OverflowBar
OverflowBar is a free macOS utility that moves selected menu bar status icons behind an arrow and into a second row.
What OverflowBar is
OverflowBar is a free macOS utility that moves selected menu bar status icons behind an arrow and into a second row. The row appears when you click the arrow or move the pointer to the menu bar, and selecting an icon activates its original control. The app accounts for notches, multiple displays, full-screen spaces, safe areas, and reduced-motion settings. Its appearance uses Liquid Glass on macOS 26 and a lightweight material treatment on macOS 15.
OverflowBar requires macOS 15 or later, with Accessibility and Screen Recording permissions needed for its full feature set. Accessibility supports discovery, activation, and layout management; Screen Recording captures selected menu bar icons. Wi-Fi, Battery, Siri, Control Center, and Clock stay visible, and the app restores them if a previous layout left them offscreen. It runs locally and says it has no analytics, advertising, telemetry, or network data collection. Captured images stay in memory during the app session rather than being uploaded or written to a remote service. The project is MIT-licensed and distributed as a DMG or Homebrew Cask for Apple Silicon and Intel Macs.
Good
- Reveals hidden icons by arrow click or pointer movement
- Supports notches and multiple displays
- Runs locally without telemetry or network data collection
- Available as a DMG and Homebrew Cask
Watch out
- Requires macOS 15 or later
- Full features require Accessibility and Screen Recording permissions
- Current community release is ad-hoc signed and not notarized
- Described as an early public release
Who it suits
OverflowBar suits Mac users who want to hide selected status icons while keeping their original controls accessible. It supports Apple Silicon and Intel Macs running macOS 15 or later.
Verdict
OverflowBar moves selected icons into an accessible second row and accounts for several display layouts. Its maker describes it as an early public release, with compatibility work ongoing.
The facts
Each one read from OverflowBar's own pages, with the date it was checked.
What it does
- Captured data
- Captured menu bar images are held in memory for the app session and are not uploaded or written to a remote service.checked 8 Oct 2026
- Display support
- The app accounts for notches, multiple displays, full-screen spaces, safe areas, and reduced-motion settings.checked 8 Oct 2026
- Distribution
- The maker offers a downloadable DMG and a Homebrew Cask installation.checked 8 Oct 2026
- Hardware
- The downloadable DMG and Homebrew Cask support Apple Silicon and Intel Macs.checked 8 Oct 2026
- License
- The project is available under the MIT License.checked 8 Oct 2026
- Native controls
- Selecting a second-row icon activates its original menu bar control.checked 8 Oct 2026
- Permissions
- Accessibility is used for discovery, activation, and layout management; Screen Recording is used to capture selected menu bar icons.checked 8 Oct 2026
- Privacy
- The app runs locally and says it has no analytics, advertising, telemetry, or network data collection.checked 8 Oct 2026
- Project status
- The project describes itself as an early public release and says compatibility work is ongoing because menu bar management relies on OS behavior without a dedicated public API.checked 8 Oct 2026
- Purpose
- OverflowBar hides selected menu bar status icons behind an arrow and reveals them in a second row.checked 8 Oct 2026
- Release status
- The maker describes OverflowBar as an early public release and says compatibility work is ongoing because menu bar management relies on OS behavior without a dedicated public API.checked 8 Oct 2026
- Requirements
- OverflowBar requires macOS 15 Sequoia or later and supports Apple Silicon and Intel on its downloadable community build.checked 8 Oct 2026
- Reveal options
- The second row can be revealed by clicking the arrow or moving the pointer to the menu bar.checked 8 Oct 2026
- Security support
- Security fixes are provided for the latest published version, and vulnerabilities can be reported through a private GitHub Security Advisory.checked 8 Oct 2026
- Signing
- The current community release is ad-hoc signed and not yet notarized, so macOS may require a Control-click and Open confirmation on first launch.checked 8 Oct 2026
- Support
- The project directs users to GitHub Discussions for setup help and ideas, and GitHub Issues for reproducible bugs and feature requests.checked 8 Oct 2026
- System controls
- Wi-Fi, Battery, Siri, Control Center, and Clock remain visible, and the app restores them if a previous layout left them offscreen.checked 8 Oct 2026
- Visual design
- OverflowBar uses Liquid Glass on macOS 26 and a lightweight material treatment on macOS 15.checked 8 Oct 2026
