# Hidden Bar

> Free, open-source utility that hides macOS menu bar icons

Hidden Bar is a free, open-source macOS utility from Dwarves Foundation that hides menu bar icons behind a collapsible arrow. Icons are Command-dragged to one side of a separator, then hidden or shown with a click or a global shortcut, and can be set to hide again automatically after a delay. It is available on the Mac App Store, through Homebrew and as a direct download.

- **Category:** Desktop Utilities
- **Made by:** Dwarves Foundation
- **Website:** https://github.com/dwarvesf/hidden
- **Runs on:** macOS
- **Facts last checked:** Oct 9, 2026

## Pricing

Hidden Bar is free to use.

- **Pricing model:** Free
- **Free plan:** The whole app is free on the Mac App Store, through Homebrew or as a direct download, and is open source under the MIT license.
- **Free trial:** None listed.

| Plan | Price | What you get |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Hidden Bar | $0 | Collapsible hidden section, auto collapse, global shortcut, always-hidden section and launch at login. Listed as Free on the US Mac App Store. |

Read from https://apps.apple.com/us/app/hidden-bar/id1452453066 on Oct 9, 2026. Prices change, so confirm with Hidden Bar before buying.

## Key features

- **Collapsible hidden section:** Command-drag icons to the left of the separator, then click the arrow to collapse or expand that part of the menu bar.
- **Auto collapse:** Hidden icons are tucked away again after a chosen delay. The countdown pauses while the pointer is in the menu bar.
- **Global shortcut:** A system-wide hotkey set in Preferences expands or collapses the hidden section from any app.
- **Always-hidden section:** An optional second zone holds icons that stay hidden even when the bar is expanded. Option-clicking the arrow reveals it.
- **Full menu bar on expanding:** A preference lets the expanded icons use the whole menu bar for a moment, which the manual says helps when the menu bar is tight on space.
- **Terminal-only options:** Settings with no interface, changed with the defaults command, include expanding on hover and a custom auto-collapse delay.

## Good for

- Mac users who only want to tuck away rarely used menu bar icons
- People who want a free, open-source menu bar hider
- Those who prefer one arrow to click over a larger menu bar manager

## Worth knowing

- macOS only. Current GitHub releases need macOS 13 or later, while the Mac App Store listing shows version 1.8 from June 2021.
- The manual says always-hidden icons can still appear after expanding unless the separators are hidden too, a known limitation.
- A newly installed app's icon can start out in the hidden zone and has to be Command-dragged out once.
- On macOS 27 the direct-download build needs Accessibility permission, and the manual lists a hiding failure on a macOS 27 beta as a known issue.

**Tags:** Menu bar app, Open source

## Alternatives

- [Bartender](https://toolgpa.com/tools/bartender): Menu bar manager for macOS that hides and organizes items. [Compare](https://toolgpa.com/compare/bartender-vs-hidden-bar)
- [Thaw](https://toolgpa.com/tools/thaw): Free, open-source menu bar manager for macOS. [Compare](https://toolgpa.com/compare/hidden-bar-vs-thaw)
- [SwiftBar](https://toolgpa.com/tools/swiftbar): Open-source tool that puts script output in the Mac menu bar. [Compare](https://toolgpa.com/compare/hidden-bar-vs-swiftbar)
- [boring.notch](https://toolgpa.com/tools/boring-notch): Turns the MacBook notch into a music player and file shelf. [Compare](https://toolgpa.com/compare/boring-notch-vs-hidden-bar)

## Sources

The prices, plans, platforms and features above were read from these pages on Oct 9, 2026:

- https://github.com/dwarvesf/hidden
- https://raw.githubusercontent.com/dwarvesf/hidden/develop/docs/MANUAL.md
- https://apps.apple.com/us/app/hidden-bar/id1452453066

Page: https://toolgpa.com/tools/hidden-bar
Listed by ToolGPA (toolgpa.com).