Which menu bar apps say they support macOS 27?
As of 2026-09-30, Tuck, Bartender, Hidden Bar and Lounge each state that their current release supports macOS 27. Thaw and Vanilla offer macOS 27 beta builds. For Ice, IceMelt, Barbee and Dozer we found no official macOS 27 statement. This page reports vendor statements, not independent testing.
Each row below links to the vendor's own page (website, official repository or App Store listing) and shows the day we read it. Third-party blogs and forum threads are not used as evidence, because several of them are written by competing products.
macOS 27 status by app, as stated by each vendor
| App | Latest version checked | macOS 27 status (vendor-stated) | Pricing model | Source | Checked on |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tuck (ours) | 1.1.3 (build 83) | Vendor states support | Free tier; Pro US$14.99 one-time | Tuck macOS 27 guide | |
| Bartender | Bartender 7 | Vendor states support | One-time licence, yearly Pro and lifetime options | macbartender.com | |
| Hidden Bar | 1.11.1 (2026-09-18) | Vendor states support | Open source (MIT) | v1.11.1 release notes | |
| Thaw | 2.0.1 stable (2026-09-02); 3.0.0-alpha.7 (2026-09-25) | Beta or test build | Free, open source (GPL-3.0) | Thaw releases | |
| Vanilla | macOS 27 beta (no version number shown) | Beta or test build | Free; Pro one-time, advertised at US$10 | Vanilla site | |
| Ice | 0.11.12 stable (2024-10-29); 0.11.13-dev.2 (2025-09-16) | No official statement found | Free, open source (GPL-3.0) | Ice releases | |
| IceMelt (Ice fork) | v2026.1.0 (2026-09-12) | No official statement found | Free, open source (GPL-3.0) | IceMelt README | |
| Barbee | 5.0 (2026-09-10) | No official statement found | Free download; in-app purchases (lifetime and yearly) | Mac App Store listing | |
| Lounge | Version number not shown; requires macOS 26 or later | Vendor states support | US$3.99 per year (subscription), 7-day trial | Lounge Golden Gate guide | |
| Dozer | 4.2.0 (pre-release, 2020-07-13) | No official statement found | Free, open source (MPL-2.0) | Dozer repository |
How to read the status column. “Vendor states support” means the vendor's own page says its current release works on macOS 27. “Beta or test build” means the vendor offers macOS 27 support only in a beta, alpha or test build. “Known issue stated by vendor” is reserved for problems the vendor itself acknowledges; no row uses it today. “No official statement found” means we looked at the vendor's site, releases and listing on the date shown and found no macOS 27 statement, which is different from saying the app does not work.
Notes on individual rows: Ice's public tracker has an open, user-filed report titled as Ice not working on macOS 27 (issue 954); it is a user report, not a maintainer statement. Thaw's stable 2.0 line is built around macOS 26, and its release notes say Thaw 3.0 brings macOS 27 support on the alpha channel. Hidden Bar's notes say it needs Accessibility permission and relies on a private Apple framework. Bartender's site says one-time licences include Bartender 7 for macOS 27 and can also activate Bartender 6 for macOS 26.
What changed in macOS 27's menu bar?
Apple's release notes say the macOS menu bar now adapts when there isn't enough space to show every item: items are hidden and replaced with a compact overflow indicator that shows them when pressed. Source: Apple Support, “What's new for enterprise in macOS Golden Gate 27”, published September 28, 2026, read on 2026-09-30. Apple describes the behavior; it does not say how third-party menu bar apps are affected, and neither does this page.
Built-in overflow or a menu bar manager?
The built-in overflow decides for you: when the bar is full, the system hides items and gives you one indicator to reach them. A menu bar manager lets you decide which icons stay visible and how you reveal the rest. Apple's notes do not list controls beyond the indicator, so check System Settings → Menu Bar on your Mac for what your build offers.
Tuck adds one-click Push Mode, a Shelf that shows hidden icons in a panel below the bar (useful on notched MacBooks), and per-icon show, hide or follow choices. If the built-in indicator already covers your needs, you may not need a third-party app. See what to check if an icon is missing on macOS 27 before installing anything.
Commercial disclosure
Tuck is our product, so this page is not neutral, and the Tuck row is labeled “ours”. Quartz develops Tuck and licenses it; Tuck Pro is sold through Dodo Payments, the Merchant of Record. We limit competitor statements to what each vendor publishes, and we correct errors on request at [email protected]. The full rules are in our research and corrections methodology.
Frequently asked questions
Does Bartender work on macOS 27?
Bartender's website says Bartender 7 is built for macOS 27 (checked 2026-09-30). We have not tested it ourselves. Bartender 6 remains the version for macOS 26.
Does Ice work on macOS 27?
We found no official macOS 27 statement from Ice's maintainer as of 2026-09-30. Its latest stable release is 0.11.12 from October 2024, and a user-filed issue on its tracker reports problems on macOS 27. See the Ice alternative page and the Thaw alternative page for the actively developed forks.
Does Thaw work on macOS 27?
Thaw's release notes say macOS 27 support arrives with Thaw 3.0, currently an alpha (3.0.0-alpha.7, 2026-09-25). Its stable 2.0 line targets macOS 26. Details are on the Thaw alternative page.
Does Tuck support macOS 27?
Yes. Tuck 1.1.3 is a single stable release for macOS 14–27, including macOS 27 Golden Gate. See the Tuck macOS 27 guide for permissions and limits.
How often is this page updated?
We recheck every row about every two weeks and change the “Last reviewed” date only after a real recheck. Next review due by 2026-10-14.
Sources and review schedule
Last reviewed . Next review due by . Every row links to a vendor page read on its “Checked on” date. Tuck's own row follows our release notes. Vendor pages change, so open the linked source before you decide.