Furl

How to hide menu bar icons on Mac

Updated

What macOS can do on its own

Before installing anything, it's worth knowing what your Mac already does:

  • Hold ⌘ and drag a menu bar icon to reorder it, or drag it off the bar to remove it. This works for many built-in icons (Wi‑Fi, Bluetooth, Volume), but not for most third‑party app icons — they come back.
  • Move some controls into Control Center. In System Settings ▸ Control Center, you can set items like Bluetooth, Sound, or Battery to "Don't Show in Menu Bar." This only covers Apple's own controls.
  • macOS 27 adds a built‑in overflow button that tucks away icons that don't fit. It's automatic — you don't choose which icons hide, and there are no shortcuts.

macOS has no built‑in way to hide a specific third‑party app's icon (say, Docker or Slack) on macOS 13–26. That's the gap these apps fill.

Collapse every icon with Furl

Furl is a free, native app that adds a single chevron to your menu bar. Click it and every third‑party icon tucks away to the left, off‑screen; click again to bring them back.

  • No Accessibility permission is needed just to collapse the bar — Furl only moves its own items.
  • Hold ⌘ and drag Furl's divider to choose exactly where the hidden/visible boundary sits.
  • A keyboard search (⌃⌥⌘K) opens any icon by name, even the ones the MacBook notch covers.

It's free, works offline, and asks for no account.

FAQ

Can I hide menu bar icons on Mac without an app?

Partly. You can ⌘‑drag some built‑in icons off the bar and move Apple's own controls into Control Center via System Settings. But macOS 13–26 can't hide a third‑party app's icon by itself; macOS 27's overflow button hides icons automatically without letting you choose.

How do I hide third‑party app icons like Slack or Docker?

Use a menu bar manager. A free one like Furl collapses all third‑party icons behind one chevron with a click, and lets you ⌘‑drag a divider to pick what stays visible.

Does hiding menu bar icons need Accessibility permission?

Collapsing the bar with Furl does not — it only moves its own status items. Accessibility is only needed if you also use Furl to open another app's icon for you.