Questions
Which macOS versions does Pelmet support?
Only macOS 27. Pelmet is built on the menu bar architecture macOS 27 introduced, so it can't run on macOS 26 or earlier.
An icon I didn't hide disappeared.
While hiding is on, macOS removes a few of its own extras, like AirDrop, Focus, a running timer and fast user switching. They come back when hiding is off. Add Pelmet's own versions in Settings › Menu Bar to keep them in place.
Why do some icons hide or move together?
macOS hides items per app, not per icon. An app with several icons shares one setting, and the editor shows a moves together badge.
How does clicking the clock open Notification Center?
While any icon is hidden, macOS refuses the clock's click. So Pelmet shows everything for the blink it takes the click to land, then hides again. A two-finger swipe from the right edge of the trackpad always works too.
Why does Pelmet ask for Accessibility?
It's how Pelmet sees the menu bar's items and their positions, and how a click on a hidden item works without revealing everything. It's required.
Pelmet isn't in the Accessibility list.
It should appear on its own, toggled off, when Pelmet opens the pane. If it doesn't, check Pelmet runs from Applications, not from the disk image or Downloads, then relaunch and press Grant access again. The + button works too.
Why does Pelmet ask for Screen Recording?
Only for the Instant, Smooth and Fade animations, which play over macOS's own using two stills of the menu bar. Nothing is recorded or kept, and it's optional.
How do I change icon spacing?
Use the slider in Settings › Behavior › Icon spacing, then press Apply. It's macOS's own gap, so it stays after Pelmet is removed. Press Reset then Apply first if you want the default back.
Some system icons can't be moved.
Control Center and the clock hide like any system icon but never move. Siri and Time Machine hide together, and macOS pins their spot. Turn on Pelmet's own Siri and Time Machine items in Settings › Menu Bar to manage each one.
One app's icon won't hide.
Some apps draw their icon from a helper that isn't a registered app, so macOS has nothing to hide. Turn the icon off in the app's own settings, then add the app under Settings › Menu Bar › App launchers.
Why doesn't the bar change when I move an icon?
The editor is a drawing. Nothing moves in the bar until you press Apply, which lays the whole bar out in one pass. Discard puts the drawing back to what the bar shows.
My bar is full and an icon sits behind the «.
Apply opens the « for an icon drawn behind it, moves it, and closes it again. It only clicks the « while you press Apply, never on its own.
Can I have different layouts on each display?
No. macOS mirrors the same items on every display, so layouts are global. Behavior is per display: set each one to always show or collapse.
Is there a keyboard shortcut?
Two work from any app. ⌥⌘, shows the hidden icons and puts them back on the next press, and ⇧⌥⌘, opens Pelmet Settings. Change either in Settings › General.
How do I open Settings if the Pelmet icon is off?
Press ⇧⌥⌘, or right-click a Pelmet separator or empty menu bar space. Launching Pelmet again from Finder or Spotlight works too.
How do updates work?
Pelmet checks a signed appcast and offers updates in the app. You can check by hand in Settings › About.
How do I get fixes sooner?
Turn on Get beta releases in Settings › About. Betas are smaller updates, more often, and a stable release rolls them up every week or two.
Does Pelmet use private APIs?
One, on purpose: the hide and show mechanism itself, which lives in a private macOS framework. Pelmet resolves it at runtime and fails soft, so if an update changes it, icons just stay visible. Everything else uses public APIs.
Is Pelmet sandboxed?
No. Managing the menu bar needs APIs the App Store sandbox forbids, so Pelmet isn't on the App Store. It's notarized by Apple, uses the hardened runtime and signs its updates.
Hovering the left side of the menu bar does nothing.
That's on purpose. The hover and click reveals listen from the middle of the screen to Pelmet's icon, where hidden icons land. Your app menus on the left, your visible icons and the clock leave the bar alone.
My app's icon disappears when I run it from Xcode.
macOS matches apps for hiding by their LaunchServices registration, and apps run from Xcode's DerivedData never match. Run your build from /Applications, or quit Pelmet while you iterate.
Right-clicking the menu bar opens Pelmet's menu.
Turn off Settings › General › Right-click menu. Right-clicking a Pelmet separator still opens it, and the shortcut still works.
After updating, Apply shows a change I didn't make.
Older versions stored an order for each section. If it differs from what's on screen, it shows once as a pending edit. Apply reproduces it and Discard keeps the bar as it stands.
