Does anyone like this feature? The menu bar has been a core OS X feature for years, but I do enjoy hiding it as it gives me slightly more room on my 13" rMBP. Does anyone else like to hide the bar or do people tend to leave it showing all the time?
Got a tip for us?
Let us know
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.
Hiding the Menu Bar in El Capitan
- Thread starter kyemaloy
- Start date
- Sort by reaction score
iamMacPerson
macrumors 68040
I knew about it, but I didn't want to try it until now. I'll see how I like it. I'm still stuck in the old way of keeping my dock on the screen, but I have hidden it now too.
Traverse
macrumors 604
I still don't really know why anyone would hide the menu bar. If you want true full-screen viewing, there is a mode for that. I thought the point of NOT using full-screen mode was so that you could have access to the menu bar which is a pivotal part of the OS X app UI. You don't get that much space from hiding it.
iamMacPerson
macrumors 68040
Well, it makes sense I think because it allows me to have multiple windows open without the menu bar getting in the way and is different then split screen multitasking. Works great if I want a big app like Safari, but something small like Messages.
redheeler
macrumors G3
I just swipe back and forth between a fullscreen Safari and smaller windows on the desktop with menu bar and dock. Works great on my rMBP.
The problem is that Full Screen Mode changes a lot of the UI behaviors that it makes it worse than just hiding the menu bar. Full screen puts it on a separate desktop, not just hiding the menu bar and dock.
For an example, menu bar apps with their own UI that hovers on top of windows, they break easily on full screen mode. Saw this happened in the past with 1Password, Paste, and etc.
For smaller screens like Macbook Air, hiding the menu bar does help.
iamMacPerson
macrumors 68040
hojx
macrumors 6502
I'm quite a purist and I refuse to hide the menu bar and dock on my desktop. I keep the menu bar icons, dock, and Launchpad (which I never use) as vanilla as possible.
Also, unless in full-screen mode, I like having my window 'framed' by the top menu bar and the bottom dock. The Safari window I am on right now as I type also does not touch the edges of the screen; instead I leave proportionate margins around the window.
One of the many weird OCD stuffs I have when it comes to technology.
Also, unless in full-screen mode, I like having my window 'framed' by the top menu bar and the bottom dock. The Safari window I am on right now as I type also does not touch the edges of the screen; instead I leave proportionate margins around the window.
One of the many weird OCD stuffs I have when it comes to technology.
CaffeinatedNoms
macrumors member
Try since the Lisa Operating System in 1983. The Menubar has always been there. ALWAYS. Although as a side-note you could, if you were an Apple developer, dual-boot the Lisa into the Development OS which didn't have a Menubar... nor did it have any GUI though so that's technically cheating anyway.
I don't think I'll hide the Menubar, much like I don't hide the Dock; the obvious exceptions being when I run apps fullscreen, but then the Menubar and Dock hide themselves anyway so it's a moot point 😀
Feels really odd when it’s not there. I think what gets to me the most is the lack of a visual balance when you have the Dock as well. I’ll let it settle for a few days. Ultimately, I like the idea of it. You don’t always need the menu bar depending on what you are doing and most of my status icons are for quick toggles. It’s just one area less that can distract you without providing useful information. I don’t need to check the clock all the time, for instance, but when it’s shown to me, I am inclined to glance at it even more.
I've been using menuanddockless to achieve this for years and finally the feature is native. So much better for distraction free working and cleaner desktop/wallpaper aesthetics.