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FAQ & troubleshooting

General​

Does Barred actually remove apps from the menu bar?​

No. Barred only hides the visual icon. The app continues to run normally. Click the Barred icon to reveal hidden items at any time.

Does Barred work with the notch on MacBook Pro?​

Yes. Barred is aware of the notch area and manages items around it. Items hidden behind the notch by macOS can be moved to the secondary bar for easy access.

Can Barred work alongside Bartender or Hidden Bar?​

Not recommended. These apps use similar techniques to manage menu bar items and will conflict. Use one at a time.

Troubleshooting​

Items aren't showing up in the management view​

  1. Verify Accessibility permissions are granted in System Settings → Privacy & Security → Accessibility.
  2. Some items appear only after their owning app has fully launched. Wait a few seconds.
  3. Restart Barred.

Hidden items keep reappearing​

Some apps aggressively re-insert their menu bar icons. Set an "Always hidden" rule (right-click the item) to handle this automatically.

This can happen if another app is also managing menu bar items. Check for conflicts with similar tools. If no conflict exists, try removing and re-adding Barred's Accessibility permission.

Barred uses too much CPU​

This is unusual. Try:

  1. Close and reopen Barred.
  2. Check if another app is continuously adding/removing menu bar items (this triggers repeated detection).
  3. Disable animations in Settings if the issue persists.

If none of these help, please report the issue.