Hidden Bar, Thaw, Ice and Bartender on macOS 27: what works now (November 2026)

On macOS 27, Hidden Bar works again only in its GitHub download, version 1.11.1. The Mac App Store version can't hide icons any more. Thaw supports macOS 27 in its Thaw 3 betas, Bartender 7 is built for macOS 27, and Ice has no macOS 27 release yet.

Everything below comes from each developer's own release notes and support pages, checked on 11 November 2026. These apps are changing week to week, so the sources are linked at the end.

At a glance

Why they stopped working

macOS 27 changed how menu bar items are hidden and arranged. Menu bar managers had been hiding icons the old way, so each one had to be rebuilt for macOS 27, and the ones that weren't simply stopped hiding anything.

A few things work differently now, whichever app you use:

• Each app needs permission twice. macOS 27 has its own switch for every app's menu bar icons, in System Settings › Menu Bar › Allow in the Menu Bar. If a manager's own icon is missing, check that it's turned on there.
• Some apps' icons move together. When an app has more than one icon, macOS 27 may only let them be hidden or shown as a group.
• The clock and Control Center stay put at the right end of the menu bar.
• The notch has an arrow now. On a MacBook with a notch, icons that don't fit move behind an arrow at the edge of the menu bar, instead of vanishing behind the camera. Icons hidden behind the notch covers it.

Hidden Bar on macOS 27

Hidden Bar is the most searched of the four right now, and it's the most confusing, because there are two versions:

• The Mac App Store version can't hide icons on macOS 27. It's sandboxed, like every App Store app, and its developers say that's why it can't use macOS 27's new way of hiding icons.
• Version 1.11.1 from GitHub, released on 18 September 2026, hides icons on macOS 27. To hide an icon, hold Command and drag it to the left of Hidden Bar's arrow. Drag it to the right to keep it visible.

If you installed version 1.11 from GitHub, replace it with 1.11.1: the developers say 1.11 was built as the App Store version by mistake and hides nothing on macOS 27.

Thaw on macOS 27

Thaw is a free, open-source menu bar manager, and it's where a lot of Hidden Bar and Ice users are moving. It comes in two versions:

• Thaw 3 is made for macOS 27 only. On 11 November it was still in beta, with frequent updates, and its developers note it works best on macOS 27.2 or later.
• Thaw 2 is for macOS 15 and 26.

Thaw doesn't need Screen Recording permission to hide, show or rearrange icons. Without it, Thaw shows each app's icon instead of a live preview. Its developers keep a list of known macOS 27 limits, such as items from the same app that can only hide together.

Ice on macOS 27

Ice has no release for macOS 27. Its most recent release is a beta for macOS 26 Tahoe, from September 2025. The project is still on GitHub, but if you've updated to macOS 27, Thaw or Hidden Bar's GitHub version are the free options that work today.

Bartender on macOS 27

• Bartender 7 is built for macOS 27, and version 7.1.0 added support for macOS 26 Tahoe too. Screen Recording is optional: without it, Bartender shows app icons instead of images of your menu bar items. It's a one-time purchase, and the free trial lasts four weeks.
• Bartender 6 is for macOS 26 Tahoe and 15 Sequoia. Bartender's support page doesn't list macOS 27 for it and points macOS 27 users to Bartender 7.

Bartender 6 owners get a discounted upgrade, and a Bartender 7 license also works with Bartender 6. More on this in Bartender 6 on macOS 27.

You may not need a menu bar manager

A manager makes sense when you have lots of icons you want to keep but rarely click. If only a few icons don't fit, there's a simpler fix:

1. Turn off the icons you never use in System Settings › Menu Bar.
2. Combine the ones you check all day. DuoBar shows battery, Wi-Fi and memory in one icon, so you can turn off Apple's separate Battery and Wi-Fi icons and get that space back.

DuoBar doesn't hide or move other apps' icons, so the macOS 27 change that broke the managers didn't affect it. It's one standard menu bar item, and it never asks for Screen Recording or Accessibility access. If you have twenty icons, though, you still want one of the apps above.

Before:

After, with DuoBar in place of Apple's battery and Wi-Fi icons and a few unused icons switched off:

FAQ

Why is Hidden Bar not working on macOS 27?

macOS 27 changed how menu bar icons are hidden, and the Mac App Store version of Hidden Bar is sandboxed, so it can't use the new way. Install version 1.11.1 from Hidden Bar's GitHub page instead: it hides icons on macOS 27.

Is there a Hidden Bar alternative for macOS 27?

Yes. Thaw 3 is free and open source and made for macOS 27, though it's still in beta. Bartender 7 is paid and built for macOS 27. If only a few icons don't fit, turning off unused icons and combining the rest may be enough.

Does Ice work on macOS 27?

Not yet. Ice has no macOS 27 release. Its last release was a beta for macOS 26 Tahoe, in September 2025.

Is Thaw free?

Yes. Thaw is free and open source under the GPL-3.0 license, with no subscription or account. Thaw 3 is for macOS 27, and Thaw 2 is for macOS 15 and 26.

Does Bartender 6 work on macOS 27?

Bartender's support page says Bartender 6 is for macOS 26 Tahoe and 15 Sequoia, and that Bartender 7 is built for macOS 27. Bartender 6 owners can upgrade at a discount.

Sources

Checked on 11 November 2026:

• Hidden Bar 1.11.1 release notes, GitHub
• Thaw releases and known macOS 27 limitations, GitHub
• Ice releases, GitHub
• Bartender 7 release notes and Bartender 6 support, macbartender.com