Bartender Pro Brings Widgets, Clipboard, and File Storage to the MacBook Notch

[MacRumors]

Popular Mac menu bar management app Bartender received an upgrade today with the launch of Bartender Pro. Bartender Pro adds a new Top Shelf feature to the Mac's notch, with access to multiple utility tools.

Top Shelf can be used for clipboard access, storing files, controlling audio, and sending content over AirDrop. It supports widgets for calendar, weather, and music apps like Apple Music or Spotify. There's a full Now Playing music controller, and options to get alerts when scheduled events are coming up.

Top Shelf expands the size of the notch, turning it into something like the iPhone's Dynamic Island. Users can drag files over to the notch to store them or send them via AirDrop, and access a clipboard. The clipboard can be set to automatically capture content that's copied, with options to ignore passwords. There are customizable duration options for both the clipboard and file storage.

Widgets in Top Shelf are customizable, and it supports a Live Activity-like tracking feature for AI agents like Codex and Claude Code. Info like volume, display brightness, and battery level is also available.

Top Shelf works alongside Bartender, and all of the standard Bartender features are available with Bartender Pro. When not in use, Top Shelf is tucked away much like Bartender, and it disappears when Bartender is expanded. While it is a tool designed around the notch, it also works on Macs that don't have one.

Bartender Pro is optional, and users who don't need the extra features can stick with Bartender 6.

Bartender Pro is priced at $15 per year. The subscription includes Bartender 6, all future upgrades for the subscription duration, and the Bartender Pro suite.

Bartender 6 is still available for a one-time $20 purchase, and the $80 Mega Supporter option continues to offer lifetime Bartender access with Bartender Pro included. Bartender Pro and Bartender 6 are available from the Bartender website.

Article Link: Bartender Pro Brings Widgets, Clipboard, and File Storage to the MacBook Notch

 

[hieranonymous]

No mention of Bartender’s shady ownership switcheroo? Really?

 

[Corefile]

Does this work with the Neo?

 

[Black_Mage]

An interesting app, but I prefer to hide the notch with this free app. https://topnotch.app/

 

[turbineseaplane]

Personally, I’ve switched you just completely hiding the notch.

I realize most people just look beyond it, but for whatever reason it drives me crazy and I can’t stop seeing it in my peripheral vision, so I really enjoy just getting back to rectangle all the time.

 

[Sital]

I used to love Bartender, but since the ownership switch (and maybe also due to macOS 26), it's been so buggy that I no longer use it.

 

[MSKenyon]

I can not in good conscience rent this app. Neither any other app. But especially not this one.

 

[Jakimo]

I'm surprised this fellow went for a grab without first resolving current issues. Go figure, back to Thaw for me (the 2.0 beta is working nicely https://github.com/stonerl/Thaw )

 

[jonblatho]

I used to love Bartender, but since the ownership switch (and maybe also due to macOS 26), it's been so buggy that I no longer use it.

It didn't take bugs for me to nuke Bartender from my Macs. The permissions required by Bartender to function (accessibility and screen recording) are extremely sensitive due to the implications should an application wind up abusing them. Those permissions should be limited to highly trusted developers, and ideally the product is open-source to keep the developer honest. The way the acquisition was (mis)handled was plenty for me to switch to an alternative PDQ.

No mention of Bartender’s shady ownership switcheroo? Really?

MacRumors descends further into clickbait/sponcon slop with each passing month. If I felt like reading a reheated press release (which I don't), I'd just go to the source. Not that MacRumors was ever a bastion of great reporting, but still disappointing.

 

[Jimmy Bubbles]

Notchnook does all of this for way cheaper, and they’re still iterating on their product.