How to make menu bar transparent mac big sur. If you do not like this transparency, you can reduce it, or basically remove it in both menu bar and dock. Welcome to r/AppleHelp! Learn how to make menu bar transparent in MacOS 26 TahoeFor more videos like this please subscribe. There are a few different methods to do this. Since its color changes depending on the desktop picture, many people aren’t enamored of it (left, below). However, my Menu Bar is black. You can change the way sidebar icons and other elements look as well. Thankfully, there’s a way to disable the distracting transparent menus on Mac. We’re going to use an open-source tool called Change Menu Bar Color. Customizing your top menu bar on Mac means changing the menu bar size, adding, removing and relocating icons in the menu bar, changing icons, colour and much more in the menu bar. Nov 13, 2020 · Updated to Big Sur, but menu bar, Dock, all Finder, Safari (other windows) are not transparent, just white/grey. Also, the "reduce transparency" option is not checked Sep 23, 2023 · Apple’s decision to make the menu bar in macOS Big Sur & Monterey transparent has had a lot of seasoned Mac users scratch their heads. Apr 25, 2022 · The height of the Mac menu bar has grown a little over time, starting at 19pt on System 1, growing to 21pt for the Mac OS X beta, then 22pt in Yosemite, and finally 24pt in Big Sur, which is where it stands today. 9M subscribers in the mac community. You can easily increase or decrease the size of text on your screen in just a few steps. i would like to change the color so as to better indicate the icons and contrast them Sep 12, 2025 · The Mac menu bar is a horizontal bar located at the top of the screen on a Mac computer. However, the default size of the menu bar may not suit everyone’s preferences. 10) Any recommend ways or apps to make menu bar on mac to be fully transparent? Thanks! Oct 22, 2025 · The Default Menu Bar: A Brief Overview Before we dive into the world of transparent menu bars, let’s take a step back and understand the default menu bar on your Mac. Contribute to zorth64/ClearMenuBar development by creating an account on GitHub. Checked Screen Saver prefs. just installed it. When I right click on something I can see the transparent menu appear, but I cannot read any of the On your Mac, do one of the following: Remove an icon you added from System Settings: Choose Apple menu > System Settings, click Menu Bar in the sidebar, then deselect the icon you want to remove from the menu bar. Contents Apple redesigned the classic Mac interface with a transparent menu bar and sidebars that show the colors of the windows below. Open Menu Bar settings for me Remove an icon you added from Control Center: Click in the menu bar, click Edit Controls, then drag the item off the menu bar. Dec 20, 2024 · Transparent menus were introduced in macOS Mojave and have been a part of the Mac operating system ever since. Luckily, reverting to the traditional opaque menu bar is simple. So I developed Boring Old Menu Bar to bring the “perfectly fine” macOS Catalina menu bar to macOS 11 Big Sur. It’s a horizontal bar that runs across the top of your screen, providing access to various menus, including the Apple menu Apr 13, 2021 · In macOS 11 Big Sur, Apple went back to a design direction from the earliest days of Mac OS X: a translucent menu bar. Dec 22, 2021 · Simple utility to change macOS Big Sur and Monterey menu bar color by appending a solid color or gradient rectangle to a wallpaper image - igorkulman/ChangeMenuBarColor Oct 9, 2024 · Want to edit Mac menu bar? See the best tips to rearrange, remove, and stack icons in your menu bar to keep all apps effective and neatly organized. I managed to find a picture of it: HOW do I get this? I want it bad! Mar 3, 2025 · To get a macOS-like menu bar on Windows 11, you need to install a Rainmeter skin called Droptop Four. Apple clearly thinks so, having introduced a new transparent menu bar in Big Sur. Adjust the Start menu layout to resemble the macOS top menu bar. If that is a problem then @TJ Luoma has the best answer with Option B. Learn about Tailored macOS Ventura Settings, explore advanced Dock Visibility Techniques, and optimize your Jul 7, 2025 · Are you tired of the opaque top menu bar on your Mac? Learn how to make it clear and transparent, giving your desktop a more modern and minimalist look. Nov 13, 2020 · Black Menu Bar in Big Sur I just upgraded to Big Sur, liking it for the most part. How to View Widgets on Mac Widgets in macOS Big Sur and higher are a part of the Notification Center, which no longer has its own icon in the menu bar. s. The menu bar is displayed at the top of the Mac’s screen. Sep 22, 2023 · How to change the Mac OS X menu bar colour To change the menu bar colour, follow the below simple steps, but not it does change more than just the menu bar, but that was fine for me, so hopefully it will be for you too: 1) Click the Apple logo at the top left of the screen 2) Select ‘System Settings’ 3) Select ‘Wallpaper’ from the left menu 4) Scroll down until you see the colours Aug 1, 2025 · In this article, we’ll explore how to adjust MacBook toolbar, where to find Mac menu bar settings, and share some menu bar management tools. I want my menu bar transparent again. Here's how to add, customize, and use the new widgets on your Mac running macOS Big Sur and higher. The notch is a massive visual distraction. The screen loses complete symmetry. This custom wallpaper will look the same except for a solid color bar at the top. Jul 26, 2024 · I wanted to make the menu bar on top of my Mac fully transparent, but unfortunately I can't seem to find the option for it. The Menu Bar and windows get their color from the desktop, but you can also set them to ignore that. Q&A related to Apple hardware, software, and services. Create custom wallpaper Follow these steps to create a custom wallpaper from the wallpaper you’re currently using. Image: Christian Zibreg/Ankur Thakur/iDB/Apple In the first macOS Tahoe beta, the menu bar did not have a solid background, something Mac owners have been accustomed to for many years. Nov 17, 2017 · After upgrading to Ventura, it turned my menubar a semi-transparent white, which is stupid when the text is also white. You can make the pointer Jun 23, 2025 · The second developer beta of macOS Tahoe lets users restore the classic menu bar background; public beta lands in July. The menu bar that I refer to is located atop the screen upon logging in, and indicates the time, date, wifie, battery,language, bluetooth, etc, This bar, as the attached image indicates, is appears too transparent and difficult to ascertain the various icons. How do i fix this Nov 11, 2020 · Apple redesigned the classic Mac interface with a transparent menu bar and sidebars that show the colors from the windows below. Sep 11, 2020 · The transparent menu bar, however, is a bit of a legibility nightmare and something I could not live with. Jun 27, 2021 · Big Sur introduced some big changes to macOS, including two icons on the far right of the menu bar: Control Center and Notification Center. Looks goofy to me now. It's enabled by default, providing you with quick access to various system and application functions. Any ideas? Feb 7, 2025 · In the settings, select the “Dock” style for the taskbar to make it look like macOS’s dock. The menu bar, also known as the top menu bar, is an essential component of the macOS user interface. Oct 28, 2017 · In MacOS Big Sur, all keyboard commands in the menu bar appear grayed out even when the command is available. It is not tied to light and dark mode. Fortunately third-party apps solve it. Are you aware of this? Aug 5, 2025 · Summary: This post explains why your top menu bar does not show up in macOS Monterey, Big Sur, or Catalina and tells how to get the Mac toolbar back in Mac full-screen mode or on the Mac desktop. Here is how to get started. May 30, 2023 · how to make reduce transparent menu bar May I know how to make transparent menu bar and dock at Ventura OS Version. Jan 3, 2025 · With menu bar dividers, you can add a new level of organization to your Mac. What MacOS engineer at Apple Jun 21, 2024 · In this article, we explain how you can change the font size on your Mac with Big Sur to make it easier to read text on your display. I made my menu bar solid white a long time ago, and I can't remember how to put it back to the way it was. Hello so I have an M1 MBA and was wondering, is it possible to make the menu bar transparent? I don't like the translucent look and would like my wallpaper to be completely visible Oct 7, 2024 · How to make the menu bar FULLY transparent instead of blur, and display the wallpaper? MacBook Air 13″, macOS 15. Unlike the Dock, which can be placed on one of the three sides of the screen, the menu bar’s location is fixed at the top. They already supported in full screen, so it should not be an issue issue. Fortunately, is there a way to disable annoying transparent menus on Mac. Nov 14, 2020 · For some people, transparent elements are a key component of any UI. Nov 11, 2024 · Apple redesigned the classic Mac interface with a transparent menu bar and sidebars that show the colors from the windows below. Sep 28, 2023 · The menu bar is translucent and shows through whatever the background image happens to be. Oct 25, 2022 · How to set the menu bar to transparent (or translucent) In Ventura: my menu bar is solid black regardless of what color wallpaper I use. 7. 171K subscribers in the applehelp community. It’s an excellent skin that adds a menu bar to Windows 11 with various functionalities. Dec 23, 2020 · If you recently made the switch from Catalina to Big Sur, the updated menu bar is probably one of the first things you noticed. These changes suggest we’re entering a new era in terms of how items on the right side of the menu bar will look and function. For example, if you only want to change the font size in the menu bar, there is a way to do this. 11 So I love the login screen in OS X lion, and I want to make my desktop look like that. On macOS Big Sur or later users get many customization Mar 24, 2024 · The next time you take an app full screen, the menu bar will remain visible at the top of the window, complete with menu options and any other menu items you may have arranged there. I found the background image they use, but now I want to make my menu bar completely transparent like it is in the login screen. With apps like Topnotch it hides the notch and menu items appear on the left and right, no space is lost. That will turn the In macOS 11 Big Sur, Apple went back to a design direction from the earliest days of Mac OS X: a translucent menu bar. While Big Sur grew on me, and I'm sure (eventually) Tahoe will, the transparent menu bar is a bit of a legibility nightmare and not something I can live with. Want to make your Macbook Dock Transparent? Learn How to Make Macbook Dock Transparent in this my step by step guide that shows you how. More recently, macOS 26 Tahoe did the same thing again. Open Syst Jun 10, 2021 · The Accessibility System Preferences give you some control over the menu bar. MacOS Big Sur Theme For Windows 10 || Make Windows 10 Look Like MacOS Big Sur 2021In this video i will show you how to install this MacOS Big Sur theme give Nov 13, 2020 · " How to Increase the Menu Bar Icon Size in Big Sur: Hello, Recently i have updated my Macbook Pro "15 to MacOS Big Sur. Available for native and some third-party apps, the widgets are located on the macOS 'Notification Center'. Yes, macOS Tahoe inherits a new design language that Jan 12, 2021 · In this tutorial we will show you how to hide Mac Menu Bar and customize based on your needs. Overall, the design language introduced Big Sur and higher is a move in the right direction. The ability to change the menu bar size is an accessibility option in newer versions of Mac system software, so you’ll need to be running macOS Monterey, Big Sur, or newer. I found the following Terminal commands from 2007: sudo defaults write On your Mac, see inverted display colours, make transparent items solid and modify how colours appear with colour filters. You can disable this transparency feature to keep the background color of your menu bar consistent no matter what application you’re using. 8K subscribers Subscribed Jul 26, 2021 · (Image credit: Laptop Mag) On Macs running Big Sur or above, head over to System Preferences > Dock & Menu Bar and check the “Automatically hide and show the menu bar” box. Apple really bumped up the transparency in the menu bar in macOS Big Sur. But Apple’s latest operating-system releases (all synced up as version 26)—due this fall and available now as a public beta —are spreading the love around. I had forgotten how I fixed this before in Monterrey, but then remembered. Oct 17, 2022 · Download Boring Old Menu Bar 1. I have a black background and the menu bar just appeared all black with white icons. I use glasses while using my 15 inch Macbook but these icons looks very small to me. Feb 22, 2022 · The new transparent menus in Edge are not usable. 2. I've tried the "translucent menu bar" option in system preferences, but thats not the same at all. I dont remember it looking like this before the update. On your Mac, see inverted display colors, make transparent items solid, and modify how colors appear with color filters. . Mar 5, 2022 · I just upgraded my mac from Big Sur to Monterey and the color of the top bar changed from gray to this color: I went to system preferences->Accessibility->Display and checked "Reduce transparency" and that made it this color: 73 votes, 33 comments. 0. Sep 26, 2023 · The default Sonoma background has a very light sky, causing the menu bar to appear almost light gray. How can I change this? p. Jul 23, 2012 · To make it transparent (or as Apple calls it, translucent), go to: > System Preferences > Desktop & Screen Saver > check the "Translucent menu bar" box at the very bottom. Jul 24, 2025 · First Look: macOS Tahoe Public Beta For many years, Apple’s annual operating-system cycle seemed to be all about the iPhone, with the occasional bone thrown to the Mac or iPad. Make the macOS menu bar transparent. I don't understand why they designed this to be the default. Dock and window backgrounds). Nov 13, 2022 · A short tutorial on how to adjust your Dock settings, arrange your app icons, remove unwanted applications and change the macOS menu bar options to your liking. I also have reduce transparency unchecked in system preferences. So I developed Boring Old Menu Bar to bring the "perfectly fine" macOS Catalina menu bar. The community for everything related to Apple's Mac computers! Oct 9, 2021 · Optional apps for more mac-like experience These apps are optional but make your Windows 10 to look and behave even more like macOS. Find out how to Nov 27, 2020 · There are more options than ever for customizing how macOS looks with Big Sur. I know I changed something in System Preferences. more May 11, 2020 · In dark mode my menu bar is bright white where as the tool bar is transparent. Thankfully, there's a way to disable the distracting transparent menus on Mac. I've tried toggling back and forth between Light, Dark, and Auto, restarting between changes. It looked really slick. How did you get the top bar (the one with the title ”Wasko”) to be transparent in Finder? In macOS 11. Nov 23, 2020 · The customizable widgets that you know and love on the iPhone and iPad are also available on your Mac. Aug 19, 2024 · Learn how to customize your Mac’s menu bar by adding, removing, and rearranging icons for a more efficient and personalized experience. Welcome, by following this tutorial you will be able to make Windows 10/11 look like MacOS 11 - Big Sur. Feb 6, 2025 · MacOS Big Sur (11. Apr 21, 2021 · Reduce the Transparency in the Menu Bar and Dock on the Mac Dan's Tutorials 14. I just noticed icon size in the menu bar is so small as compare to recent MacOS Catalina. It’s messy, it makes for illegible text and generally gets into the way, especially if you use Apple’s own Pro apps. If you find yourself May 10, 2024 · Ultimate Mac Custom Menu Bar Tutorial with Sketchybar | Customize Your Mac Menu Bar Like a Pro! This YouTube tutorial demonstrates how to create a custom menu bar for Mac using Sketchybar. Any other ideas? Apr 25, 2021 · Lately I've been seeing people using macOS Big Sur with a completely transparent dock. 1 it’s not transparent, and I know in the betas it was. Go to System Settings > Accessibility Jun 20, 2025 · Reduce visual clutter and make on-screen elements easier to distinguish by customizing transparency settings in macOS Tahoe’s Liquid Glass interface. I'd like it to be transparent (or translucent, whichever is correct). That will turn the Apr 2, 2021 · How do I get my fully transparent menu bar back? I updated to Big Sur when it became available and I have really been liking the look of the fully transparent menu bars. In this short video, I'll be demonstrating how to use my Boring Old Menu Bar utility to get rid of macOS Big Sur's transparent menu bar and replace with a nice Catalina or custom solid version Nov 15, 2020 · Can I make the menu bar opaque in Big Sur? Just upgraded to Big Sur on a MacBook Air (Retina, 13-inch, 2020). Help? Dec 21, 2021 · Looking for third party widgets for macOS Big Sur? Here are the 10 best free and paid app widgets for macOS Big Sur you should use in 2022. Open the Terminal. These provide easy access to common preferences and all your notifications. To access the Notification Center and . Still black. The best tool available is also available for free. Is there any way to be able to do this? Nov 13, 2020 · How do I increase Big Sur system font size? I am finding the new menu bar font almost impossible to read. g. Oct 12, 2021 · If you’d like to make the menu bar size larger (or smaller), you can change the menubar size, which impacts the size of the fonts in the menu bar on the Mac. Apr 16, 2021 · In macOS Big Sur, Apple introduced new and redesigned widgets. Open System Preferences > Accessibility > Display and select Reduce Transparency. Jan 16, 2021 · Hi all, Is there a way to change the top menu bar. Nov 16, 2020 · The Terminal app (already on your Mac). Mar 3, 2021 · 11-24-2020 07:57 PM Webex Teams menu bar icon in macOS Big Sur is transparent. Nov 14, 2020 · Transparent Menu Bar app icon on MacOS Big Sur #9072 Have a question about this project? Sign up for a free GitHub account to open an issue and contact its maintainers and the community. The menu bar is transparent. Simple utility to change macOS Big Sur and Monterey menu bar color by appending a solid color or gradient rectangle to a wallpaper image. Apple redesigned the classic Mac interface with a transparent menu bar and sidebars that show the colors from the windows below. I changed to one of the "Earth" backgrounds as they all have black in the top of the image. And depending on whether the system is set to Light or Dark, and the desktop picture that is used, those keyboard commands can be difficult to read. These menus allow the desktop wallpaper to show through the menu bar, giving it a sleek and modern look. While this feature may be aesthetically pleasing to some users, it can be difficult to read text on the menu bar when it blends in with the background. Many of the changes are okay with me. Mar 26, 2021 · March 26, 2021 Tutorials Mac By default, your Mac’s menu bar is transparent, which means the menu bar background color automatically changes depending on whatever application you’re using. 27 for Mac - Replace the transparent Big Sur menu bar with the Mar 14, 2023 · Customize your macOS Ventura experience with my comprehensive Dock and Menu Bar Guide. Jan 28, 2021 · Here is a tutorial on how to disable transparency effects in macOS Big Sur and speed things up on older Macs like the 12-inch MacBook. A while ago, macOS 11 Big Sur introduced a new visual style to macOS. Nov 23, 2020 · MacOS Big Sur menu bar transparency I expected a great quality transparent menu bar and dock, but all I get is just a regular white menu bar. Most of the landscape backgrounds have sky in the top making the menu bar seem very light. Dec 27, 2020 · Since things are different now, let’s check out what you can do to add, remove, or hide status icons on the new macOS Big Sur menu bar. And it does reduce transparency in other places (e. As evidenced in the screenshot below, the menu bar in the first macOS Tahoe beta was exclusively transparent, with the desktop wallpaper showing through. The "Reduce transparency" check box will remove the transparency in the menu bar so that it does not show the desktop wallpaper. Oct 30, 2024 · The menu bar in macOS Big Sur is an essential element of the operating system, providing access to key functions and features. #macos Jun 25, 2025 · Menu bar background on. Fortunately, macOS Big Sur offers users the ability to customize the size of the menu bar to better suit their needs. But I find the translucent menu bar mega-annoying. Add Status Icons to the Menu Bar in macOS Big Sur The macOS Big Sur menu bar groups most native status icons (such as Wi-Fi and Bluetooth) inside the Control Center. A fair number are not useful to me given that I mostly write and surf. Is there any way to increase the size of menu bar Dec 4, 2024 · Are you tired of the opaque top menu bar on your Mac? Learn how to make it clear and transparent, giving your desktop a more modern and minimalist look. How can i make it transparent? Thank you for the help this is my first macbook and im not super knowledgeable on specific settings. Dec 5, 2020 · Updated to Big Sur, but menu bar, Dock, all Finder, Safari (other windows) are not transparent, just white/grey. Any ideas? Sep 27, 2019 · I recently updated my mac to Mojave and the Finder bar / Menu bar and Dock is now a solid color instead of the having the transparent effect. GrenShot (open source) QuickLook (open source) WinXCorners (open source) WinDynamicDesktop (open source) Sep 15, 2025 · In other big menu bar news, after adding Control Center to the Mac in Big Sur, Apple has completely revamped that system in Tahoe. May 6, 2021 · In macOS 11 Big Sur, Apple went back to a design direction from the earliest days of Mac OS X: a translucent menu bar. Nov 18, 2020 · In this tutorial, we will share eleven tips for customizing your Mac’s top menu bar to personalize its looks and increase your productivity. You can customize it, make the menu bar transparent, and add more apps and tools to the menu bar. 0 Is there any way to make the menu bar transparent like this? This is a bug that sometimes happens to me, but I really like how it looks. Apr 1, 2021 · In macOS 11 Big Sur, Apple went back to a design direction from the earliest days of Mac OS X: a translucent menu bar. Usually, the design language that Big Sur and later introduced is a move in the right direction. 130 votes, 24 comments. If Apple has any sense, they would make it a built-in feature. luf6ut u0 zsqzdf vghsc 3k kct 9vs zwwi6yf 7a 0l1m