Productivity guides, tool comparisons, and behind-the-scenes notes from the team building Lounge.
Bartender 6 asks for Screen Recording to show menu bar item images and use its Layout editor. Here is what that permission does, why Accessibility is separate, and how Bartender 7 changes the choice.
Managing menu bar icons on macOS 27 Golden Gate? Start with Apple's controls, understand why older managers can stumble, and set up a reliable visible and hidden bar.
Stuck with Bartender's Screen Recording toggle on but its Layout editor still blocked on macOS 27? Here's the current status, a permission reset to try, and the Bartender 7 path.
Seeing ‘Bartender is capturing your screen’ on your Mac? Learn why menu bar previews use Screen Recording, what the indicator can and cannot tell you, and how to turn access off.
Bartender 6 struggling on macOS 27? Compare Lounge, Ice, Hidden Bar, and Thaw by permissions, hiding results, notch support, and price—and see when Bartender 7 is worth trying.
The Lounge subscription store is temporarily offline while we resolve some unexpected issues. We'll reopen subscriptions as soon as everything is ready.
Your Mac menu bar filling up with icons? Here are five ways to clear it — from native ⌘-drag tricks to a one-permission menu bar manager — with a quick answer up top.
Ice, Bartender, Thaw, and Barbee all ask to record your screen. I tested them on macOS 27 Golden Gate — here's why that permission is optional, and how Lounge skips it.
We tested the top macOS menu bar managers — Lounge, Bartender, Ice, Hidden Bar, Thaw, and Barbee — on macOS 27. Here's the ranked roundup, a full feature table, and how to pick.
A practical system for organizing your Mac menu bar — group icons by how often you use them, hide the overflow, and set one shortcut to reveal it all. Includes a quick answer and FAQ.
Lounge is a notch-aware menu bar manager for macOS that hides and reveals status items using a length-toggle mechanism. Here's how it works.
Tips, comparisons, and behind-the-scenes notes on building a notch-aware menu bar manager for macOS.
Ice is a powerful, free, open-source menu bar manager. Lounge is a paid, notch-first app with a clipboard history. Here's an honest side-by-side.
Hidden Bar is a free, ultra-light on/off toggle for menu bar icons. Lounge is a fuller, notch-aware manager. Here's an honest comparison of the two.
Bartender is the established, deeply configurable menu bar manager. Lounge is the modern, notch-first, $3.99/year alternative. Here's an honest, feature-by-feature comparison.
A practical, step-by-step guide to organizing and clearing your menu bar on Mac — hide icons you rarely use and keep the ones you need one shortcut away.
From download to your first hidden icon in under five minutes — a walkthrough of installing and configuring Lounge on macOS.