Cornice

Cornice is a free, open-source macOS menu bar manager that hides and reveals items using a divider you place yourself. Click the divider to show the items on its left; an optional second divider keeps a separate zone hidden. It does not move other apps’ menu bar icons automatically. You can change divider thickness and height, select from five chevron styles, and configure keyboard shortcuts and auto-hide behavior. Optional two-finger trackpad gestures on a window title bar can resize or reposition windows or send them to the Dock. Hiding and revealing items needs no permissions, while the optional gestures require Accessibility access. The interface supports sixteen languages, switchable without restarting. Cornice makes an anonymous request to GitHub when checking for releases or when launch checks are enabled, and says it makes no other network requests. Its development-signed builds are not notarised, so the first launch requires opening the app through macOS’s warning. After updates, gesture users must grant Accessibility access again. It is distributed under GPL-3.0 and requires macOS 26 (Tahoe) or later on Apple Silicon.

Cornice provides manual menu bar hiding with customizable dividers and optional window gestures. Its manual setup and first-launch and update caveats are worth considering.

Cornice suits Mac users who want to hide selected menu bar items while retaining manual control over their placement. It also offers optional window gestures and keyboard shortcuts.

Cornice is a free, open-source macOS utility for controlling which menu-bar icons stay visible. It suits users who prefer arranging the bar themselves and want the core hiding function without granting system permissions. Its focused, manual design is effective for selective concealment, but less suitable if you expect automatic icon organization.

Overview

Cornice uses a divider placed directly in the menu bar. Items to the divider’s left can be hidden and brought back with a click, so you decide the boundary rather than handing organization to an automatic layout system. An optional second divider creates a permanently hidden zone that remains concealed even when the rest of the hidden items are revealed. That is useful for keeping rarely needed or sensitive icons out of sight, provided you are willing to maintain the arrangement yourself.

The trade-off is clear: Cornice does not move other applications’ icons and cannot position the divider for you. Initial setup therefore takes manual placement, and changes to your collection of menu-bar apps may require further adjustment. Hiding and revealing themselves need no permissions. Cornice requests Accessibility access only for its optional window gestures. It reports one anonymous GitHub request when you check for releases or enable launch checks, with no other network requests.

Key features

• Configurable dividers: Divider thickness and height can be adjusted, and five chevron styles provide visual choices.
• Keyboard and automatic controls: Keyboard shortcuts offer a faster alternative to clicking, while optional auto-hide behavior can reduce repeated interaction. Users who want completely manual visibility can leave those options off.
• Window gestures: With the feature enabled, a two-finger trackpad gesture on a window title bar can resize or reposition the window or send it to the Dock. This broadens Cornice beyond menu-bar management, but it also introduces the only permission requirement.
• Language switching: The interface supports sixteen languages, and changing language does not require a restart.
• Open-source licensing: Cornice is distributed under GPL-3.0, making it a fit for readers who prefer software with that license and a public codebase.

Installation has a macOS-specific wrinkle. Builds are development-signed rather than notarised, so the first launch requires manually opening the app through macOS’s warning. After an update, gesture users must grant Accessibility permission again because the builds are ad-hoc signed. Those steps do not affect users who only hide and reveal menu items, but they are recurring friction for anyone relying on gestures.

Pricing

There is one free plan, with no trial period because the software is already free. It covers the central hiding workflow and shortcuts, but not automatic rearrangement, grouping, or custom menu items. Readers on the stated macOS and Apple Silicon requirements get the complete offered feature set without a subscription or renewal decision; users wanting broader menu-bar automation will need another tool.

Platforms

Cornice runs on macOS 26 (Tahoe) or later and Apple Silicon. No Windows, Linux, or other platform version is offered.

Who it's for

Choose Cornice if you have a crowded Mac menu bar, want to decide exactly where hiding begins, and value a no-cost open-source utility. It is particularly appropriate when avoiding Accessibility permissions matters, since the core feature works without them. It is a weaker fit for anyone who wants icons automatically moved, grouped, or classified, or who needs support outside the stated macOS and hardware requirements. Window-gesture users should also be comfortable repeating the permission step after updates.

Pros and cons

Pros

• Free and open source: The sole plan costs nothing and uses the GPL-3.0 license.
• Permission-light core: Hiding and revealing menu items require no Accessibility access.
• Precise visibility zones: A second divider can keep a selected area hidden permanently.
• Useful presentation options: Five chevron styles plus adjustable dimensions let the control blend into different menu bars.
• Broad language coverage: Sixteen switchable interface languages require no restart.

Cons

• Manual placement: Cornice does not move other apps’ icons, so users must position the divider themselves.
• Limited organization: It cannot rearrange, group, or add custom menu items.
• Notarisation friction: First launch requires bypassing macOS’s warning, and gesture users repeat Accessibility approval after updates.
• Hardware and OS boundary: Support is limited to Apple Silicon Macs running macOS 26 or later.

Alternatives

For a wider comparison, see Menu Bar Customization Software.

• Lloyd is another free macOS menu-bar utility and a sensible alternative if you want a different MIT-licensed project.
• Pick SwiftBar instead when running plugins from a local folder on macOS 12 or later is more important than Cornice’s divider-based hiding.
• Vanilla offers a free macOS tier for hiding menu-bar icons within a freemium product.
• Dozer is a free option for Macs running macOS 10.13 or newer.
• GreatBar is free while new and supports macOS 14.0 or later.
• Hidden Bar is a free, open-source choice supporting macOS 13 Ventura and later, with older macOS support noted.
• iBar-Menubar has a free download with optional in-app purchases.
• Ice 2 is another free, open-source macOS app.

Verdict

Cornice is a strong choice for Apple Silicon Mac users on macOS 26 or later who want free, open-source, precisely manual menu-bar hiding with no permission prompt for the core task. Choose something else if automatic icon rearrangement, grouping, broader system support, or a notarised first-run experience matters more than controlling the divider yourself.