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How to Organize Menu Bar Icons on Mac

Tap through each step to see exactly how to organize your Mac's menu bar icons.

  1. Hold Command and drag an icon to reorder it

    Hold the Command key, click a menu bar icon, and drag it left or right to change its position.

  2. Drag an icon out of the menu bar to remove it

    Hold Command and drag an icon down out of the menu bar β€” it disappears with an X, and that item is no longer shown.

  3. Edit which items appear in Control Center

    Click the Control Center icon in the menu bar and choose "Edit Menu Bar" (or "Control Center" in System Settings) to pick which items β€” Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, Do Not Disturb, and more β€” show directly in the menu bar.

  4. Drag a Control Center item into the menu bar

    In the edit screen, drag an item toward the menu bar to make that icon appear there permanently.

  5. What to do when icons get cut off

    On a lower-resolution display or a MacBook with a notch, too many icons can get hidden or clipped. Moving rarely used items back into Control Center keeps the menu bar tidy.

The narrower the menu bar, the more it needs tidying

On a notched MacBook or a lower-resolution screen, having too many icons means some get hidden or cut off β€” removing anything you rarely use and keeping only the essentials keeps the display comfortable to work with.

Also worth knowing: other device settings

While you're cleaning up your Mac's menu bar, it's a good time to review other convenience settings across your devices, such as battery-saving features, to keep everything running smoothly.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I move every app icon with the Command key?

Most built-in macOS icons and third-party app icons can be moved this way, but a few apps lock their icon's position and won't respond to Command-dragging.

I accidentally removed an icon β€” how do I bring it back?

If it was a Control Center item, re-add it from the Control Center edit screen. If it was an app's own icon, you'll need to re-enable "show in menu bar" from that app's preferences.