Pelmet
Pelmet is a macOS menu bar manager that hides selected status icons until you reveal them, helping keep a crowded menu bar easier to use.
What is Pelmet?
Pelmet is a native macOS utility for organizing and hiding menu bar icons so your menu bar stays cleaner and less distracting. It is designed for people who keep many status items open and want quicker control over what stays visible, what is tucked away, and what only appears on demand. The app lets you place items into visible, hidden, and always-hidden sections, then reveal them with hover, click, or keyboard-driven actions. It also includes a layout editor, per-display behavior, optional app launcher icons, and built-in replacements for some system extras while hiding is active. Pelmet is developed by Gabriel Faucon and distributed as a free, open-source Mac app rather than an App Store app. It is intended for newer macOS workflows that rely heavily on the menu bar.
Key features
- Hide selected menu bar icons until you reveal them
- Organize icons into visible, hidden, and always-hidden sections
- Reorder menu bar items with a layout editor and drag-and-drop controls
- Reveal hidden items by hover, click, double-click, or shortcut-based actions
- Set different behavior for different displays
- Use optional app launcher icons directly from the menu bar
- Choose from multiple menu bar icon styles or hide the controller icon
- Use built-in replacements for some system menu bar items while hiding is active
Review app leftovers with diCleaner
Inspect caches, support files, containers, and login items before cleaning.
Safety overview
Status: Mostly safe
Pelmet is a legitimate menu bar utility, but it needs Accessibility access to manage and interact with menu bar items, and some visual effects can optionally use Screen Recording. Those permissions are normal for this kind of tool, yet they do give the app broad visibility into interface elements on your Mac. If you use it, grant only the permissions you want it to have and review them later in macOS Privacy & Security settings if your needs change.
Recommendation: Keep Pelmet if you actively use it to manage a crowded menu bar or rely on its hidden-icon workflow. If you no longer use those features, you can remove it without affecting macOS itself, though your custom menu bar organization and related app settings will be lost.
Common paths
/Applications/Pelmet.app~/Applications/Pelmet.app
Share your experience
Be the first to share your experience.