CrackMacMenu bar icons hidden behind the MacBook notch? How to get them back
The notch takes a chunk out of the middle of the menu bar. When the current app's menus and the icons on the right don't both fit, macOS simply doesn't draw the icons that would land behind the notch. They're still running, you just can't see them. The fix is to make room. Remove icons you don't need, tighten the spacing, or use a menu bar manager.
1. Remove icons you don't need
- Hold Command and drag an icon off the menu bar to remove it. This works for most system icons.
- In System Settings, open Control Center, or Menu Bar on macOS 26, and set items like Wi-Fi, Bluetooth and AirDrop to show in Control Center only.
- Check each app's own settings for a "show in menu bar" option.
2. Rearrange
Hold Command and drag icons left or right. Put the ones you use most at the far right, next to the clock, where they're the last to be hidden.
3. Tighten the spacing
macOS has two hidden settings for the gap between icons. Open Terminal and run these two lines, then log out and back in:
defaults -currentHost write -globalDomain NSStatusItemSpacing -int 6defaults -currentHost write -globalDomain NSStatusItemSelectionPadding -int 6
On a crowded menu bar this usually recovers room for three or four icons. To undo it, run the same lines with delete in place of write and drop the -int 6.
4. A menu bar manager
Ice is free and open source, and Bartender is paid. Both hide icons you rarely use behind a single button and can show hidden icons in a second bar below the notch. Major macOS updates have broken these apps before, so check that the version you install supports your macOS.
Apps whose menus collide with the notch
For an app whose own menus run behind the notch, select it in Finder, choose File, Get Info, and turn on "Scale to fit below built-in camera". The app then uses the area below the notch.
If the damage runs along one edge, CrackMac can keep windows, menus and the pointer off it. There's a free 30-minute trial.
Quick answers
Why are my menu bar icons hidden on my MacBook?
On MacBooks with a notch, the menu bar has less room. When an app's menus and the status icons don't both fit, macOS hides the status icons that would fall behind the notch, and older versions show no sign that they're there.
How do I see menu bar icons hidden by the notch?
Remove icons you don't need in System Settings, Command-drag the rest closer together, or quit apps that add icons. A menu bar manager like Ice or Bartender can also move hidden icons into a second row.
Lost menus to a damaged screen as well?
If the top edge of your screen is damaged, the notch is the least of it. CrackMac redraws the whole menu bar, Apple menu and app menus included, just inside the working glass.
- Works on macOS 13 or later, Apple silicon and Intel.
- Free for 30 minutes of use, then a one-time price. No subscription.
- A refund within 7 days, no questions asked.