Why the menu bar won't hide in full screen

For macOS 13 Ventura and later. Updated October 2026.

In a full-screen app the menu bar normally stays out of sight until you move the pointer to the top of the screen. If it won't go away, it's usually one of these.

The setting shows it in full screen

"Automatically hide and show the menu bar" decides the desktop and full screen separately. On Never or On Desktop Only, the bar stays visible in full-screen apps. Choose In Full Screen Only (how macOS comes) or Always. The setting is in System Settings, under Menu Bar on macOS 26 and later, Control Center on macOS 14 and 15, and Desktop & Dock on macOS 13. Step by step.

The window is big, but not in full screen

A window can cover the whole screen without being in full screen: zoomed with a double-click on its title bar, dragged out to the edges, or tiled to fill the screen. It's still on the desktop then, so the desktop half of the setting applies. For real full screen, click the green button at the top left of the window or press Control-Command-F. Or hide the bar on the desktop too, by choosing Always.

The pointer is at the top of the screen

The bar slides in whenever the pointer touches the top edge, and stays while the pointer is there or a menu is open. Move the pointer down and it slides away.

Another app keeps it showing

Apps that add to, rearrange or restyle the menu bar sometimes keep it from hiding. Quit them one at a time to find the one responsible, then check its settings or look for an update. If nothing helps, log out and back in.

If you'd rather not use full screen

Menu Bar Toggle, a free app, can hide the bar on the desktop just while the apps you choose are in front, so a big window gets the whole screen without going full screen. It also switches the bar with a right-click or a keyboard shortcut, and leaves the full-screen half of the setting as you set it.