Mac Setup

Customize menu bar items

Choose which system controls and app items appear on the right side of the menu bar, keeping the items you need to check or use quickly.

Open the interactive guide

System Settings

Settings path

System Settings › Menu Bar › Menu Bar Controls

System Settings › Menu Bar › Allow in the Menu Bar

Steps

  1. Take a screenshot of the system controls and third-party app items currently shown in the menu bar.
  2. Review the icons on the right side of the menu bar and decide which ones you need for at-a-glance status or direct action.
  3. Under Menu Bar Controls, keep the system items you use regularly. For items such as Focus, Screen Mirroring, Sound, and Now Playing, consider “Show When Active” so they appear only while active.
  4. Under Allow in the Menu Bar, keep only the third-party app items you operate directly from the menu bar.
  5. Return to the desktop and confirm that frequently used items are easy to find and unnecessary items no longer occupy persistent space.

Before

If every available system control and third-party app item is allowed in the menu bar, icons can accumulate and make frequently used items harder to find.

After

The menu bar keeps only the system controls and app items you want for status or quick access; other controls remain available in Control Center or their apps.

Undo the change

  • Return to Menu Bar settings and use your screenshot to restore the previous system controls and app items.

Sources and version notes

More settings