{"id":30446,"date":"2020-02-26T13:06:45","date_gmt":"2020-02-26T18:06:45","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/tcn.tidbits.com\/?p=7617"},"modified":"2020-02-24T08:41:49","modified_gmt":"2020-02-24T13:41:49","slug":"make-your-mac-more-useful-by-managing-menu-bar-icons","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.computeradvantage.us\/v3\/make-your-mac-more-useful-by-managing-menu-bar-icons\/","title":{"rendered":"Make Your Mac More Useful by Managing Menu Bar Icons"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>If your Mac is anything like ours, it\u2019s suffering from an infestation of menu bar icons. Sure, the Wi-Fi menu is essential, and many others can be helpful. But if you have too many, or they\u2019re in random order, finding one when you need it can be frustrating. You can employ two techniques to increase the accessibility of your menu bar icons:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Delete any Apple-provided status icon you don\u2019t use by holding down the Command key and dragging it off the menu bar. (To put it back, select the \u201cShow <i>icon-name<\/i> status in menu bar\u201d checkbox in the associated System Preference pane.) Command-dragging to delete won\u2019t work for most apps with a menu bar icon; for them, look for a preference in the app itself.<\/li>\n<li>Rearrange the menu bar icons in an order that makes sense to you by Command-dragging them around. You can\u2019t move the Notification Center icon or put anything to its right, but every other icon is movable.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-7615 lazyload\" data-src=\"https:\/\/www.computeradvantage.us\/v3\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/make-your-mac-more-useful-by-managing-menu-bar-icons.png\" data-sizes=\"(max-width: 240px) 100vw, 240px\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/www.computeradvantage.us\/v3\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/make-your-mac-more-useful-by-managing-menu-bar-icons.png 460w, https:\/\/www.computeradvantage.us\/v3\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/make-your-mac-more-useful-by-managing-menu-bar-icons-1.png 300w\" alt=\"\" width=\"240\" height=\"145\" src=\"data:image\/svg+xml;base64,PHN2ZyB3aWR0aD0iMSIgaGVpZ2h0PSIxIiB4bWxucz0iaHR0cDovL3d3dy53My5vcmcvMjAwMC9zdmciPjwvc3ZnPg==\" style=\"--smush-placeholder-width: 240px; --smush-placeholder-aspect-ratio: 240\/145;\" \/><\/p>\n<p>(Featured image based on an original by <a href=\"https:\/\/unsplash.com\/@patrikward?utm_source=unsplash&amp;utm_medium=referral&amp;utm_content=creditCopyText\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Patrick Ward<\/a> on <a href=\"https:\/\/unsplash.com\/s\/photos\/imac?utm_source=unsplash&amp;utm_medium=referral&amp;utm_content=creditCopyText\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Unsplash<\/a>)<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>If your Mac is anything like ours, it\u2019s suffering from an infestation of menu bar icons. Sure, the Wi-Fi menu is essential, and many others can be helpful. But if you have too many, or they\u2019re in random order, finding one when you need it can be frustrating. You can employ two techniques to increase [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":30447,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"wds_primary_category":0,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[157,193,56,194,39,61,5,109,60,196,57],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-30446","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-apple-pros","category-apros-archive","category-asmc","category-asmc-archive","category-blog","category-customization","category-mac","category-menu-bar","category-productivity","category-restricted-content","category-tip"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.computeradvantage.us\/v3\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/make-your-mac-more-useful-by-managing-menu-bar-icons.jpg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p6YLEm-7V4","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":26869,"url":"http:\/\/www.computeradvantage.us\/v3\/clear-your-mac-desktop-by-removing-unnecessary-menu-bar-status-icons\/","url_meta":{"origin":30446,"position":0},"title":"Clear Your Mac Desktop by Removing Unnecessary Menu Bar Status Icons","author":"computeradv","date":"July 10, 2017","format":false,"excerpt":"You know all those status icons on the right side of your Mac\u2019s menu bar? Many of them are useful, but if your menu bar is cluttered with icons you don\u2019t need, you can make your Mac easier to use by removing the extras. Just hold down the Command key\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Blog&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Blog","link":"http:\/\/www.computeradvantage.us\/v3\/category\/blog\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tcn.tidbits.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/07\/Remove-menu-bar-icons.png?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":26964,"url":"http:\/\/www.computeradvantage.us\/v3\/uncovering-the-macs-hidden-menus\/","url_meta":{"origin":30446,"position":1},"title":"Uncovering the Mac\u2019s Hidden Menus","author":"computeradv","date":"August 21, 2017","format":false,"excerpt":"It\u2019s easy to find and open the Mac\u2019s standard menus\u2014all you do is click a word or icon. But did you know about the Mac\u2019s hidden menus? They contain many useful commands, but the Mac\u2019s user interface provides no clue to their existence. Here\u2019s what you need to know. What\u2019s\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Article&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Article","link":"http:\/\/www.computeradvantage.us\/v3\/category\/article\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tcn.tidbits.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/08\/Contextual-menus-Finder-icon.png?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":32147,"url":"https:\/\/www.computeradvantage.us\/v3\/disable-big-surs-translucent-menu-bar\/","url_meta":{"origin":30446,"position":2},"title":"Not a Fan of Big Sur\u2019s Translucent Menu Bar? Here\u2019s How to Disable It","author":"computeradv","date":"May 6, 2021","format":false,"excerpt":"In macOS 11 Big Sur, Apple went back to a design direction from the earliest days of Mac OS X: a translucent menu bar. Since its color changes depending on the desktop picture, many people aren\u2019t enamored of it (left, below). Luckily, reverting to the traditional opaque menu bar is\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;accessibility&quot;","block_context":{"text":"accessibility","link":"http:\/\/www.computeradvantage.us\/v3\/category\/accessibility\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.computeradvantage.us\/v3\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/not-a-fan-of-big-surs-translucent-menu-bar-heres-how-to-disable-it.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.computeradvantage.us\/v3\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/not-a-fan-of-big-surs-translucent-menu-bar-heres-how-to-disable-it.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.computeradvantage.us\/v3\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/not-a-fan-of-big-surs-translucent-menu-bar-heres-how-to-disable-it.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.computeradvantage.us\/v3\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/not-a-fan-of-big-surs-translucent-menu-bar-heres-how-to-disable-it.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.computeradvantage.us\/v3\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/not-a-fan-of-big-surs-translucent-menu-bar-heres-how-to-disable-it.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":1505,"url":"http:\/\/www.computeradvantage.us\/v3\/find-system-preferences-faster-by-sorting-alphabetically\/","url_meta":{"origin":30446,"position":3},"title":"Find System Preferences Faster by Sorting Alphabetically","author":"computeradv","date":"May 17, 2016","format":false,"excerpt":"By default, System Preferences in OS X organizes its preference panes by category. However, it doesn\u2019t label the categories, making the organization nearly inscrutable. If you have trouble finding the Accessibility preference pane, for instance, which ends up in the bottom right when sorted by category, there\u2019s a better way.\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Blog&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Blog","link":"http:\/\/www.computeradvantage.us\/v3\/category\/blog\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"OS X System Preferences","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.computeradvantage.us\/v3\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/05\/System-Preferences-1080x675.png?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.computeradvantage.us\/v3\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/05\/System-Preferences-1080x675.png?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.computeradvantage.us\/v3\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/05\/System-Preferences-1080x675.png?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.computeradvantage.us\/v3\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/05\/System-Preferences-1080x675.png?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.computeradvantage.us\/v3\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/05\/System-Preferences-1080x675.png?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":26714,"url":"http:\/\/www.computeradvantage.us\/v3\/eliminate-mac-desktop-clutter-by-sorting\/","url_meta":{"origin":30446,"position":4},"title":"Eliminate Mac Desktop Clutter by Sorting","author":"computeradv","date":"June 9, 2017","format":false,"excerpt":"Is your Mac\u2019s Desktop a cluttered mess? That\u2019s not a criticism\u2014it happens to all of us. A few files here, a folder or two there, and before long you can\u2019t find anything amid all the icons. There\u2019s a solution, of course, which is that the Finder lets you sort the\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Blog&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Blog","link":"http:\/\/www.computeradvantage.us\/v3\/category\/blog\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.computeradvantage.us\/v3\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/06\/tip-arrange-Desktop.png?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":27987,"url":"https:\/\/www.computeradvantage.us\/v3\/invoke-special-views-and-features-on-the-mac-with-a-flick-of-your-wrist\/","url_meta":{"origin":30446,"position":5},"title":"Invoke Special Views and Features on the Mac with a Flick of Your Wrist","author":"computeradv","date":"July 20, 2018","format":false,"excerpt":"Most Macs are busy places, with oodles of open windows cluttering the screen. If you want to look at the Desktop or do something different, you may find yourself clicking around or using keyboard shortcuts, but did you know that you can access many of the Mac\u2019s special views with\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Apple Pros&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Apple Pros","link":"http:\/\/www.computeradvantage.us\/v3\/category\/apple-pros\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.computeradvantage.us\/v3\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/Hot-Corners-screensaver-1024x831.png?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.computeradvantage.us\/v3\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/Hot-Corners-screensaver-1024x831.png?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.computeradvantage.us\/v3\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/Hot-Corners-screensaver-1024x831.png?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.computeradvantage.us\/v3\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/Hot-Corners-screensaver-1024x831.png?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]}],"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.computeradvantage.us\/v3\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/30446","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.computeradvantage.us\/v3\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.computeradvantage.us\/v3\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.computeradvantage.us\/v3\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.computeradvantage.us\/v3\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=30446"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.computeradvantage.us\/v3\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/30446\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.computeradvantage.us\/v3\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/30447"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.computeradvantage.us\/v3\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=30446"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.computeradvantage.us\/v3\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=30446"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.computeradvantage.us\/v3\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=30446"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}