Reduce macOS menu bar icon spacing

Minimal spacing

defaults -currentHost write -globalDomain NSStatusItemSpacing -int 0 && defaults -currentHost write -globalDomain NSStatusItemSelectionPadding -int 0 && killall ControlCenter

Restore default spacing

defaults -currentHost delete -globalDomain NSStatusItemSpacing && defaults -currentHost delete -globalDomain NSStatusItemSelectionPadding && killall ControlCenter

Sources

Reduce menu bar icon spacing to fit more icons

Hidden preference to alter the menubar spacing

Third-party apps

• Ice: "Powerful menu bar manager for macOS"

• TighterMenubar: Allows "customizing menu bar item spacing and padding to create a more compact menu bar layout"

• Menu Bar Spacing: "Customize the gap between menu bar items"

❧ 2025-09-08