After a recent update, my menu bar icons on my Macbook Air are in different positions. How to I move icons in the menu bar?
MacBook Air 13″, macOS 13.4
Also... make sure you press and HOLD the command key, BEFORE clicking on the menu icon.
press and hold your keyboard's "option" key while dragging them into your desired order.
OK. well that's how it works.
so since it's not working for you, 'm thinking you should download and run the free version of EtreCheck so we can see if you have some software installed that is causing your issue. make sure you give "full disk access" to etrecheck. Learn how to use it by reading Using EtreCheck. if you need help interpreting the report, you can see how to post the report here by reading How to use the Add Text Feature When Posting Large Amounts of Text, i.e. an Etrecheck Report. and it automatically obscures sensitive things (like serial numbers) so you don't have to worry about sharing the report here.
sorry if you already tried this, but after the update was completed, did you again restart the Mac? and have you restarted at all after this issue began?
It may work IF the icons in question are from Third Party Applications that Appear in the Menu Bar
The Builtin Apple Applications that do appear in the Menu Bar are not movable
Did you note that Jeffrey corrected his response to use <command> key? I just now tried it and it works as expected.
That must be the problem. It is the MESSAGES icon so that would explain it! It moved to another location in the menu bar after my last update, so I guess Apple wants it where it wants it and where I want it does not matter. Thx for your answer!! Appreciate it!
P. Phillips wrote:
The Builtin Apple Applications that do appear in the Menu Bar are not movable
out of the ones on my menubar, only "control centre" will not move. but I can move both "Time Machine" as well as "spotlight".
for comparison here's this:
As you can see from this machine ( M1 Mac Mini ) with Ventura 13.4.1(c)
Have very few icons of any type Builtin and Otherwise
Yes for Bluetooth, Spotlight, Wifi but not Control Centre and Date / Time
So, difficult to make this a " Hard and Fast Rule "
I didn't think of date / time. yes that will not move either. but all of the menubar items aside from the two mentioned that don't move, the rest of mine do. I cannot figure out how to add "messages" to my menubar so I can test wether or not it will move. :)
There is Apple Messages aka iMessages and then there is the Facebook Messenger .
Sometimes users interchange the two and there is where the confusion may be ?
I am not 100% sure which one OP was referring to but since there is not Apple Messages icon available for Menu Bar . . .
sorry, I meant the "command" key.
Nope. Wouldn't move. It selects but will not move.
Yes. I noticed that and I tried that and it doesn't work. It SELECTS the icon but will not move it.
Which icon are you trying to move? Have you tried others?
Move menu bar icons in macbook
