The MacBook notch: work around it, then make it useful

Updated September 22, 2026 · 3 min read

On 14- and 16-inch MacBook Pro models since 2021, and MacBook Air models since the M2 chip, the camera sits in a notch at the top of the screen. It can hide menu bar icons without telling you. Here's how to take back control, then how to turn the notch into something useful instead of a black hole.

The short version

An icon disappeared? It's probably behind the notch: the menu bar ran out of room to show it.
Free up space: ⌘-drag icons to reorder or remove them, and hide items in System Settings (the Menu Bar section on macOS 26).
For an app that displays badly under the notch: Get Info › Scale to fit below built-in camera.
Tack+ placed at the top of the screen merges with the notch: the date on one side, the time on the other, and an equalizer while music plays.

Which MacBooks have a notch?

14- and 16-inch MacBook Pro models with Apple silicon (from the 2021 generation on), and 13- and 15-inch MacBook Air models from the M2 chip on. The notch holds the camera (Apple calls it the camera housing) and it takes the middle of the menu bar, where macOS can't draw anything.

External displays and iMacs don't have one: everything below is about the laptop's built-in screen.

Menu bar icons hidden behind the notch

The menu bar fills from right to left. When an app has lots of menus and you have lots of icons, the ones that no longer fit slide behind the notch: they're still running, you just can't see them, and macOS says nothing.

Reorder and remove: hold ⌘ and drag a menu bar icon to move it, or drag it out of the bar to remove a system icon.
Hide what you don't use: on macOS 26, the Menu Bar section of System Settings shows or hides each item; on macOS 14 and 15, the Control Center section handles the system items.
Check each app's settings: most menu bar utilities offer to hide their icon.

An app displays badly under the notch?

Some apps put controls or menus where the camera housing is. macOS has an option for them: in Finder, select the app, press ⌘ I (Get Info) and check Scale to fit below built-in camera. The app's menu bar and windows then appear below the camera, always visible.

Turn the notch into a landmark, with Tack+

Tack+ tucks your Mac into a thin line at the edge of the screen: music, messages, calendar, clipboard history, a file Stash. The line sits at the bottom by default; move it to the top, and on a notched MacBook it wraps around the notch.

Panel open: the date shows on one side of the notch, the time on the other.
Panel closed: an equalizer moves while music plays, and a line counts down the focus timer when it runs.
To open it: push the cursor against the top of the screen, or press ⌥ Space.

Switch edges from the panel's position pill, or from Tack+'s menu in the menu bar. On a screen without a notch, the line stays a simple thread, top or bottom.

Other apps fill the notch the way the iPhone's Dynamic Island does: our comparison of notch apps goes through them.

Frequently asked questions

Why do icons disappear from my MacBook's menu bar?

Because they no longer fit and slide behind the notch. Remove or reorder icons (⌘-drag), or hide items in System Settings: the Menu Bar section on macOS 26, Control Center on macOS 14 and 15.

Can you hide the MacBook notch?

Not physically: it's the camera housing. For a given app, the "Scale to fit below built-in camera" option in its Get Info window displays it entirely below the notch.

Does Tack+ work on a Mac without a notch?

Yes. On a screen without a notch, Tack+ is a thin line at the top or bottom of the screen; merging with the notch only happens on the built-in screen of a MacBook that has one.

What does Tack+ show in the notch?

With the panel open, the date on one side and the time on the other. With it closed, an equalizer during music playback and the focus timer countdown.