# Menu bar utilities for Mac

> Tidy a crowded menu bar and add small tools like keep-awake toggles.

From dockpicks (https://dockpicks.com/), a hand-picked, independent directory of Mac apps. Web page: https://dockpicks.com/menu-bar/

Group: Essentials. 7 apps, listed best first. Prices are the vendor's wording, checked October 2026, and can change.

Built into macOS: System Settings > Menu Bar. macOS lets you choose which Apple controls and which apps' items appear in the menu bar (System Settings > Menu Bar), and you can Command-drag icons to rearrange them or drag them off to remove them. What it lacks is a hidden overflow section you can reveal on demand, which matters most on MacBooks where the notch swallows icons. Add a menu bar manager if you run many menu bar apps; otherwise the built-in settings may be all you need.

## 1. Thaw

Free, open-source menu bar manager for current macOS

- Price: Free
- Pricing model: Free. No payment needed for the full app.
- Usable without paying: Yes
- Open source: Yes, GPL-3.0 (https://github.com/thaw-app/Thaw)
- Website: https://www.getthaw.app
- Facts checked: 2026-10-24
- On dockpicks: https://dockpicks.com/menu-bar/#thaw

Hides menu bar items you do not need in a hidden or always-hidden section and reveals them by hover, click, scroll or hotkey. It also offers search, drag-and-drop arrangement, a separate bar for notched MacBooks, profiles and conditional triggers.

Our take: The best free pick and as capable as most paid options. Thaw 2 is the stable release for macOS 26; the macOS 27 build (Thaw 3) is still in beta, so expect rough edges there.

## 2. Bartender

The long-running paid menu bar manager

- Price: Not confirmed here; see the vendor site
- Pricing model: Paid. A one-time purchase. A free trial may exist.
- Usable without paying: No
- Open source: No
- Developer: Applause Group, Inc.
- Website: https://www.macbartender.com/
- Facts checked: 2026-10-24
- On dockpicks: https://dockpicks.com/menu-bar/#bartender

Hides, rearranges and styles menu bar items, with a Command Bar to search and trigger items, triggers that show items when conditions change, and menu bar profiles. It can work without Screen Recording permission by showing app icons instead of live captures.

Our take: The most polished commercial option, with a long free trial. Bartender 7 targets macOS 27; on macOS 26 the vendor points you to Bartender 6. Free Thaw covers most of the same ground, so try it first if cost matters.

## 3. Barbee

Mac App Store menu bar hider with notch support

- Price: Free; $12.99 lifetime or $4.99/year
- Pricing model: Free tier. A usable free version, with a paid upgrade for more.
- Usable without paying: Yes
- Open source: No
- Developer: 翔 何
- Website: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/barbee-hide-menu-bar-items/id1548711022
- Mac App Store: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/barbee-hide-menu-bar-items/id1548711022
- Facts checked: 2026-10-24
- On dockpicks: https://dockpicks.com/menu-bar/#barbee

Hides and shows menu bar icons with a click or shortcut, with auto-hide, reduced icon spacing and options for notched MacBooks. It can also add custom menu bar items using emoji, SF Symbols, text or images.

Our take: A reasonable choice if you want to install from the Mac App Store. The free tier limits show/hide actions, so most regular users will end up paying.

## 4. Hidden Bar

Minimal free tool to tuck menu bar icons behind an arrow

- Price: Free
- Pricing model: Free. No payment needed for the full app.
- Usable without paying: Yes
- Open source: Yes, MIT (https://github.com/dwarvesf/hidden)
- Developer: Dwarves Foundation
- Website: https://github.com/dwarvesf/hidden
- Facts checked: 2026-10-24
- On dockpicks: https://dockpicks.com/menu-bar/#hidden-bar

Adds a divider and arrow to the menu bar; icons to the left of the divider are hidden until you click the arrow. You arrange icons with Command-drag.

Our take: Good if you only want a simple hide/show toggle and nothing else. Install the GitHub or Homebrew build: the developer says the Mac App Store version cannot hide items on macOS 27.

## 5. KeepingYouAwake

One-click menu bar toggle to stop your Mac sleeping

- Price: Free
- Pricing model: Free. No payment needed for the full app.
- Usable without paying: Yes
- Open source: Yes, MIT (https://github.com/newmarcel/KeepingYouAwake)
- Developer: Marcel Dierkes
- Website: https://keepingyouawake.app/
- Facts checked: 2026-10-24
- On dockpicks: https://dockpicks.com/menu-bar/#keepingyouawake

Puts an icon in the menu bar that keeps your Mac awake indefinitely or for a preset duration, and can switch itself off when the battery runs low.

Our take: The simplest maintained keep-awake app: one click in the menu bar keeps your Mac from sleeping. Beyond a timer and a low-battery cutoff there are few options, which is the point.

## 6. One Switch

Menu bar panel of one-click system toggles

- Price: Not confirmed here; see the vendor site
- Pricing model: Paid. A one-time purchase. A free trial may exist.
- Usable without paying: No
- Open source: No
- Developer: Fireball
- Website: https://fireball.studio/oneswitch
- Facts checked: 2026-10-24
- On dockpicks: https://dockpicks.com/menu-bar/#one-switch

Collects common switches in one menu bar panel, such as hiding desktop icons, toggling dark mode, keeping the Mac awake, starting the screen saver and connecting AirPods.

Our take: Handy if you flip the same settings many times a day and want them one click away. Free OnlySwitch does much the same.

## 7. OnlySwitch

Free, open-source alternative to One Switch

- Price: Free
- Pricing model: Free. No payment needed for the full app.
- Usable without paying: Yes
- Open source: Yes, MIT (https://github.com/jacklandrin/OnlySwitch)
- Developer: Bo Liu
- Website: https://github.com/jacklandrin/OnlySwitch
- Facts checked: 2026-10-24
- On dockpicks: https://dockpicks.com/menu-bar/#onlyswitch

A menu bar app with dozens of system toggles, including hide desktop, hide notch, dark mode, keep awake, mute mic, Bluetooth and showing hidden files. You can reorder switches, add Shortcuts and assign keyboard shortcuts.

Our take: More switches than One Switch at no cost, and actively updated. The long feature list makes it busier to set up.