The "top bar" on a Mac is two things: the menu bar that runs across the top of the screen, and the notch that sits in the middle of it on modern MacBooks. Customizing the top bar means taking control of both. Here's how.
Reorder and remove menu bar icons
Hold Command and drag any menu bar icon to reorder it, or drag it off the bar to remove it. System icons (Wi-Fi, Battery, Control Center) are managed in System Settings → Control Center, where you choose Show in Menu Bar, Show When Active, or Don't Show.
Hide overflow icons
On a packed menu bar, icons can disappear behind the notch. Reduce clutter by hiding ones you rarely use, or use a menu-bar manager to collapse them into a single expandable group.
Mac notch customization — the part most people miss
The notch is dead space by default. Real Mac notch customization turns it into a control surface. NotchNest lets you decide exactly which widgets live in the notch — calendar, AI clipboard, Quick Notes, Pomodoro, music, file drop, camera mirror — and hides them until you hover. That's the single biggest top-bar upgrade available, because it gives the most prominent part of your screen an actual job.
Tune spacing and density
Menu bar spacing is fixed by macOS, but the perceived clutter is not. Fewer always-on icons plus a useful notch makes the whole top bar feel deliberate instead of crowded. Try the interactive notch playground to preview the layout before installing.
Make your notch useful
NotchNest puts ten tools in your MacBook's notch. Free on the Mac App Store.
