Overhang

Overview

Overhang is a free macOS utility that brings back access to status bar items the system has stopped drawing. It suits Mac users who need to reach those menus, rather than hide or rearrange icons. Its narrow focus is its strength—and its limit.

Key features

Overhang lists each hidden item with the icon of the app that owns it, so you can identify which menu you want to open. It supports Macs with and without a notch, as well as external displays. That makes it useful across different Mac screen setups, but it does not hide, rearrange, or group menu bar items, or add custom items or keyboard shortcuts.

Finding and listing items works without permissions. You can enable click-through with Accessibility permission, but it cannot press every app’s menu: when an app handles mouse events in a way Overhang cannot, the utility brings that app to the front instead. This fallback can help you reach the owning app, but it is not the same as opening the menu directly.

Settings include launching Overhang at login. It requires no network connection and has no account system, server, or analytics. The app processes menu bar icon positions, sizes, and owning apps in memory, then discards that information when it quits; it collects, sends, and stores no user information. The maker says release builds are signed with an Apple Developer ID certificate and notarized by Apple. GitHub repository releases are the only official builds, and support is directed to GitHub Issues.

Pricing

Overhang’s Free plan costs nothing. It requires macOS 14 Sonoma or later and runs as a universal binary for Apple silicon and Intel. There are no paid tiers to weigh against it; the trade-off is simply accepting its limited role as a way to find and open hidden items, not a menu bar organizer.

Platforms

Overhang is for macOS 14 Sonoma or later. Its universal binary supports Apple silicon and Intel Macs, and it works with notched Macs, Macs without a notch, and external displays.

Who it's for

Choose Overhang if macOS has stopped drawing menu bar items you still need and you want a free way to locate and reach their menus. Look elsewhere if your priority is actively managing the visible menu bar—hiding, rearranging, or grouping icons—or customizing it with shortcuts and added items.

Pros and cons

• Pro: Finding and listing hidden items needs no permissions, so you can use its core function without granting Accessibility access.
• Pro: It supports notch and non-notch Macs and external displays, rather than being limited to one screen configuration.
• Pro: Its local-only handling of icon information and lack of network, account, and analytics requirements keep its privacy footprint narrow.
• Con: Click-through may not open some apps’ menus; in those cases Overhang only brings the owning app to the front.
• Con: It cannot hide, rearrange, or group menu items, or provide custom items and keyboard shortcuts, so it is not a general-purpose menu bar customization tool.

Alternatives

For tools with a wider menu bar focus, browse Menu Bar Customization Software. Choose SwiftBar if you want a free, open-source macOS project that runs plugins from a local folder; its stated minimum is macOS 12 or later. Lloyd is another free MIT-licensed macOS menu-bar utility.

Pick SaneBar if public MIT-licensed source code is a priority; it is made in America by Mr. Sane and is part of SaneApps. Thaw is free with no purchase, subscription, or upgrade fee for new macOS versions. For a free option whose stated requirement is macOS 26 (Tahoe) or later on Apple silicon, consider Cornice. Dozer supports macOS 10.13 and later. GreatBar is free for now while it is new and supports macOS 14.0 or later.

Vanilla offers a free plan for hiding menu bar icons, making it a more relevant alternative if concealing items—not recovering access to ones macOS no longer draws—is your goal.

Verdict

Overhang is a sensible free choice for Mac users who need to recover access to hidden status bar items, especially if they want its basic listing function without permissions. Choose another tool if you need to organize or customize the menu bar, or if click-through must reliably open every app’s menu.