Lloyd vs Vanilla

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.

Vanilla hides menu bar icons on macOS. Its free plan covers icon hiding; the $10.00 USD one-time Pro purchase adds shortcuts for toggling menu bar and desktop icons, automatic hiding five seconds after toggling, and the option to start at login. Pro can also place icons in a “Completely Removed” section, where they are visible only in Vanilla’s preferences window. A Pro activation code can be used up to 10 times by default. On macOS Catalina and later, hiding icons requires Screen Recording permission. The maker says Vanilla takes menu bar screenshots for this function, but does not save or transmit them. It says internet access is limited to checking for updates and validating Pro codes. Vanilla supports MacBooks with display notches, though setup may involve rearranging menu bar items. The maker offers email support and suggests including device and operating system details in help requests. Vanilla is identified as Matthew Palmer’s product, and the product site dates to 2017.