Built-in workaround for applications hiding under the MacBook Pro notch

Original Article ↗ Hacker News Discussion ↗

A hidden macOS setting that reduces whitespace between menu bar icons lets MacBook notch users surface more status items without relying on paid utilities like Bartender. Commenters welcome the tweak but note it only delays overcrowding, pointing instead to third‑party tools and long‑standing UX issues around menu bar management. The exchange broadens into a debate over Apple’s notch and menu bar design as a compromise between hardware constraints, aesthetics, and software polish, and whether users should have to install extra apps to compensate.

Built-in spacing tweak

  • Main tip: use hidden defaults keys (NSStatusItemSpacing, NSStatusItemSelectionPadding on the current host) to shrink menu bar whitespace so more status icons fit before hitting the notch.
  • Some report you must log out/in for full effect; restarting SystemUIServer works partially or inconsistently.
  • It’s framed as a workaround, not a universal fix: it postpones overflow and fully solves the issue only for users with a moderate number of icons.

Third‑party tools and alternative workarounds

  • Bartender (paid) is widely praised as robust: can hide items, provide submenus, and correctly handle overflow around the notch.
  • Hidden Bar and Dozer (FOSS) mainly hide rarely used icons; they declutter but don’t fix icons being placed “under” the notch.
  • TopNotch and similar utilities visually mask the notch by forcing a black menu bar; useful for aesthetics but not for overflow.
  • Some change resolution (via System Settings, EasyRes, RDM) to move the active screen below the notch, effectively removing it at the cost of vertical pixels.

Cost, security, and extra‑app concerns

  • Some resent paying to fix what they see as Apple’s design/UX failure, especially on expensive hardware.
  • Others argue supporting indie utilities is reasonable, and Bartender offers real added value beyond “fixing Apple.”
  • Several dislike installing more always-on utilities: extra attack surface, updaters, and in some cases invasive permissions (e.g., screen recording). Corporate policies can forbid such tools.

Apple UX, priorities, and menu bar design

  • Many contrast macOS’s unmanaged status items with Windows’ notification tray, which has had auto-hiding and overflow handling for decades.
  • Others note menu bar “status items” were originally intended for a small number of system icons; Apple never designed for users with 10–15+ items.
  • Some defend Apple: product teams triage long backlogs; since third parties solved this, a first‑party solution may stay low priority.
  • Others see it as emblematic of slipping software quality and poor dogfooding; the OS still lets icons and menus disappear under the notch.

Attitudes toward the notch

  • Opinions range from “worst laptop design decision” to “I literally forgot it exists.”
  • Pro‑notch arguments: it increases usable screen vs. thicker bezels, keeps a good webcam centered, and dedicates the “ears” to menu/status items.
  • Anti‑notch arguments: visually distracting, oversized relative to the camera, complicates layout, and forces hacks for menu bar overflow.