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thaw-app/Thaw

An open source macOS menu bar manager that hides unused icons and lets you find any menu bar item from the keyboard.

Open-source alternative to:BartenderIce

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Last commit
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What is it?

Thaw is a menu bar manager for macOS. It lets you hide the menu bar icons you rarely use, keep a separate always-hidden section for the rest, and reveal hidden items by hovering, clicking, scrolling, or pressing a hotkey. A keyboard search panel finds and activates any menu bar item.

Beyond hiding, Thaw can switch layouts automatically. Profiles can be bound to a display, a Space, or a Focus filter, and triggers reveal items when conditions such as battery level, Wi-Fi network, or a script's exit code are met. Zen mode conceals all sections and locks the reveal gestures in one action, and the bar's tint, gradient, shadow, and border can be styled per light/dark mode and per Space.

Thaw supports macOS 14 through 27 and is distributed through Homebrew or direct download. Screen Recording is optional; without it, items that cannot be captured are drawn as their app's icon. The project is GPL-3.0 licensed and exposes `thaw://` deep links for launchers and automation.

Key features

  • 01Hide unused menu bar icons, with an always-hidden section for the rest
  • 02Reveal hidden items by hovering, clicking, scrolling, swiping, or a hotkey
  • 03Keyboard search to find and activate any menu bar item
  • 04Automatic reveal triggers based on battery, Focus, Wi-Fi, scripts, and more
  • 05Profiles bound to displays, Spaces, or Focus filters
  • 06Customizable tint, gradient, shadow, and border for the menu bar

Use cases

  • Keeping a crowded menu bar tidy on a laptop with many utility apps
  • Hiding status icons during presentations or screen sharing with Zen mode
  • Switching menu bar layouts automatically when connecting an external display
  • Launching menu bar actions from Raycast or Shortcuts via deep links

Quick start

  1. 1

    Install Thaw 2 on macOS 26 with Homebrew

    brew install thaw
  2. 2

    On macOS 27, install the Thaw 3 beta instead

    brew install thaw@beta
  3. 3

    On macOS 14 or 15, download the disk image from the releases page and drag Thaw to Applications

Things to know

  • Requires macOS; the Homebrew commands and releases are for Apple computers only.
  • Requires Accessibility permission on first launch, and Menu Bar Layout Access on macOS 27.
  • Licensed under GPL-3.0, a copyleft license that requires derivative works to remain open source.

Topics

#macos#menu-bar#swift#swiftui#productivity#utility#macos-app#menu-bar-manager#menubar-app

FAQ

What is Thaw?
An open source macOS menu bar manager that hides unused icons and lets you find any menu bar item from the keyboard. Thaw is a menu bar manager for macOS. It lets you hide the menu bar icons you rarely use, keep a separate always-hidden section for the rest, and reveal hidden items by hovering, clicking, scrolling, or pressing a hotkey. A keyboard search panel finds and activates any menu bar item.
Is Thaw free to use? What license does it have?
Thaw is open source under the GPL-3.0 license. Check the license terms before using it in commercial products.
Is Thaw still maintained?
Actively maintained. The last commit to Thaw was on Oct 19, 2026.
What can I use Thaw for?
Keeping a crowded menu bar tidy on a laptop with many utility apps Hiding status icons during presentations or screen sharing with Zen mode Switching menu bar layouts automatically when connecting an external display Launching menu bar actions from Raycast or Shortcuts via deep links
How do I install Thaw?
Install Thaw 2 on macOS 26 with Homebrew: brew install thaw On macOS 27, install the Thaw 3 beta instead: brew install thaw@beta On macOS 14 or 15, download the disk image from the releases page and drag Thaw to Applications
Where can I get Thaw?
The source code and installation instructions are on GitHub: https://github.com/thaw-app/Thaw

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