What is Dozer?
Dozer is a small open-source Mac utility that hides menu bar icons to give the menu bar a cleaner look. It puts two or three dots in the menu bar: left-click any of them to hide or show everything to the left, and an optional third dot hides a second, shorter group when you option-click. Right-clicking a dot opens the settings. It is free under the Mozilla Public License 2.0 and is installed either with Homebrew or by dragging the app out of the GitHub release. The developer states it requires macOS High Sierra or later. No new release has been published since version 4.2.0 in July 2020, so it is best treated as a finished utility rather than an actively developed one.
Verified product facts
- Type
- menu bar managerEditorially reviewed
- Platform
- macOS
- Pricing
- Open sourceDeveloper-stated
- Open source
- Yes
- Relationship to Nuanyue
- Third-party product — not published by NuanyueEditorially reviewed
- Licence
- MPL-2.0
- Current version
- 4.2.0Developer-stated
- Official website
- github.com/Mortennn/Dozer
Last updated . Facts marked developer-stated come from the developer and are not independently confirmed; editorially reviewed marks a Nuanyue judgement.
Key features
What Dozer does at a glance.
Adds two or three dots to the menu bar; clicking any of them hides or shows the icons to the left
An optional third dot toggles a second, shorter group of icons when option-clicked
Right-clicking a Dozer dot opens the settings
Installs
With a single Homebrew command, or by dragging the app out of the release disk image
What you can use Dozer for
- Hiding the menu bar icons you rarely need so the ones you do need are easier to find
- Decluttering a menu bar where icons are crowded or sit behind the notch
- Keeping a second group of icons — battery, network — available without leaving them on screen
- Replacing a paid menu bar manager with something that does one job
Who is Dozer for?
- Mac users who want a free, minimal menu bar hider
- People who prefer open-source utilities they can read and build
Who is Dozer not for?
- Anyone who wants automatic, rule-based hiding — Dozer hides the group you choose, not one it decides on
- Users who need a tool that keeps pace with new macOS releases — the last release was in 2020
Limitations
- No new release has been published since version 4.2.0 in July 2020
- Hiding is manual — there are no rules, schedules or automatic behaviour
- The README does not state whether the build is a universal binary, so Nuanyue does not record Apple Silicon support
Strengths and trade-offs
What Dozer 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
- Free and open source under the Mozilla Public License 2.0, with the source on GitHub.
- Single-purpose and very small — it hides menu bar icons and does nothing else.Editorially reviewed
- Installs with one Homebrew command or a drag from the release disk image.
- Works on macOS High Sierra and later, which is a lower floor than most menu bar managers.Developer-stated
Trade-offs
- No new release has been published since version 4.2.0 in July 2020, so it is effectively frozen.
- Hiding is entirely manual — there are no rules, schedules or automatic behaviour.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
- Install with `brew install --cask dozer`, or download the disk image from the GitHub releases page, open it and drag the app into Applications.
- First launch Developer-stated
- Dozer's two or three dots appear in the menu bar. The developer's instruction is to hold Command and drag the icons you want hidden to the left of the second dot.
- System integration Developer-stated
- Adds its dots to the menu bar: left-click hides or shows the first group, option-left-click shows the second group, and right-click opens the settings.
How Dozer works
Dozer adds two or three small dots to the menu bar, numbered from right to left. The first is only a point of interaction. Everything to the left of the second dot is hidden or shown by clicking any Dozer dot. If you enable the optional third dot, everything to its left is toggled separately by option-left-clicking — so a Mac can have a permanently visible group and a second group that only appears when you ask for it.
There is no rule engine and no profile system. You arrange the menu bar yourself, holding Command to drag icons, and Dozer remembers which side of its dots they are on. Right-clicking a dot opens the settings.
That is the whole utility. Where Bartender and Ice infer or let you script what should be visible, Dozer simply gives you two switches.
Installing it
The README offers two routes: brew install --cask dozer, or downloading the
disk image from the GitHub releases page and dragging the app into
Applications. The README states the requirement as macOS 10.13 or later, which
is a lower floor than most menu bar managers now offer.
Maintenance status
Version 4.2.0, published on 13 July 2020, is the most recent release. The repository has continued to receive commits, but nothing has been published since, so anyone adopting Dozer should treat it as a finished, stable utility rather than one that will keep up with new macOS releases.
Licensing
Dozer is licensed under the Mozilla Public License 2.0 and the full source is on GitHub. The README links to the licence file directly, so the terms can be checked without leaving the repository. The developer accepts donations, but there is no paid tier, no in-app purchase and no licence key.
Release history
Dated releases recorded for Dozer, newest first, each with the source it was read from.
4.2.0
Latest published release; no newer version has been published since.
Source: Source repository
Questions about Dozer
Is Dozer free?
Yes. Dozer is free and open source under the Mozilla Public License 2.0, and the developer accepts donations through Buy Me a Coffee.
How do I install Dozer?
With Homebrew: `brew install --cask dozer`. Or download the disk image from the GitHub releases page, open it and drag the app into Applications.
Is Dozer still maintained?
No new release has been published since version 4.2.0 in July 2020. The repository has continued to receive commits, but the published app has not changed.
Which macOS versions does Dozer support?
The README states macOS 10.13 or later.Developer-stated
Does Dozer hide icons automatically?
No. Dozer hides the group of icons you have dragged to the left of its dots, and you toggle that group by clicking. There is no rule system that decides for you.Editorially reviewed
Alternatives to Dozer
Apps that could replace this one — the same job, a different trade-off.
Ice
Menu bar manager for hiding icons and organizing layouts.
Both hide menu bar icons; Ice adds arrangement, profiles and appearance controls, while Dozer is a two- or three-dot hider with no rule system.
Competitors
Direct competitors: overlapping features aimed at the same users.
Bartender
Menu bar manager with hiding, triggers and a second bar.
Both declutter the menu bar, but Bartender decides what to show with rules and Dozer only hides the group you have moved behind its dots.
Similar apps
Related in purpose, but not a straight swap.
Hidden Bar
Free, open-source utility that hides macOS menu bar icons.
Both are small open-source menu bar hiders with no configuration beyond which icons sit to the left of the toggle.
Links
Sources
Facts on this page are checked against the sources below. Last updated .
- Dozer — official websiteGrade B
- Dozer — source repositoryGrade D
