It all starts with a problem: for an application with a huge and diverse menu, it’s not always possible to view it All icons that are usually present in the menu bar. This happens especially when using a smaller monitor like a MacBook. How to solve it?
The simplest thing is Move to blank desktop Or to bring another application to the foreground, it’s best to click on an empty space to select the desktop to display the shorter Finder menu.
However, this is not a permanent solution. In fact, the menu bar contains messages that we always want to see, no matter what menu item occupies the left side. trivially time notice the passing time, or WiFi signal If we work in an area where the Internet is “difficult”. or telegram iconthe light will turn on when a new message arrives.
The worst thing is We can do without these iconsbut the apps that put it there don’t always offer the option to disable it.
However, there is an app that can do just that. called bartender It is a utility that allows you to control this area of ​​your Mac in a deeper way.
How to Download Bartender
To download Bartender, just visit the official website and follow the download instructions.
Bartender makes room in the menu bar, especially on small laptop screens where long application menus can cover the most important icons
what a bartender does
After installing the app, the menu bar changes from static to it will become dynamic.
This is thanks to the way we interact with the Bartender icon we just added toThe far right side of the menu column.
Yes, there is another illustration. But since Bartender is responsible for making them all disappear, you can also disable it if you want, but at this time you can only control this through keyboard shortcuts that can be configured from the panel Preferences > Appearance.
No matter which method you choose to manage Bartender, the menu bar can now adjust to two different conditions from time to time, which for convenience we call expansion e pill.
How to configure a bartender
Once installed for the first time, it’s time to customize the action to your liking. as:
- Launch the application;
- Click right click above its icon in the menu bar;
- Click Preferences;
- Select tab Menu items.
Inside you will find a list of all applications that place icons in the menu bar.
For each of these, we can determine its behavior through sound Menu column items should on the right. From this drop-down menu you can choose:
- exhibit – The icon is only displayed when the menu column is expanded and remains invisible when collapsed;
- always show – The icon remains visible in both cases;
- hide – The icon will only disappear when the menu column is collapsed, but will be visible in expanded mode;
- always hidden – The icon remains hidden in both cases.
Tips for using Bartender
Before we say goodbye, we give you some advice based on our experience.
1. From the menu Preferences > General:
- Enable checkbox Open Bartender when logging in Automatically launch applications every time you turn on your Mac;
- Instead, disable the up item Automatically hide previously hidden items after showing themso you have complete control over how Bartender works without having to move between Expand and Collapse based on interaction with icons in the menu bar;
2. for Placeif you decide to hide it in compressed mode, consider enabling the checkmark show updates Set a time of your choice (15+ seconds). This way, if any application accesses the location, you will see the icon appear, even if you decide to hide it most of the time. This rule applies to all apps that you want to hide but that you are interested in knowing if they have updates.
what happens now
After you select one of the four options for each app, you’ll see a series of icons that appear on the menu bar extended modeand a series of icons that will appear in that tablet.
But depending on how you configure Bartender functionality, you can also have the following illustrations: always visibleand others instead always hidden.
or you can hide them allregardless of activity mode, may leave the emergence of time For those applications that have undergone some changes.
From here you can create keyboard shortcuts for certain Bartender functions
Other settings can be adjusted according to needs
You might even forget the concepts of expansion and compaction and instead understand them as Bala 1 e Bala 2i.e. just use the Show and Hide commands to decide which apps to show in one and which in another, as if they were two different bars (and thus have the usual available space twice).
Lo and behold, the menu bar now works Completely in your hands.
one last thing
After installing and setting up Bartender, you may need to Adjust the spacing between icons. It can be done, too: we told you here.
More guides…
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