Rearrange or remove menu bar icons with Command-drag — via Martyn Casserly, Macworld
Tricklow riskmacOS 14 Sonoma and later
Menu bar icons look fixed in place, but you can move them. Hold Command and drag an icon left or right to reorder it, or drag it off the menu bar to remove it. A quick way to tidy a crowded menu bar, especially on MacBooks with a notch.
Takes effect right away
How to do it
- Hold Command and drag a menu bar icon to a new spot, then let go.
- To remove a system icon, hold Command and drag it down off the menu bar, then let go.
- To bring a system icon back, use System Settings > Control Center (macOS 14 and 15) or System Settings > Menu Bar (newer versions).
Some items are locked in place, such as Control Center. Third-party app icons often can't be removed this way; turn them off in the app's own settings.
Sources
- How to rearrange the macOS menu bar items — by Martyn Casserly, Macworld
- Customize the menu bar on Mac (macOS Sonoma) — by Apple Support
- Source reviewed
- 2026-11-02
- Link checked
- 2026-11-02
- Tested hands-on
- Not by Oddbyte.Me
Oddbyte.Me hasn't tried this on every macOS version, so keep the undo handy.