Mac menu bar icons hidden by the notch: how to fix it

Guide By the NotchStar team Published

The menu bar on a notched MacBook has less room than it looks, because the middle is taken by the notch. If you run many menu bar apps, some will be hidden with no warning.

Quick fixes

  1. Remove or quit the icons you do not use. Hold Command and drag an icon out of the menu bar to remove one, if the app supports it.
  2. Check app settings. Many apps let you hide their menu bar icon.
  3. Use a menu bar manager. There are third party apps that group icons into an overflow area.
  4. Scale an app below the camera. In Finder, open the app’s Get Info window and tick Scale to fit below built in camera for apps whose own menus are affected.

What about notch apps?

A notch app lives in the strip around the notch, which is not part of the normal menu bar item area. Most also add a single small icon to open settings. That takes one slot, the same as any menu bar app.

For background on the notch itself, see the MacBook notch explained.

Quick answers.

Why are my menu bar icons missing?

When there are more icons than fit beside the notch, the extra ones can be pushed behind it, where they are still running but not visible.

Does a notch app make this worse?

A notch app that adds its own menu bar icon takes one slot, like any other. It does not draw into the menu bar items themselves.

Can I scale an app so it does not go behind the notch?

In an app's Get Info window you can turn on the option to scale it to fit below the built in camera.

Keep reading.

The 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
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.
The best Mac notch apps in 2026, compared fairly
A fair look at the main Mac notch apps in 2026: Boring Notch, Alcove, MacNotch, OmniNotch and NotchStar, with prices and who each one suits.
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