Ice stopped working on macOS 27.
Here’s what works now.
If Ice is stuck on “Loading menu bar items” and your icons are back behind the notch, you are not alone. Here is why it broke, whether a fix is coming, and the menu bar managers that work on macOS 27 today.
Why Ice broke
Up to macOS 26, every menu bar icon was its own small window. Ice, Bartender and Hidden Bar hid icons by moving those windows out of sight. macOS 27 draws the entire menu bar as one window, so that trick no longer works.
Ice users have reported it on GitHub (issue #992, open since September 15, 2026). A community member wrote a fix (pull request #995), but it is not merged. Ice’s last full release, 0.11.12, came out in October 2024.
Your options on macOS 27
1. ClearBar ($5 launch price) — our pick
Works on macOS 26 and 27 today, not in beta. Hides third-party icons in one click and puts every app in one panel, with its memory use and a Quit button. Asks for Accessibility only, never Screen Recording. One-time payment, 14-day refund.
2. Thaw (free, beta)
Thaw is a community fork of Ice. Version 3.0.0 beta 1 came out on October 2, 2026, so expect beta bugs.
3. Bartender 7 ($24.99)
Built for macOS 27, but five times ClearBar’s launch price, or $19.99 a month for Bartender Pro. See ClearBar vs Bartender.
4. Apple’s own switches (free, limited)
System Settings → Menu Bar → Allow in the Menu Bar lets you switch any app’s icon off. But the app keeps running and you can no longer click it.
Moving from Ice to ClearBar
- Quit Ice, then remove it from System Settings → General → Login Items, so the two apps don’t both try to hide icons.
- Download ClearBar and drag it to your Applications folder.
- Open ClearBar and allow Accessibility access when asked.
- Click the ClearBar icon. Third-party icons hide, and every app is in the panel.
Ice and Thaw status checked on GitHub on October 3, 2026. Ice, Thaw and Bartender are trademarks of their owners.
Questions
Why doesn't Ice work on macOS 27?
macOS 27 draws the whole menu bar as a single window. Ice moved and hid each app's icon as its own window, so on macOS 27 it gets stuck on “Loading menu bar items” and hides nothing.
Will Ice be fixed for macOS 27?
A community fix exists as a pull request on Ice's GitHub, but as of October 3, 2026 it has not been merged and Ice has had no new release since its 0.11.13 test builds in 2025.
What is the best Ice alternative for macOS 27?
ClearBar. It hides third-party menu bar icons on macOS 26 and 27, puts every app in one panel with its memory use and a Quit button, and never asks for Screen Recording. It costs $5 for the first 100 buyers.
How do I switch from Ice to ClearBar?
Quit Ice and remove it from System Settings → General → Login Items. Then install ClearBar, move it to Applications, open it and allow Accessibility access. Your icons hide in one click.
