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atabrk
User level: Level 1 (5 points)

Some menu bar icons disappear only on the secondary display

I’m experiencing a recurring menu bar issue with a dual-display setup. Some icons appear on the main display but are missing from the secondary display, even though the apps are still running.


My setup:

  • MacBook Pro with M4
  • macOS 27.0.1, build 26A434
  • Samsung Odyssey OLED G6 G61SD external monitor
  • Extended desktop, with “Displays have separate Spaces” enabled
  • External display set to 2048 × 1152 HiDPI at 120 Hz
  • BetterDisplay 5.1.1 installed


The affected icons include BetterDisplay, Passwords and Weather. Other items, including volume, battery, Control Center and the clock, remain visible on both displays.


The most useful test so far:

  1. With the MacBook set as the main display, the icons are present on the MacBook but missing from the external monitor.
  2. Setting the external monitor as the main display makes the missing icons appear there.
  3. The same icons then disappear from the MacBook’s menu bar.
  4. Restoring the MacBook as the main display moves the problem back to the external monitor.


Resolution and refresh rate stayed unchanged during this test. The problem appears to follow the secondary-display role.

Clicking a window or the desktop on the affected display, including switching to Finder, does not restore the icons. Restarting Control Center did not help either. No Bartender, Ice, Thaw or Hidden Bar process was running during the tests.


Whenever the issue occurs, running

killall -TERM MenuBarAgent

in Terminal restores the missing icons on the secondary display without changing any display settings. However, the issue returns later, so restarting MenuBarAgent is only a temporary workaround.


Has anyone experienced this recurring issue? Is there a known permanent fix, or an explanation for why the secondary display’s menu bar loses these icons until MenuBarAgent is restarted?

Posted on Oct 16, 2026 2:43 PM

2 replies

neuroanatomist
User level: Level 9 (72,871 points)

Oct 16, 2026 2:59 PM in response to atabrk

If you use a menu bar management utility app like Bartender, Ice, Hidden Bar, etc., turn it off and see if that corrects the issue. If so, and if you want to continue using such an app, then check with the developer for updates because the current version may be incompatible with macOS 27.0.1 Golden Gate.


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


Potential Workarounds & Fixes


Toggle Separate Spaces Off and On:

  • Go to System Settings > Desktop & Dock.
  • Toggle off “Displays have separate Spaces”, log out and log back in, then re-enable it to force a clean re-initialization of per-display menu bar spaces. 


Check BetterDisplay Settings:

Ensure that inside BetterDisplay settings, the option for showing the app icon in the menu bar is cleanly re-registered, or use BetterDisplay's internal App Menu (via hotkey or application menu) as a fallback if the status item vanishes.


Personally, I suspect BetterDisplay may be the cause of your issue.


If the above does not work, then have you rebooted your Mac? If not, that's the first step. If that does not help, 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.

 

Delete a user or group on Mac – Apple Support


Those steps will help to isolate the problem.


Personally, I cannot replicate this issue on my Mac running 27.0.1. This was from last week but it looks the same today. Same set of native and 3rd party items on both internal and external (LG 5K:2K) displays. No change regardless of which display is primary.


Internal display:


External 5K display:


If the issue persists, then bugs can be reported to Apple here:

Feedback - macOS - Apple


dante-at-callosum
User level: Level 1 (8 points)

Oct 21, 2026 2:47 AM in response to atabrk

I'm on the same version 27.0.1 (26A434) and interestingly I'm having the exact opposite issue: my menu bar items are only appearing on my Main Display.



Thanks for the workaround at least.

Originally posted at discussions.apple.com/thread/256377501