Ice for MAC
Free, open-source menu bar manager for Mac that hides, shows and rearranges menu bar icons.
Ice Overview
Ice is a free, open-source menu bar manager for Mac. It hides the menu bar icons you rarely use and brings them back with a click, a hover or a scroll, so a crowded menu bar stays tidy and nothing is lost behind the notch on a MacBook. Ice is made by Jordan Baird and released under the GPL-3.0 license.
Ice needs macOS 14 Sonoma or later. Besides hiding icons, it can show hidden items in a separate bar below the menu bar, let you drag icons into the order you want, search all menu bar items and change how the menu bar itself looks.
Key Features
Ice sits in the menu bar and splits your icons into visible, hidden and always-hidden sections.
- Hide menu bar items: keep rarely used icons out of sight until you need them.
- Always-hidden section: a second section for icons you almost never use.
- Show on hover, click or scroll: reveal hidden items by hovering over the menu bar, clicking an empty area or scrolling.
- Automatic rehide: hidden items go away again after you use them.
- Ice Bar: show hidden items in a separate bar below the menu bar, which helps on MacBooks with a notch.
- Drag-and-drop layout: arrange individual menu bar items in the order you want.
- Menu bar search: find any menu bar item by name.
- Menu bar appearance: add a tint, shadow or border, or give the menu bar a rounded or split shape.
- Hotkeys: toggle sections, the search panel and the Ice Bar from the keyboard.
What’s New in Version 0.11.12
Ice 0.11.12 is the latest stable release.
- Ice can now work in a limited mode without Screen Recording permission
- Fixed a bug where Ice thought a modifier key was pressed and stopped some users from moving items
Ice FAQ
Is Ice free for Mac?
Yes. Ice is free and open source, released under the GPL-3.0 license. You can support its developer with a donation, but every feature is free.
Which macOS version does Ice need?
Ice needs macOS 14 Sonoma or later. Its developer has no plans to support older versions, because Ice uses system features that first appeared in macOS 14.
Does Ice work on macOS 26 Tahoe?
Apple changed the menu bar a lot in macOS 26 Tahoe. The stable Ice 0.11.12 was made before Tahoe; for Tahoe, the developer has published beta builds (0.11.13-dev) on Ice's GitHub releases page that fix most of the known issues.
How do I hide menu bar icons with Ice?
After you open Ice, hold Command and drag menu bar icons to the left of Ice's divider to hide them. Click the Ice icon, or an empty area of the menu bar, to show them again. You can also arrange items in Ice's Menu Bar Layout settings.
What is the Ice Bar?
The Ice Bar shows your hidden menu bar items in a separate bar just below the menu bar. It is useful on MacBooks with a notch, where icons can otherwise disappear behind it.
Why does Ice ask for Accessibility and Screen Recording permission?
macOS only lets an app move other apps' menu bar items with Accessibility permission. Screen Recording is used to show images of menu bar items; since version 0.11.12, Ice can also run in a limited mode without it.
Can Ice change how the menu bar looks?
Yes. Ice can add a solid or gradient tint, a shadow and a border to the menu bar, and can give it a rounded or split shape.
Is Ice a free alternative to Bartender?
Ice does the same main job as Bartender: hiding and arranging menu bar icons. Ice is free and open source, while Bartender is a paid app.
Is Ice safe to install on a Mac?
Yes, when you download it from its official GitHub page, which is where the download button on this page leads. Ice is open source, and its code is public on GitHub.
Where does the Ice download on ice.FULLMAC.app come from?
The download button leads to Ice's official GitHub page at https://github.com/jordanbaird/Ice, where the latest release is listed. ice.FULLMAC.app does not change or repackage the app.
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