Menu Bar third party icons location in mac

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Level 1

11 points

Menu Bar third party icons location in mac

I want to remove a, impossible to remove, third party icon on the menu bar. I want to go where the icon is located on my computer in order to "modify" or just remove it to make it disappear from the menu bar BUT I don't want to uninstall the third party application... just the icon.

No, the application doesn't have an option to remove the icon in their preferences.

No, its not in the Mac System Icons. That path is:

/System/Library/CoreServices/CoreTypes.bundle/Contents/Resources/

No, the Mac User Guide was not useful. https://support.apple.com/en-ca/guide/mac-help/mchlp1446/11.0/mac/11.0

No, grabbing the icon out while holding "command" key did not work.

No, it's not in the "Resources" folder inside the app when inspected by selecting "Show Package Contents", (well there is the app icon for the dock just not the one for the menu bar).

Obliviously there must be a location for this icons somewhere in the ~/Library/ and there are several third party options out there like: Bartender, Vanilla and even one in the App Store called Barbee. So obliviously they know where the icons are located and how to delete them (or modify them).

I'm on macOS Catalina 10.15.7, but I imagine it should be the same location for most newer versions, and No, I already checked on a Big Sur mac in System Preferences--> Dock & Menu Bar, and there wasn't any option to remove third party icons (or at least no the one I was looking for).

Please I need to know where the menu bar icons are located, I guess somewhere in /Library/.

MacBook Pro 15″, macOS 10.15

Posted on Sep 13, 2021 4:58 PM

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Answer 1

VikingOSX

Level 10

123,182 points

Sep 14, 2021 6:09 AM in response to EW1527

Third-party applications that are specifically coded to use the menu extras panel usually have the icon stored within the application bundle, or as a base64 string compiled into the application which is converted to an icon when the app is run, and then placed on the menu bar.

I have seen well-written menu extras where the icon existed on the menu bar while the application was running and removed by the application when it was quit. Look in your local Library/LaunchAgents, and check if the application has a .plist stored there that you can remove.

Another approach is to press the command key, click on that particular icon, and then drag out onto your Desktop and release it.

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Answer 2

Sep 15, 2021 1:01 AM in response to EW1527

This is something that depends on how the application is coded.

When an application launches, by default, you will see its icon in the Dock, and also in the application switcher.

Some 'utility' applications launch and put their icon in the menu bar. The developer has to do something in the app for this to happen.

Some provide a preference setting. Here is an example:

For this particular application, if I check "Show in Dock" it will disappear from the menu bar.

Maybe yours has a similar non-to-obvious preference setting.

Otherwise, it means that the developer programmed it to allows show in the menu bar while running; in that case, all you can do is write to them an ask for a feature enhancement.

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Answer 3

Sep 16, 2021 1:45 AM in response to EW1527

It looks like the application is coded that way. If the application does not show an icon in the Dock and instead puts itself in the menu bar, and does not provide an option to change that (as opposed to the example as showed), then there is nothing you can do (except not use it, and choose one that suits your needs better). Otherwise, how would you even interact with it?

Trying to hack into the application to force it to not show in the menu bar is a formula for disaster.

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Answer 4

VikingOSX

Level 10

123,182 points

Sep 16, 2021 7:54 AM in response to EW1527

Then you likely have an application generating its menu bar icon, not from an .icns file, but directly from a hex code (base64) string in the application source.

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Answer 5

EW1527 Author

Level 1

11 points

Sep 13, 2021 5:35 PM in response to D.I. Johnson

I suppose all Apple third party application developers must have a "mandatory" location to store the menu bar icons. I mean almost all applications have a menu bar icon. And thanks for the quick response.

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Answer 6

Sep 13, 2021 6:10 PM in response to EW1527

I'm unable to locate any helpful info that pertains to your dilemma. I've explored several threads asking the location of the same icons without finding anything definite beside the "Resources" folder inside the application package, which you say you've already explored. I believe most third party apps locate their icons there.

It also seems that most "properly coded" apps will allow the user to disable the menu bar app one way or another.

If WeChat does not, I suggest it is poorly coded and this is an app feature that the developers should consider.

Maybe you can visit the developer site and suggest it.

Otherwise, it seems the only way to remove the menu bar icon is to remove the app.

I'm sorry I couldn't give better assistance. Perhaps another user will drop in with a positive assist.

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Answer 7

EW1527 Author

Level 1

11 points

Sep 13, 2021 7:39 PM in response to D.I. Johnson

Thank you for taking the time to help me. I've been all over the internet looking for it and the last resource was to ask here at apple :p. I already sent a message to the developer (over a year ago actually) and never got a reply or an update with the option to have the icon on the menu bar (like other apps). Guess I'll try again. Thanks again. I'll be checking if some else maybe knows how to remove this icons.

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Answer 8

EW1527 Author

Level 1

11 points

Sep 14, 2021 9:37 PM in response to Luis Sequeira1

Hello. Yes the icon is remove when I quit the application, the problem is that I don't want quit the application or uninstall it since I need to used it, (it's a messaging app so I just leave it there to send and receive messages and documents). Problem is I don't want to have the icon on the menu bar while running the application.

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Answer 9

EW1527 Author

Level 1

11 points

Sep 14, 2021 9:59 PM in response to VikingOSX

Hi. I like computers and I like to think I'm somewhat computer-savvy but reading code in apps (.plist) it's beyond my capabilities (for now). Problem is I don't even know what exactly I'm looking for in the folders inside the application... I thought it would be like a .icns or something like that, but there's no thing that looks like the icon on the menu bar in there :/. And there's other files in there like .nib and .string that my mac doesn't even know which app to open them with.

And yes I already looked on Launch Agents, Application Support and other places but nothing looks like icons in there, and well I don't well comfortable enough to modify code since I don't know what I'm doing. The problem is that I want to remove the icon *while* the app is running, once I quit the app it disappears.

That's why I'm asking if someone knows where are the menu bar icons located on any third party apps since I guess it should be similar for every apps... at least would be a place to start looking. And like I said, there are some third party apps like Bartender, Vanilla and Barbee that are able to "modify" the menu bar icons... so there's definitely a way to do it... but don't feel like paying for an app to do something so basic.

And yes already tried the command key trick but I can only move it in the menu bar since dragging it out does nothing.

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Answer 10

EW1527 Author

Level 1

11 points

Sep 15, 2021 4:25 PM in response to Luis Sequeira1

Like I said, unfortunately, it doesn't have the "show menu bar icon" option in it's preferences. That's why it's a problem 😅.

I want to "brute force" remove (or modify) the icon file that the app is program to put in the menu bar so it doesn't find it and that way it will not be able to put anything in the menu bar while I'm using the app.

And like I said, I already contacted the developer but never got a response and found lots of people complaining about this same problem all over the internet so I wondered if maybe some here at the apple page would know where are this menu bar icons files for third party apps stored in the computer?

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Answer 11

EW1527 Author

Level 1

11 points

Sep 16, 2021 5:17 PM in response to Luis Sequeira1

😅 Not really sure how you came to the conclusion that there was no icon in the Dock... it has both, in the dock and the menu bar... I just want to remove the one on the menu bar. I don't need 2 icons for the same app just 1 in the dock is enough.

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