One of the key features that separates macOS Sonoma from other computer operating systems is the menu bar. It's a helpful — or pervasive — collection of commands, settings, and apps permanently fixed to the top of your desktop. Instead of each app having its own collection of menus, like on Windows, they're all centrally stored in the macOS menu bar. You can also add apps and quick settings toggles to the menu bar or click the Control Center. Essentially, there is a lot that you can do with the macOS menu bar, but you need to make it your own to get the most utility out of it.

You can start by adding essential system apps, many of which live in the menu bar. But aside from downloading general macOS apps, there are a few settings toggles and apps specific to the menu bar for you to tweak. I've rounded up five ways you can make the macOS menu bar better by customizing it to suit your preferences.

5 Relocate the menu bar to another screen

Change which display is the primary one on macOS

When using multiple displays in macOS, there can only be one screen with an active menu bar. As soon as you start using another screen, the menu bar will become active on that display. However, you can manually relocate the menu bar to a specific display if you'd like. To do this, go to System Settings > Displays > Arrange. Then, drag the light gray bar at the top of the current display to a different one. This will not only change which menu bar is active but also set the new display as primary. That changes where your dock shows by default, where taken screenshots appear, where your desktop icons are, and more.

4 Hide the menu bar, or make it never disappear

On laptops with a notch, I like to keep the menu bar visible at all times

The first thing you should do when setting up your macOS menu bar is decide how visible you want it to be. In the System Settings app, you can find the visibility options under Settings > Control Center > Automatically hide and show the menu bar. You can choose to automatically hide and show the menu bar always, never, in full screen only, or on desktop only. There's no right or wrong answer here, as it all comes down to personal preference.

I like to have the menu bar always present on MacBooks with a notch around the front-facing camera. Having the menu bar surrounding the notch at all times makes it less intrusive and prevents content from being interrupted by the notch. On desktop Macs or laptops without a notch, having the menu bar automatically hidden and shown in full-screen mode is preferable.

3 Add & remove icons from the Control Center

Some are handy in the menu bar, while others should stay away

Apple introduced the Control Center in macOS 11 Big Sur, and it's a part of the menu bar that houses key controls and toggles. However, you'll want quicker access to some controls than others. You should customize the menu bar with specific controls and options. If you find a toggle in the Control Center that you want to see in the menu bar all the time, you can drag it with your cursor to add it to the menu bar. I typically make sure there are Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and Sound toggles in the menu bar of the great Macs I use.

Alternatively, you can navigate to System Settings > Control Center to see a full list of the toggles that can be added to the menu bar. Apple calls these "Control Center modules," and you can choose between three visibility settings. Show in menu bar will make the modules appear all the time, show when active will only show the module when it is being used, and don't show in menu bar will make the module restricted to the Control Center.

2 Show your MacBook's battery percentage

An icon is the default, but you can add the percentage easily

Your Mac's menu bar will show a battery icon out-of-the-box, but being able to see the exact percentage of battery remaining can be useful. This isn't as much of an issue on Apple Silicon Macs because they're so efficient in battery life that you won't need to keep as close of an eye on the percentage. However, on Intel Macs — or when your battery is low — the percentage can help you preserve power and make sure you don't lose work due to a dying laptop. To add the percentage to the menu bar, navigate to System Settings > Control Center > Battery > Show Percentage.

After that, remember that the menu bar's battery module does more than just show how much power is left. You can click on it to see if you're in low or high power mode, and it can also show apps using significant memory.

1 Add the Bartender 5 app to your menu bar

The app gives you more precise control over customization

The first four tips are native to macOS; you can access them right through the System Settings app. However, if you want more customization than Apple offers, you can download Bartender 5. It does cost $16 for a lifetime license, but you get a one-month free trial that lets you try it out yourself. Bartender offers nearly complete control over the macOS menu bar, allowing you to change whether the bar's corners are rounded or how the modules appear. A fan-favorite feature is that you can hide the modules in the menu bar and show them just by clicking or swiping on the menu bar.

There are so many features to uncover in Bartender, but my favorite ones are the menu bar "triggers." Essentially, these are what Bartender calls conditional requirements that can dictate whether a module is hidden or shown. For example, you can set a battery trigger showing your battery percentage in the menu bar only when it is lower than 50%. There are plenty of other triggers; you can tweak them as you see fit. All told, triggers in Bartender are hands-down the best way to control which modules appear and are hidden in the menu bar.

Which menu bar settings should you change?

Of the menu bar settings available, there are a few that you should change based on your preferences. These include which modules appear in the menu bar and when the menu bar is automatically hidden and shown. For more customization options, installing the third-party Bartender 5 app is a great option for power users. But since it's a third-party app and costs $16 for a full license, it isn't for everyone.