Menu bar disappears after Golden Gate upgrade

A randomly disappearing menu bar is a known issue that has been reported by users of 3rd party Menu Bar utilities (Bartender, BetterTouchTool, etc.).

How to fix it:

Ensure your settings show the Menu Bar at all times

• Open System Settings
• Click on Menu Bar
• Set the option to Automatically hide and show the menu bar to Never

• More info from Apple: Change Menu Bar settings on Mac – Apple Support

Disable or Update Third-Party Menu Bar Apps:

• If you use apps like Bartender or Ice, update them to a Golden Gate-compatible version.
• Try quitting your menu bar utility apps entirely to see if the random disappearing stops.

Restart the MenuBarAgent or Your Mac:

• If the menu bar vanishes mid-session, you can restart the background process via Activity Monitor by searching for MenuBarAgent and forcing it to quit (it will automatically relaunch).
• A standard system reboot or booting into Safe Mode can also clear out corrupted interface caches

If the above do not work, then see if the problem is present when you boot in safe mode. That process performs some system cleanup and clears caches, and also disables 3rd party extensions that may cause problems.

Start up your Mac in safe mode - Apple Support

If that does not correct the issue, test in a new user account. A newly-created user account will have all settings at default, and if the issue does not occur in that new account then it provides guidance on what may need to be changed to correct the issue.

Add a user or group on Mac - Apple Support

Once the testing is complete, the new account can easily be deleted.

The disappearing menu bar may be a macOS 27 Golden Gate bug, especially if it happens intermittently in Finder and other apps. However, Apple has not confirmed a bug that causes the entire menu bar to disappear.

First, check exactly what disappears:

• The entire menu bar: If the Apple menu and app menus disappear along with the icons on the right, move your pointer to the top of the screen. If the menu bar reappears, go to System Settings > Menu Bar > Automatically hide and show the menu bar and select Never, if available. If the problem continues, it may be a software issue.

• Only the icons on the right: This may be related to individual menu bar items, third-party utilities, or limited space. Apple's macOS 27 enterprise update notes describe a feature that hides some items when space is limited and provides an overflow indicator. This is different from the entire menu bar disappearing.

If the problem persists, restart your Mac and temporarily disable any third-party menu bar utilities to see whether that helps. Also, install the latest stable macOS update available for your Mac. Apple's macOS 27 update notes list general fixes but do not confirm a specific fix for this issue.

If the problem continues, report it through Apple Product Feedback. Include your Mac model, macOS version, and which parts of the menu bar disappear.

I would not reinstall macOS or reset your Mac at this stage.

Christopher Moss wrote:

I have sent feedback at Apple's site. I am beginning to worry that this is a deliberate "feature" of GG and this how things are supposed to work from now on. If so, I hate it!

It's not a 'feature' of Golden Gate. I have Automatically hide and show the menu bar set to Never, and my Menu Bar is always present, on the internal display, on an external display in extended or clamshell mode, when I mirror or extend my screen to my iPad via Sidecar, on full screen apps, etc. The Menu Bar obeys the setting to not hide itself, etc. For example, when I make this window full screen:

Christopher Moss wrote: It still happens if I quit Bartender 7 (which is GG compatible)...

Quitting likely is not enough. You are experiencing issues with your Menu Bar, and you have a 3rd party utility installed (along with the extensions that support it) that is intended to modify your Menu Bar behavior at a deep level. Those two things are probably not unrelated.

If the issue persists in safe mode and a new user account, that suggests that it's a bug that Apple needs to address. Bugs should be reported to Apple here:

Feedback - macOS - Apple

I have not seen this issue on my M4 Pro MBP running 27.0.1 (or on 27.0), so I do suspect there's something specific about your configuration causing the issue. It might help to download and run EtreCheck, written by a long-time forum member. The free version is fine. Post the full report using the Additional Text button. No personal information is revealed. 

Biffobear wrote:

Thanks for your reply. I think this must be a bug in Golden Gate. I don't have any third party menu apps, my hide menu settings are never and I already did the two remedies you proposed. It also only started happening after I upgraded. I'm hoping for an update soon as it's very annoying. I have found simple temporary fixes, like opening an app if I'm in Finder, or double-clicking to minimise the window and then opening it again if I'm using an app.

I can understand your frustration, especially since the problem started immediately after upgrading to Golden Gate and you’ve already ruled out third-party menu bar apps and checked that automatic hiding is disabled.

Based on your description, this does sound like a possible bug or compatibility issue introduced by the upgrade, particularly because the menu bar disappears intermittently in both Finder and other applications. However, without further diagnostics or confirmation from the developer, it’s difficult to say definitively whether this is a Golden Gate bug.

The fact that opening another app or minimizing and reopening a window temporarily restores the menu bar suggests that the issue may involve the way the system refreshes or displays the menu bar, rather than the hide-menu setting itself.

Since you have already tried the usual remedies, I would not recommend repeatedly performing the same troubleshooting steps. As a temporary workaround, you can continue using the methods you have discovered, although I appreciate that this is far from ideal.

It would be worth reporting the issue to Apple through Apple Support, including your macOS version and build, Mac model, and the steps that make the menu bar disappear and reappear. If other users are experiencing the same behaviour, that would also help establish whether this is a widespread issue.

Using the  Product Feedback - and make it known to Apple regarding this ongoing issue

Hopefully, Apple can identify the cause and address it in a future update. 

Given that the problem began after the upgrade and persists despite your settings and troubleshooting, a system-level issue is certainly plausible, even though a fix or release timeline cannot be guaranteed.

Christopher Moss wrote:

I have gone as far as quitting Bartender, restarting in Safe Mode, and it still happens.

If it occurs in safe mode, that makes a bug more likely. Since I can't replicate it, it would have to be triggered by some other settings.

Bugs can be reported to Apple here:

Feedback - macOS - Apple

And one new discovery, touching any of the function keys makes the menu bar show again. This is quicker than moving the cursor to the absent menu bar, clicking to get the Finder menus, then moving the cursor and clicking on the app I'm using to show it's menus.

Exactly this happened to me too, having updated to GG 27.01 only about a week ago. MacBook Air M1, 256gb with 30gb free space, 8gb memory. Working absolutely fine and quickly before GG update.

After 27.01 update, very laggy; painfully slow to reveal menu bar (as in "disappear to another room to make tea and see if it's done it by the time you're back" slow!); painfully slow to reveal traffic lights (minimise/close etc) both for apps and within apps; slow to change volume; very slow to swipe between full screen apps; quirks like swiping to another open app, only to find the screen 'bounces' back to another app you don't want to use of its own volition; I could go on and on, but you get the gist.

I honestly felt like my whole working life was grinding to a halt after this 'upgrade'.

I then updated to 27.02 this morning and I will say that it has improved some of these things - but it is still slow and laggy, compared to how it was before GG.

I wish Apple would look at it/test updates from the perspective of users who have machines like mine (there must be so many) and ensure the 'upgrade' works as well for us, as for those who bought the latest/most powerful new Mac a few weeks ago. Or maybe those people are suffering the same bugs?!?

Anyway, get your comments to Feedback if you want anyone at Apple to notice and hopefully do something about it.

I also cannot keep my menu bar visible. It still happens if I quit Bartender 7 (which is GG compatible), and it makes no difference which app I am using: it still happens with Apple's own apps like Mail and Safari. I have System Settings > Menu Bar set to Never and Show Menu Bar background is on. I have experimented with various settings but the issue remains unchanged. If I click where the menu bar should be it appears, showing the Finder's menus, and then clicking in the app I have open will change to the correct menus for that app. If I have only the Finder open, I cannot make the menu bar appear except by opening another app. This is on an M2 MBA running 27.2, and the problem has happened with all three versions of GG that I have had so far.

I have sent feedback at Apple's site. I am beginning to worry that this is a deliberate "feature" of GG and this how things are supposed to work from now on. If so, I hate it!

I have gone as far as quitting Bartender, restarting in Safe Mode, and it still happens.