# Thaw

> Free, open-source menu bar manager for macOS

Thaw is a free, open-source menu bar manager for macOS. It moves menu bar items into a hidden or always-hidden section and reveals them on hover, click, scroll, swipe or hotkey, or shows them in a separate bar below the menu bar on MacBooks with a notch. It also offers item search, condition-based triggers, switchable profiles and styling of the menu bar itself.

- **Category:** Desktop Utilities
- **Made by:** thaw-app
- **Website:** https://github.com/thaw-app/Thaw
- **Runs on:** macOS
- **Facts last checked:** Oct 9, 2026

## Pricing

Thaw is free to use.

- **Pricing model:** Free
- **Free plan:** The whole app is free and open source under GPL-3.0. The README says there is no purchase, subscription, account or upgrade fee for new macOS versions.
- **Free trial:** None listed.

| Plan | Price | What you get |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Thaw | $0 | Hidden sections, the Thaw Bar, item search, triggers, profiles, hotkeys and menu bar styling. GPL-3.0 licensed, with no tracking or account. |

Read from https://github.com/thaw-app/Thaw on Oct 9, 2026. Prices change, so confirm with Thaw before buying.

## Key features

- **Hide and reveal menu bar items:** Items go into a hidden or always-hidden section and come back by hovering, clicking an empty area, scrolling, swiping or pressing a hotkey, then hide again automatically.
- **Thaw Bar:** Hidden items can be shown in a separate bar below the menu bar, intended for MacBooks with a notch. The bar can have its own shape, tint and border.
- **Search and hotkeys:** A search panel finds and opens any menu bar item from the keyboard. Hotkeys toggle sections, open a specific item's menu and switch profiles.
- **Triggers:** An item can be revealed or hidden when a condition is met, such as battery level, Wi-Fi network, the active Focus or a script's exit code. Conditions combine with AND and OR.
- **Profiles:** The whole configuration can be saved as a profile and bound to a display, a Space or a Focus filter. Profiles can be imported, exported and given script hooks.
- **Menu bar appearance:** Tint, gradient, shadow, border and custom shapes for the menu bar, with separate settings for light and dark mode and overrides per Space.

## Good for

- Mac users with a crowded menu bar, including MacBooks with a notch
- People who want a free, open-source alternative to paid menu bar managers
- Showing or hiding items by context, such as the display, Space or Focus

## Worth knowing

- macOS only, and the README says it needs macOS 26 or later.
- Only battery and power triggers are on by default. Other conditions are enabled one at a time from Developer settings, and some are marked experimental.
- It needs Accessibility permission to move menu bar items. Live item previews and wallpaper-based tinting also need Screen Recording permission.

## Works with

Raycast, Droppy, Alfred, Apple Shortcuts, Keyboard Maestro, BetterTouchTool

**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-thaw)
- [Hidden Bar](https://toolgpa.com/tools/hidden-bar): Free, open-source utility that hides macOS menu bar icons. [Compare](https://toolgpa.com/compare/hidden-bar-vs-thaw)
- [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-thaw)
- [SwiftBar](https://toolgpa.com/tools/swiftbar): Open-source tool that puts script output in the Mac menu bar. [Compare](https://toolgpa.com/compare/swiftbar-vs-thaw)

## Sources

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

- https://github.com/thaw-app/Thaw
- https://raw.githubusercontent.com/thaw-app/Thaw/development/.github/GOVERNANCE.md

Page: https://toolgpa.com/tools/thaw
Listed by ToolGPA (toolgpa.com).