Monterey menu bar icon spacing

[poocat]

I've been experiencing a weird bug and wanted to share in the hope others understand/can help. Mac OS 12.0.1, 2021 MBP 14"

The menu bar icon spacing changes, and I don't know why or when.

Usually icons are correctly spaced and only take up a portion of the screen:

Sometimes, the space between icons expands:

Anyone have a solution or an explanation?

Thanks!

 

[AZhappyjack]

I spent $15 on the Bartender app over 10 years ago, and been running it ever since. In addition to managing the menu bar inhabitants, it also has settings for Monterey to alter the spacing between menu bar icons.

Bartender 5 - Take control of your Menu bar

www.macbartender.com

You can get a free trial to see of it works for your needs.

 

[fraternihil]

Does anyone know of a free or cheaper alternative? I have also been looking for a solution for a few days. I don't want to hide the menu bar items, I want to see as many of them at the same time. I tried Bartender (and it works and is probably a good app if you need all the functions), but 15$ seems a bit steep if you solely want a tweak that reduces icon spacing.

 

[poocat]

Thanks for the suggestion. I wanted to update and say that I've found the source of the bug:

1. Start any app with a menu bar item: icon spacing will expand
2. Quit that app: spacing will return to normal

This seems like a MacOS bug rather than an intentional situation, and I'll hope it gets improved.

 

[poocat]

Note that Dropbox, 1Password, and Fantastical, which I have running from startup, do not seem to trigger this on start.

WeChat, Tweetbot, Maestral, Zoom, and anything I start post-startup seem to trigger.

 

[wilberforce]

I have noticed this too on my 14" MBP; especially annoying with some Adobe apps where the menu items extend to the right of the notch - in which case it just starts dropping menu bar icons.
At the moment I have just reduced the number of menu bar icons to the minimum. A lot are duplicated in the control center.

 

[gm.cinalli]

Does anyone know of a free or cheaper alternative? I have also been looking for a solution for a few days. I don't want to hide the menu bar items, I want to see as many of them at the same time. I tried Bartender (and it works and is probably a good app if you need all the functions), but 15$ seems a bit steep if you solely want a tweak that reduces icon spacing.

You can try this app, free and open-source.

GitHub - dwarvesf/hidden: An ultra-light MacOS utility that helps hide menu bar icons

An ultra-light MacOS utility that helps hide menu bar icons - dwarvesf/hidden

github.com

 

[Sysmet]

This bug still exists on 12.2.1

 

[AZhappyjack]

This bug still exists on 12.2.1

And Mac Bartender still fixes it.

 

[Sysmet]

I don't need this Bartender app and finding it irrational to buy a third party application to fix a bug.

 

[chabig]

This bug still exists on 12.2.1

And macOS 12.3 is the current version.

 

[AZhappyjack]

I don't need this Bartender app and finding it irrational to buy a third party application to fix a bug.

First of all, not convinced that it's a bug - more of a design change... regardless of that, the Bartender app is much more useful that just modifying the icon spacing... but whatever gets you through the day.

 

[mattcwilson]

Does anyone know of a free or cheaper alternative? I have also been looking for a solution for a few days. I don't want to hide the menu bar items, I want to see as many of them at the same time. I tried Bartender (and it works and is probably a good app if you need all the functions), but 15$ seems a bit steep if you solely want a tweak that reduces icon spacing.

If you're familiar with Homebrew, you can install Dozer as a free, open-source alternative.

GitHub - Mortennn/Dozer: Hide menu bar icons on macOS

Hide menu bar icons on macOS. Contribute to Mortennn/Dozer development by creating an account on GitHub.

github.com

 

[tomekc]

Thanks, but Dozer does not seem to do what OP is asking: it only allows hiding/reordering the icons.

 

[poocat]

Hi all, two updates: one, this was definitely a bug as launching an application changed menu bar spacing, which it never has before.
Two, this is fixed! Latest update has stopped this from happening. All icons retain spacing when opening new apps that add menu bar icons.

Cheers for the help!

 

[rpmurray]

Does anyone know of a free or cheaper alternative?

I was hoping someone would provide a cheaper than free alternative. Now my hopes for free money have been dashed.