Hidden Bar vs Lloyd

Hidden Bar is a free, open-source macOS app for hiding menu bar items. Click its arrow to expand or collapse the hidden section, and Command-drag icons across the divider to choose which items it hides. Preferences include automatic re-collapse after a selected delay and a system-wide shortcut. An optional second section stays hidden even when the main section is expanded; Option-click the arrow to reveal it. The app can launch at login through the macOS 13 or later SMAppService login item. It is available through Homebrew or manual download, and the project describes its direct download as notarized. The listed plan is free. On macOS 27, the direct download requires Accessibility permission to detect icon positions; hiding is per app, built-in macOS items remain visible, and the app must run from /Applications. That hiding feature relies on a private Apple framework that a macOS update could disrupt.

Lloyd is a free, MIT-licensed macOS utility that brings menu-bar icons hidden behind a MacBook notch into a panel below the menu bar. The panel displays those icons as live images. Hovering identifies the app behind an icon, or gives the item name for system extras. Clicking an icon moves it to a visible menu-bar slot and opens its menu; right-clicks are forwarded too. Open the panel from Lloyd’s menu-bar icon or with ⌃⌥L. Lloyd places its own icon at the far right of the movable menu-bar area. To capture and operate the hidden items, it requests Screen Recording and Accessibility permissions. The app is signed but not notarized, uses private APIs, and is distributed directly rather than through the App Store. The maker provides a DMG download and Homebrew cask instructions. A revealed item stays visible because macOS provides no way for Lloyd to put it back into notch overflow; it can be hidden again by dragging it toward the notch.