What is Bartender?
Bartender takes control of the macOS menu bar: icons can be hidden, rearranged, or moved into a secondary Bartender Bar that appears on hover, click or a hotkey. Bartender 7 adds a keyboard-driven Command Bar, triggers that reveal items in response to conditions such as unplugging power or joining public Wi-Fi, and handling for the notch. It is a paid app sold either as a one-time purchase for Bartender 7 or as a yearly Pro subscription with future upgrades included.
Verified product facts
- Type
- menu bar managerEditorially reviewed
- Platform
- macOS
- Pricing
- PaidDeveloper-stated
- Developer
- Surtees Studios LtdDeveloper-stated
- Relationship to Nuanyue
- Third-party product — not published by NuanyueEditorially reviewed
- Current version
- 7Developer-stated
- Official website
- www.macbartender.com/
Last updated . Facts marked developer-stated come from the developer and are not independently confirmed; editorially reviewed marks a Nuanyue judgement.
Key features
What Bartender does at a glance.
Hiding, revealing and rearranging menu bar items
Bartender Bar
Appears on hover, click or hotkey
Command Bar
With keyboard search and clipboard history
Triggers
Reveal items in response to conditions
Menu bar styling
With glass, colour and rounded bars
Automatic handling of items hidden
By the notch
What you can use Bartender for
- Hiding menu bar icons you rarely need and revealing them on hover, click or a hotkey
- Searching and triggering menu bar items from the keyboard with the Command Bar
- Recovering menu bar items the notch would otherwise cover
Who is Bartender for?
- Mac users who want menu bar items shown conditionally rather than all of the time
- People who want a one-time purchase option instead of a subscription
- Users who need the app to run without Screen Recording permission
Who is Bartender not for?
- Anyone who wants to buy through the Mac App Store — purchase is handled on the developer's own store
- People who want a free menu bar manager — Bartender is a paid app
Limitations
- Requires macOS Tahoe or later; earlier releases are not covered by this purchase
- Accessibility permission is required before the app can manage menu bar items
- Apple Silicon support is not stated in the sources Nuanyue tracks
Strengths and trade-offs
What Bartender does well, and what to weigh before choosing it. Points marked developer-stated come from the developer’s own material and have not been independently confirmed.
Strengths
- Can hide menu bar items entirely and reveal them only on hover, click or a hotkey.Developer-stated
- Bartender 7 can run without Screen Recording permission, showing app icons instead of images of bar items.Developer-stated
- Triggers show items automatically in response to conditions such as unplugging power, joining public Wi-Fi or entering a meeting.Developer-stated
- A one-time purchase option exists, so the app can be bought without a subscription.Developer-stated
Trade-offs
- Bartender 7 is built for macOS Golden Gate and the purchase also includes Bartender 6 for Tahoe, so older macOS releases are not covered.Developer-stated
- Only the yearly Pro subscription and the lifetime licence include future major-version upgrades; the one-time purchase covers Bartender 7 updates.Developer-stated
- The one-time and subscription options are sold on the developer's own store, so purchase is not handled through the Mac App Store.Editorially reviewed
First-use experience
What the app asks of you when you set it up. Only established facts appear here; anything we could not confirm is left out rather than guessed at.
- Installation
- Download from macbartender.com and move the app to Applications; purchase is through the developer's own store.
- First launch Developer-stated
- macOS requires the app to be granted Accessibility permission before it can manage menu bar items.
- System integration Developer-stated
- Integrates with the system menu bar, and can operate without Screen Recording permission by showing app icons rather than bar images.
What it does
Bartender manages the macOS menu bar. Icons can be hidden outright, moved into a secondary Bartender Bar that appears on hover, click or a hotkey, or shown conditionally through Triggers. Bartender 7 adds a keyboard-driven Command Bar that searches and triggers menu bar items and includes clipboard history, plus handling for the notch that hides items which would otherwise be covered.
The developer has maintained the app for more than ten years.
What is new in Bartender 7
- Command Bar — search and trigger any menu bar item from the keyboard, with clipboard history in the same surface.
- No Screen Recording required — Bartender 7 can run without that permission, showing app icons rather than images of your bar items.
- Triggers — items appear in response to conditions: battery when you unplug, VPN on public Wi-Fi, microphone during meetings.
- Redesigned Bartender Bar — summonable on hover, click or hotkey, and themeable independently of the menu bar.
- Beat the notch — automatically hides items the notch would cover and brings them back on demand.
- Menu bar styling — glass, colour, gradients and rounded bars.
Pricing
Bartender is sold three ways, and the differences matter:
| Option | Model | Includes |
|---|---|---|
| Bartender 7 | One-time | Updates to version 7 |
| Bartender Pro | Yearly, 14-day trial | Future major upgrades and Pro tools |
| Mega Supporter | Lifetime | Lifetime access |
The one-time purchase covers Bartender 7 and its updates. Only Pro and Mega Supporter include future major-version upgrades.
Requirements
Bartender 7 is built for macOS Golden Gate, and the purchase also includes Bartender 6 for macOS Tahoe. Support therefore starts at macOS Tahoe, and older releases are not covered by this purchase. macOS will also require you to grant Accessibility permission before the app can manage menu bar items.
Release history
Dated releases recorded for Bartender, newest first, each with the source it was read from.
7Developer-stated
Bartender 7 adds a Command Bar, triggers, and a redesigned Bartender Bar; the purchase also includes Bartender 6 for Tahoe.
Source: Official website
Questions about Bartender
Does Bartender require a subscription?
No. There are three options: a one-time purchase of Bartender 7, a yearly Bartender Pro subscription with a 14-day free trial, and a lifetime Mega Supporter licence.Developer-stated
Does Bartender need Screen Recording permission?
Bartender 7 can function without it. The developer states that in that mode it shows app icons rather than images of your menu bar items.Developer-stated
Which macOS version does Bartender 7 need?
Bartender 7 is built for macOS Golden Gate, and the purchase also includes Bartender 6 for macOS Tahoe — so support starts at macOS Tahoe and earlier releases are not covered.Developer-stated
What is new in Bartender 7?
A keyboard-driven Command Bar with clipboard history, triggers that show items in response to conditions, a redesigned Bartender Bar with Liquid Glass styling, notch handling, and the option to run without Screen Recording permission.Developer-stated
Alternatives to Bartender
Apps that could replace this one — the same job, a different trade-off.
Dozer
Free open-source utility that hides macOS menu bar icons.
Both declutter the menu bar; Dozer is a free, single-purpose tool with a fraction of Bartender's configuration.
Compared with
Head-to-head comparisons Nuanyue has published.
Ice
Menu bar manager for hiding icons and organizing layouts.
Both hide and organise menu bar items, but Ice is a free, open-source option while Bartender is a paid app with triggers and a Command Bar.
Works well with
Not a replacement — apps commonly used alongside this one.
Raycast
Keyboard launcher with extensions, clipboard history and AI.
Raycast provides the keyboard launcher and Bartender manages the menu bar, so they occupy different surfaces of the same workflow.
Links
Sources
Facts on this page are checked against the sources below. Last updated .
