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FAQ & troubleshooting

General​

Does Barred actually remove apps from the menu bar?​

No. Barred only hides icons visually by pushing them off-screen behind an expandable divider. The apps themselves continue to run normally. Click the Barred divider to reveal hidden items at any time, or quit Barred to restore the menu bar completely.

How do I hide an item?​

Hold ⌘ (Command) and drag the icon to the left of the Barred divider (|). This is the standard macOS gesture for rearranging menu bar icons — Barred uses it unchanged.

To reveal an item permanently, ⌘-drag it back to the right of the divider.

Does Barred work with the notch on MacBook Pro?​

Yes. Barred is aware of the notch and manages items around it. Icons that would otherwise be clipped by the notch can be moved into Barred's hidden section and accessed with a click.

Can Barred run alongside Bartender, Hidden Bar, Dozer, or Ice?​

No — these apps use similar techniques to manipulate menu bar items and will conflict with Barred. Run only one at a time.

Does Barred have a dock icon?​

No. Barred is a menu bar–only app (LSUIElement). Access settings and quit from its menu bar icon.

Troubleshooting​

Items aren't showing up in the detected list​

  1. Check that Accessibility permission is granted in System Settings → Privacy & Security → Accessibility → Barred.
  2. Some items only appear after their owning app has finished launching. Wait a few seconds, then reopen Settings.
  3. Quit and relaunch Barred.

I can't drag an icon across the divider​

Make sure you're holding ⌘ (Command) while dragging. Without the modifier key, macOS won't let you rearrange menu bar icons. A few system items (Control Centre, Siri, Spotlight) can't be rearranged at all — this is a macOS restriction.

Hidden items become visible again after an app restart​

Some apps recreate their status item on relaunch and macOS places it back in the visible section. Simply ⌘-drag it behind the divider again.

The hidden section collapses too quickly (or too slowly)​

Adjust Auto-hide delay in Settings → General. The range is 1–15 seconds.

The hidden section won't toggle when I click Barred​

Check that Show Barred bar on click is enabled in Settings → General.

Barred uses too much CPU​

This is unusual. Try:

  1. Quit and relaunch Barred.
  2. Check whether another app is continuously adding or removing menu bar items (this triggers repeated detection).
  3. If the issue persists, please report it with the app name and any relevant context.

Where can I report bugs or request features?​

GitHub issues is the best place.