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Guides on tidying up the macOS menu bar.
xbar alternatives: decide what you can drop
For most people the xbar alternative is SwiftBar, which runs existing plugins unchanged. When Raycast or Hammerspoon fits instead, and how to move plugins.
iStat Menus: how to uninstall it cleanly
To uninstall the website version of iStat Menus, choose Uninstall in its menu. The App Store copy is paused, quit and trashed, then two Helper files go.
Ice on Mac: how to set it up
To use Ice, install it from GitHub or Homebrew, grant Accessibility and Screen Recording, then Command-drag icons left of its divider. Check macOS 27 first.
Ice: how to uninstall it cleanly
How to uninstall Ice from a Mac without leaving anything behind: the setting to reset first, the four support files, the permission entries, and the change that survives deletion.
iStat Menus alternatives: decide what you can drop
The most direct free iStat Menus alternative is Stats, covering CPU, GPU, memory, disk, network and sensors. It does not replace weather, rules or fan control.
iStat Menus not working on Mac: what to check
When iStat Menus is not working, the fix depends on which of three symptoms it is. Sort it first, then check menu bar space, login items, the helper, permissions and location in that order.
iStat Menus menu bar icon: hide it or keep it
A practical breakdown of the iStat Menus menubar footprint: which of the nine items to keep visible, how Combined mode and spacing shrink it, and when macOS silently hides what is left.
Dozer on Mac: how to set it up
Dozer on Apple silicon runs only through Rosetta 2: the last build, 4.2.0 from 2020, is Intel only. How to set it up, and the macOS 28 deadline to plan around.