ShiftBar

ShiftBar

Alpha

A little room for your Mac menu bar

Customize the range of menu bar icons to hide on macOS 27, then expand or collapse them with one click—without waiting for the menu bar to fill up. Built on the native menu bar mechanism, with a remembered hidden range and layout backup and restore.

Download for Mac GitHub

01//preview

Interactive demo; refer to the app for actual behavior

Click the capsule to make room

ShiftBar
Control Center

Click to expand or collapse · Shift-click to adjust the hidden range

02//macOS 27 menu bar collapse

Hide menu bar icons. Expand them when needed.
Tuck away rarely used icons and click the capsule to expand them, without interrupting your apps.
Set the hidden range. Keep your layout.
Adjust the hidden range of menu bar icons, then back up and restore the layout whenever you need.
Lightweight and always at hand. No setup required.
No Dock icon, no account, not even a settings screen.

03//native, under control

macOS 27 menu bar collapse—not flexible enough?

macOS 27 adds menu bar icon collapse, but it only triggers when icons exceed the available space.

ShiftBar lets you decide when to collapse them.

Set the hidden range of menu bar icons and expand them with one click—without waiting for the menu bar to fill up.

macOS 27Only when full
Native macOS 27 menu bar collapse when icons fill the available space
Available spacePast the edge → auto-collapse
ShiftBarControl it anytime
ShiftBar menu bar with a custom hidden range collapsed
Custom hidden rangeClick → expand or collapse

04//How to set the hidden range of menu bar icons

  1. Start adjustingShift + Click the capsule

    Start adjusting the hidden range.

  2. Choose a rangeShift + Drag the adjustment bar

    Once ready, drag left to hide more or right to hide fewer.

  3. Save your layoutClick the capsule

    Then click normally to expand or collapse.

  4. Menu optionsRight-click the capsule

    Adjust the range, hide all left icons, back up or restore, view help and check for updates.

On first use, allow Accessibility access in System Settings. The available range depends on screen space, the notch and your menu bar layout.

05//frequently asked

About macOS 27 menu bar collapse

Why use ShiftBar if macOS 27 already collapses menu bar icons?

macOS 27 only collapses menu bar icons automatically when menu bar space runs out. ShiftBar adds on-demand control, so you can set a hidden range before the bar gets crowded.

Does ShiftBar quit the apps whose icons it hides?

No. ShiftBar hides only their menu bar icons. The apps keep running normally.

Does ShiftBar use the native macOS 27 menu bar mechanism?

Yes. ShiftBar builds on the native menu bar mechanism and makes its collapse behavior available on demand.

How do I hide menu bar icons on macOS 27?

Set a hidden range in ShiftBar, then use its menu bar capsule to collapse or expand those icons whenever you need them.

How do I set the hidden range when using an external display?

With your MacBook lid open, first set and save the hidden range on the built-in display. You can then use an external display or close the lid. When the external display has enough menu bar space, native collapse does not activate, so ShiftBar uses the saved hidden range to keep icon visibility in sync.

To protect your existing settings, ShiftBar currently does not save a new hidden range while the lid is closed. Finishing an adjustment restores the previous range. This is an intentional safeguard. To change the range, open the lid, adjust it, and save again.

06//download

Still being refined. Ready to try.

ShiftBar is currently in Alpha. The public preview is now available to download.

Download for Mac

A companion to native menu bar folding on macOS 27.