Thaw

What is Thaw?

Thaw is a native macOS utility for managing menu bar items. It helps users hide, show, and organize icons in the menu bar so the top of the screen stays easier to navigate, especially on Macs with many background apps installed. The app is intended for people who want more control over a crowded menu bar and quicker access to the items they use most. Thaw also supports deeper control through shortcuts and integrations, making it useful in launcher-based and keyboard-driven workflows. As an actively maintained fork of Ice, it focuses on compatibility with newer macOS versions while expanding menu bar management features. Toni Foerster publishes Thaw for Mac users who want a focused desktop utility rather than a broad system management suite.

Key features

• Hide and reveal menu bar items to reduce clutter
• Organize visible and hidden sections of the menu bar
• Control app actions with deep links and launcher workflows
• Open settings and menu bar tools quickly from shortcuts
• Work with newer macOS releases through ongoing compatibility updates

Safety overview

Status: Mostly safe

Thaw is a legitimate menu bar utility for macOS. To move or manage menu bar items, it may request Accessibility access, which is a normal permission for this kind of app. Screen Recording may also be offered for specific functionality and is optional. If you use it, grant only the permissions you need and review them later in System Settings if you stop using the app.

Recommendation: Keep Thaw if you use it to manage a crowded menu bar or prefer keyboard-driven control of menu bar items. If you no longer use those features, you can remove the app and revoke any permissions it was granted in System Settings.

Common paths

• /Applications/Thaw.app

Related apps

• Ice
• Raycast
• Alfred
• Keyboard Maestro
• BetterTouchTool

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