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jordanbaird/Ice

A macOS menu bar manager that hides and shows menu bar items, with an always-hidden section, search, and appearance customization.

Open-source alternative to:Bartender

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What is it?

Ice is a menu bar manager for macOS. Its main job is to hide menu bar items you don't need all the time and reveal them when you want, so a crowded menu bar stays tidy. Hidden items can be shown by hovering over the menu bar, clicking an empty area, or scrolling and swiping in it, and they can be rehidden automatically.

Beyond hiding, Ice lets you drag and drop items to reorder them, define an always-hidden section, and search across menu bar items. On MacBooks with a notch, hidden items can be displayed in a separate bar below the menu bar. Appearance options include a solid or gradient tint, shadow, border, and custom rounded or split shapes.

Ice requires macOS 14 or later and is installable from GitHub releases or via Homebrew cask. Some planned features, such as menu bar profiles and item groups, are still unimplemented.

Key features

  • 01Hide and show menu bar items, with an always-hidden section
  • 02Reveal hidden items on hover, click, or scroll in the menu bar
  • 03Drag-and-drop arrangement of menu bar items
  • 04Search menu bar items
  • 05Tint, shadow, border, and custom shapes for the menu bar
  • 06Global hotkeys for toggling sections and showing the search panel

Use cases

  • Keeping a crowded menu bar clean while keeping utility icons reachable
  • Moving menu bar icons hidden by the notch into a separate bar on MacBooks
  • Customizing the look of the macOS menu bar with tint or borders

Quick start

  1. 1

    Install Ice with Homebrew

    brew install --cask jordanbaird-ice
  2. 2

    Or download Ice.zip from the latest release and move the app into your Applications folder

Things to know

  • macOS 14 or later only; no support for earlier macOS versions.
  • Still in active development, and some planned features are not yet implemented.
  • Licensed under GPL-3.0, a copyleft license.

Topics

#macos#menu-bar#swift#swiftui#utility#status-bar#macos-app#menubar#menubar-app#statusbar

FAQ

What is Ice?
A macOS menu bar manager that hides and shows menu bar items, with an always-hidden section, search, and appearance customization. Ice is a menu bar manager for macOS. Its main job is to hide menu bar items you don't need all the time and reveal them when you want, so a crowded menu bar stays tidy. Hidden items can be shown by hovering over the menu bar, clicking an empty area, or scrolling and swiping in it, and they can be rehidden automatically.
Is Ice free to use? What license does it have?
Ice is open source under the GPL-3.0 license. Check the license terms before using it in commercial products.
Is Ice still maintained?
Actively maintained. The last commit to Ice was on Oct 6, 2026.
What can I use Ice for?
Keeping a crowded menu bar clean while keeping utility icons reachable Moving menu bar icons hidden by the notch into a separate bar on MacBooks Customizing the look of the macOS menu bar with tint or borders
How do I install Ice?
Install Ice with Homebrew: brew install --cask jordanbaird-ice Or download Ice.zip from the latest release and move the app into your Applications folder
Where can I get Ice?
The source code and installation instructions are on GitHub: https://github.com/jordanbaird/Ice

Summary generated by AI from the project's README. GitHub stats refresh daily.

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