The right side of the macOS menu bar mainly contains status and system menus that are usually displayed as icons. Here you will see icons for the Wi-Fi network, volume, battery status, time and date, and other system functions.
In addition, apps can add their own icons here, such as Time Machine for backups, Dropbox for sync status, or small apps that are only active in the menu bar, such as iStat Menus or CleanMyMac. On the far right are fixed items such as Spotlight (for search), Siri (for voice control), and the Notification Center with notifications.
This right side of the menu bar is similar to the notification area in Windows and provides quick access to important system information and controls. From the macOS settings, you can also customize, add or remove these menu bar icons to your preference
Remove apps from the menu bar
With the introduction of macOS 26, a new section, “Allow in Menu Bar,” has been added to the System Settings. This section lists all developer apps that can add items to the right side of the menu bar.
You can find this feature on your Mac here:
- Go to ▸ System Settings
- Click on ‘Menu bar’ in the left column
- Scroll to the section: ‘Allow in the menu bar’
You can disable an app’s appearance in the menu bar by using the switch next to the app’s name. This helps to free up extra space. Many apps often also offer the option to hide the icon. Now you can easily manage this from one place in the system settings.