A native macOS menu bar manager.
Give your menu bar a second row. Move the status icons you choose into a fluid second row, then open their real menus and popovers from one place — a clearer menu bar, without replacing your controls.
Official website · Menu bar manager comparison · Download for macOS · Quick start · Documentation
OverflowBar is a native macOS menu bar manager built with SwiftUI, AppKit, and Liquid Glass. It tucks the status icons you select into a second row beneath the menu bar — keeping the original menu bar clear while every control stays one click away.
- A second row, not a re-skin. Your menu bar icons keep their original appearance and behavior; OverflowBar simply gives them a second home.
- Real menus and popovers. Every icon opens its actual menu or popover — never a re-implementation.
- Safe and reversible. Cancel, reset, or quit to bring every icon back to the menu bar.
| Arrange your menu bar | Stay in control |
|---|---|
| Choose icons individually Select the status items OverflowBar can arrange. |
Use the original controls Open source-app menus, popovers, and supported toggles. |
| Hide new icons automatically Newly appearing eligible items join the saved selection while hiding is enabled. |
See live previews Screen Recording enables captured previews; app icons remain available without it. |
| Retry a layout Use the Settings toolbar to reveal the current arrangement and retry hiding without changing the saved selection. |
Use the keyboard and recover easily Navigate the panel, cancel an operation, reset the selection, or quit to reveal the icons. |
Direct download
- Download the v1.5.1 DMG or choose the latest stable release.
- Drag OverflowBar into Applications, then open it. The current DMG is named
OverflowBar-1.5.1.dmg. - Follow setup and select the icons you want in the second row.
Homebrew
brew tap EvanProgramming/overflowbar https://github.com/EvanProgramming/OverflowBar.git
brew install --cask EvanProgramming/overflowbar/overflowbarThe community build is ad-hoc signed and is not notarized. If macOS blocks an app you downloaded from the official release, follow Apple's Open Anyway instructions.
OverflowBar targets macOS 15 and ships a universal Apple silicon and Intel build. The v1.5.0 macOS 26.4 release check covered a limited native-fixture workflow; macOS 15 hardware and Intel hardware were not available for physical testing. On macOS 27 and later, native icon management fails open and leaves icons accessible. See installation and compatibility and release validation.
- Enable Accessibility to arrange selected icons and open their controls.
- Optionally enable Screen Recording for live icon previews.
- In Choose Icons, select the status items to move.
- Select Hide Icons & Finish.
- Click Open OverflowBar in the menu bar, then choose an icon.
Turn off Hide selected icons to restore the selected icons. Cancel stops an active operation. Reset Icon Selection restores all icons and clears the selection; quitting reveals icons while keeping your saved choices.
| Get started | Guides | Project |
|---|---|---|
| Installation | Using OverflowBar | Architecture |
| Permissions | Troubleshooting and FAQ | Development |
| Homebrew | Privacy | Contributing |
Does OverflowBar need Screen Recording to hide icons?
No. Accessibility enables native arrangement and activation; Screen Recording only adds live previews.
Does OverflowBar upload my icon previews?
No. Preview captures and layout selections stay local. See Privacy.
How do I restore every icon?
In Settings, choose More → Reset Icon Selection. Quitting also reveals the icons without clearing your saved selection.
How do I uninstall?
Quit OverflowBar, then remove it from Applications. Quitting reveals the icons. See Installation.
See the contributing guide for development setup and issue reports. Report security issues privately using GitHub's security reporting page.
OverflowBar is distributed under the GPL-3.0 license; earlier code retains its original MIT notice. Native-engine provenance is documented in third-party notices.
The native engine incorporates portions of Ice and Thaw; see the preserved licenses and attribution.