Mac OS X is well known for the deep levels of customization it affords users. Just about every aspect of the OS is customizable to an extent—especially if you know your way around the command line. Regardless of whether it’s through performance tweaks or aesthetic changes, making it your own is one of the joys of owning a Mac. While it may seem like a familiar tip for longtime OS X users, a question we frequently hear is, “How do I move the little icons in the Menu Bar?” This is a great question, especially given the intuitive and easy customization of the Bar’s southern neighbor—the Dock. If you’ve ever tried to rearrange the mini icons for Bluetooth, Airport, Volume, etc, then you have probably discovered they’re a bit too stubborn for the typical click and drag. The secret is in the Command key. Simply hold it while clicking and dragging, and you can rearrange Menu Bar icons just like in the Dock!
Need to cut the clutter? With Command held, drag any item from the Menu Bar onto the desktop. Release the mouse, and you’ll get a satisfying “Poof!” and an accompanying cartoon cloud of smoke. If you remove something important—the clock let’s say—don’t fret. Simply visit System Preferences and the corresponding Preference Pane to re-enable the feature. In this instance, we’d want to visit System Preferences > Date & Time > Clock and click the checkbox “Show date and time in menu bar.”
It is good to note that these tips work best with pre-installed system Menu Bar icons. These include Bluetooth, Time Machine, Airport, Volume, Date & Time, Username, and more. While many third-party developers build this functionality into their apps, it’s not guaranteed to work. Often times the best way to disable a rogue third-party icon is through the preferences located within the app.
mini mac treat #1: To access the preferences of any application press Command + comma! The more you know…
Keep in mind that your Menu Bar mileage will vary based on your screen size. If you’re running an 11-inch MacBook Air, you’ll want to be fairly selective with the number of icons at the top of the screen. Option-heavy applications like Photoshop need a lot of room to display all of their menus.