Check Out the Newest Feature in OS X El Capitan: Learn How to Conceal the Menu Bar

Do you want to explore the latest improvement in OS X El Capitan? In this article, I’ll show you a step-by-step guide on how to hide the menu bar. By hiding the menu bar, you can enjoy a more immersive experience on your Mac. Let’s dive in and discover this exciting new feature!

First, let me explain what the menu bar is. The menu bar is the horizontal bar that appears at the top of your screen. It contains various menus, including the Apple menu, which allows you to access system preferences, software updates, and more. By default, the menu bar is always visible.

But here’s the good news: you can now hide the menu bar in OS X El Capitan. Why would you want to do this, you ask? Well, hiding the menu bar can give you a full-screen experience, especially if you’re watching a movie, playing a game, or simply want a clutter-free desktop. It allows you to focus more on what you’re doing without having the menu bar constantly in view.

So, let’s get to the fun part – hiding the menu bar! Just follow these simple steps:

Step 1: Click on the “Apple” menu in the top-left corner of the screen. A drop-down menu will appear.

Step 2: Select “System Preferences” from the drop-down menu. The System Preferences window will open.

Step 3: In the System Preferences window, click on the “General” icon. It looks like a gear.

Step 4: In the General preferences, find the option “Automatically hide and show the menu bar” and check the box next to it.

Step 5: Close the System Preferences window.

Voila! The menu bar will now disappear when you’re not using it, giving you a clean, unobstructed view of your screen. To access the menu bar again, simply move your mouse cursor to the top of the screen, and it will magically reappear.

Now, you might be wondering how to know when you have a new notification or how to access the menus when the bar is hidden. Don’t worry; OS X El Capitan has got you covered. When you have notifications, they will appear in the top-right corner of the screen, and you can simply click on them to view and respond. To access the menus, just move your cursor to the top of the screen, and they will appear as well.

Hiding the menu bar is a fantastic way to personalize your Mac experience and create a more immersive environment. Give it a try and see how it enhances your productivity and enjoyment.

Remember, experimenting with new features is part of the joy of using technology. So, go ahead and explore all the amazing possibilities OS X El Capitan has to offer. Happy hiding!

Guess what? Apple realized that Yosemite was a disaster in terms of reliability when it first came out. So, with OS X El Capitan, they decided to focus on making it more stable and perform better. But just because they prioritized those things doesn’t mean they didn’t add any new features to the latest operating system.

One of the cool new features in OS X El Capitan is the ability to hide your desktop Menu Bar, just like how you could hide the Dock in previous versions of OS X. When you enable this feature, the Menu Bar slides up off the top edge of your Mac’s screen. And anything on the screen that was previously blocked by the Menu Bar, such as your desktop icons, will automatically move up to fill the extra space.

But don’t worry, the Menu Bar isn’t gone forever. In fact, it’s home to important functions in many apps. So, even when you hide it (I’ll show you how in a bit), you can always bring it back by moving your mouse or trackpad cursor to the very top of the screen. There will be a slight delay of about half a second, and then the Menu Bar will slide back down, just like the Dock does when it’s hidden.

Now, here’s the tricky part. Unlike the Dock, there doesn’t seem to be a way to adjust the delay between when your cursor reaches the top of the screen and when the Menu Bar appears. This can be frustrating for those who want instant access without any delay or fancy animation.

By the way, hiding the Menu Bar isn’t entirely new in OS X El Capitan. In previous versions of the operating system, the Menu Bar would automatically hide when you enabled full-screen mode for certain apps. But what’s new in El Capitan is that you can now hide the Menu Bar even when you’re on the Desktop. This means you can make the most out of your screen real estate for apps that don’t support full-screen mode or work better in windowed mode.

How to Hide the Menu Bar

To hide the Menu Bar in OS X El Capitan, go to Settings > General. There, you’ll see a new checkbox under last year’s cool feature: dark mode for the Dock and Menu Bar. But what we’re interested in is the option labeled “Automatically hide and show the menu bar”.

Just check that box and your Mac’s Menu Bar will instantly slide up and out of view, with the desktop icons adjusting themselves accordingly. To temporarily reveal the Menu Bar again, simply move your mouse or trackpad cursor all the way to the top edge of the screen.

If you ever want to turn off this feature and bring back the visible Menu Bar, just go back to Settings > General and uncheck that box. No need to restart or log off; the change happens instantly as you check or uncheck the box.

Having trouble with El Capitan’s Split View? Check this option in System Preferences.

Now let’s hear what people have to say about hiding the Menu Bar in OS X El Capitan:

– Snead Hearn says: “It has disappeared. It shows when I move the cursor to it. I want it back all the time. The ‘Automatically hide and show the menu bar’ box is NOT checked. Help!”

– Henkehakan says: “Same here, I hate it. It has no effect turning that on or off. It is ALWAYS in autohide, regardless of the browser. Something’s missing. A bug. What I don’t like is that it resetted my former setting (always visible) which was default set to ‘always show’. Annoys the * out of me. Have a 15″ screen, don’t need full-blown…without menu.”

– Josh Work says: “Amazing. I’ve been wanting this for over a year! Thank you and rock on. :)”

– John Stanowski KaijuAddicts says: “The switch doesn’t work for me. It hides the menu bar whether the box is checked or unchecked.”

– B. Terclinger says: “It doesn’t work for you (or me, or for millions) because Apple is more concerned with emojis, selling sh*t music and overpriced headphones, and promoting ‘proggie’ values than they are in maintaining the interface.”

– R3d Baron says: “So now that I’ve accidentally opened an app in fullscreen, I can’t get the menu bar to stop auto-hiding when that program is open as a window. How can I get it to go back to always being visible?”