Photo: tinhkhuong (Shutterstock)
You know all about how to customize your MacBook’s Dock, but don’t sleep on its Menu Bar, either. Some of your Mac’s best apps sit unassumingly in the Menu Bar and allow you to use all of their best features via a tiny drop-down menu. Not every feature can be used from this spot, but these apps allow you to save time by accessing crucial options with only a couple clicks, enabling you to get things done that much faster. Here are some of the best menu bar apps you should install on your Mac.
AlDente
Slow down the battery drain on your Mac by using AlDente. It lets you set charging limits on your MacBook, which allows you to prevent premature battery aging. If you want to change said limits, its Menu Bar app is all you need.
Amphetamine
Want to stop your Mac from turning off the display whenever you step away for a minute? Amphetamine is a free Menu Bar app that keeps your screen on until you say so. You can select how long you want to keep the display awake right from the Menu Bar, which is very handy.
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CopyClip
CopyClip is a clipboard manager app that can be conveniently accessed from the Menu Bar. You can click its icon to see all the items recently stored in the clipboard, and use keyboard shortcuts (Command + 1 through 9) to quickly access any of them.
Yoink
Yoink makes it easy to drag-and-drop items between two folders on your Mac. If you find something interesting worth copying, you can drag it directly to Yoink’s Menu Bar icon and the app will store it. You can drag this item from the Menu Bar to yoink it in another app later.
Magnet
Your Mac could use a better window manager, and Magnet is among the best out there. Its Menu Bar app allows you to quickly arrange windows to your liking. You can snap your Chrome window to the left side of the screen, Mail to the top-right quarter, and Slack to the bottom-right quarter. Magnet’s Menu Bar app is especially useful for the times when you can’t quite remember the keyboard shortcuts to arrange windows quickly.
SoundSource
When you want to control the volume levels of individual apps, consider using SoundSource. It’s an excellent app that allows you to set lower volumes for messaging apps and a higher level for media apps such as Music or VLC Media Player. It can be used completely from the Menu Bar.
CleanShot X
CleanShot X is among the best screenshot apps on your Mac. Its Menu Bar app allows you to take all kinds of screenshots and screen recordings, and includes some options that don’t have a keyboard shortcut.
ItsyCal
If you want a simple calendar app in the Menu Bar, ItsyCal is a good choice. Though, frankly, you can use almost any calendar app that has a Menu Bar utility, so feel free to take your pick. macOS doesn’t reveal a calendar when you click the clock in the menu bar, so any third-party app that does this is a better alternative.
Having said that, Calendar 366 II is worth noting, because its Menu Bar app lets you replace the system clock. You can first disable the Mac’s system clock, then go to Calendar 366's preferences to change its menu bar icon to one that shows the date and time. This lets you copy a useful Windows feature, where you can click the clock to see the calendar.
Later
Later quickly saves all open apps so you can access them in the future. It’s a great way to clear up a cluttered workspace on the Mac. The Menu Bar app closes all open apps in one go and restore them to the exact same place on the desktop later.
Bartender
The final recommendation in our list is for an app to manage all your new Menu Bar apps. If you have too many good apps in the Menu Bar, it begins to look messy. Bartender helps you clean up the clutter. Other than its excellent organizing features, you’ll appreciate its ability to automatically show or hide certain icons in the Menu Bar. For example, Bartender can show the wifi icon only when you’re not connected to the internet, or hide the battery icon when your MacBook is charging. If you end up using lots of Menu Bar apps, Bartender is a must-have.
