Menu bar disappears when opening or switching apps on MacBook M6 14 inch

Troubleshooting: Menu bar disappears when switching between apps

MacBook Pro (M6, 14-inch, 2026) – macOS 27

From your description, macOS may be having trouble managing the menu bar and desktop when switching between open applications.

The fact that clicking where the missing menu bar should be reveals the desktop, and clicking the desktop again returns you to the app, is an important clue.

We would suggest working through the following steps in order.

1. Turn off automatic menu bar hiding

• Open Apple menu  > System Settings.

• Select Menu Bar.

• Find Automatically hide and show the menu bar.

• Set it to Never.

This prevents macOS from automatically hiding the menu bar.

Apple guide: https://support.apple.com/en-ca/guide/mac-help/mchlad96d366/mac

2. Check the Show Desktop setting

macOS can move open windows aside when you click the desktop wallpaper. This feature may be contributing to the behaviour you're experiencing.

• Open System Settings > Desktop & Dock.

• Scroll down to Desktop & Stage Manager.

• Find Show Desktop.

• Change it to Only in Stage Manager on Click, instead of Always on Wallpaper Click.

If you use Stage Manager, temporarily turn it off to test whether the problem disappears.

Apple guide: https://support.apple.com/en-ca/guide/mac-help/mchlp1119/mac

3. Check whether full-screen mode is involved

If the problem occurs mainly when switching between full-screen applications:

• Exit full-screen mode using the green button in the upper-left corner of the application window.

• Switch between applications using Command (⌘) + Tab.

• Check whether the menu bar remains visible.

This will help determine whether the issue is related to full-screen window management.

4. Restart your Mac

Save your work and select Apple menu  > Restart.

After restarting, open several applications and test whether the menu bar behaves normally.

5. Check for macOS updates

• Open System Settings > General > Software Update.

• Install any available updates.

• Restart your Mac if required.

Apple instructions: https://support.apple.com/en-ca/108382

6. Check third-party menu bar utilities

If you use applications such as Bartender, Ice, Hidden Bar or other window-management utilities, temporarily quit them and test again.

These applications can sometimes interfere with how macOS displays and manages the menu bar.

7. Contact Apple Support

If the problem persists after these checks, contact Apple Support and report the behaviour. It may be an underlying macOS 27 interface or window-management issue.

Use the  Product Feedback - and make it known to Apple regarding this ongoing issue

Since this is a new MacBook Pro, I would not recommend erasing the Mac, reinstalling macOS or resetting system settings as an initial troubleshooting measure.

One useful diagnostic detail: If the issue continues, establish whether the menu bar disappears in every application or only when switching between specific apps.

This will help narrow down the cause.

A randomly disappearing menu bar is a known issue that has been reported by users of 3rd party Menu Bar utilities (Bartender, BetterTouchTool, etc.).

How to fix it:

Ensure your settings show the Menu Bar at all times

• Open System Settings
• Click on Menu Bar
• Set the option to Automatically hide and show the menu bar to Never

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

Disable or Update Third-Party Menu Bar Apps:

• If you use apps like Bartender or Ice, update them to a Golden Gate-compatible version.
• Try quitting your menu bar utility apps entirely to see if the random disappearing stops.
• Since these apps install system extensions, you may need to completely uninstall the app and all components to fix the issue.

Restart the MenuBarAgent or Your Mac:

• If the menu bar vanishes mid-session, you can restart the background process via Activity Monitor by searching for MenuBarAgent and forcing it to quit (it will automatically relaunch).
• A standard system reboot or booting into Safe Mode can also clear out corrupted interface caches

If the above do not work, 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.

It might help to download and run EtreCheck, written by a long-time forum member. The free version is fine. Post the full report using the Additional Text button. No personal information is revealed. 

Personally, I have never seen the menu bar on my MBP disappear. Bugs can be reported to Apple here:

Feedback - macOS - Apple

When people post issues here that are 'glitches' or unexpected behaviors that are counter to Apple's documented behavior and cannot be reproduced by experienced users, on rare occasions they turn out to be bona fide bugs in macOS. Far more often, the underlying cause is that the user experiencing the problem has unfortunately chosen to install crapware.

You have 3rd party ‘protection’ software installed. That includes:

• Cleaners (software claiming to automatically free up space)
• Optimizers (software claiming to make your Mac run faster)
• Antivirus software
• VPN software (unless provided by a school/employer to enable access to internal resources from a remote location)

Your EtreCheck report shows CleanMyMac (often referred to in these forums as BrickMyMac), NordVPN and SentinelOne. None of them are needed, any of them can cause issues. SentinalOne might be employer-mandated, and of the three that is the least likely to cause an issue. But it's still not needed on a Mac.

Such 3rd party system ‘helpers’, ‘cleaners’ and ‘protectors’ do more harm than good. In fact, such products are completely unnecessary for macOS and the only ‘good’ (if you want to call it that) they do is to put money in the developers’ pockets. Cleaners and protectors cause compatibility issues, often after macOS updates. Commercial VPNs claim to hide your browsing activity from websites, and while that may be true those VPN providers just sell your browsing data to others. For the user, all of these types of software offer only harm…and if that is limited to harm to your bank account, then count yourself lucky. If you have installed such software, follow the developer’s instructions to completely uninstall it (note that some developers fail to provide instructions and their software installs can be pervasive, meaning the only way to truly remove it is to erase your Mac, reinstall macOS then restore your user files from a backup).

If you haven’t yet, update to 27.2 and see if the problem persists.

If it still happens, test in Safe Mode. Same problem?

Test using a new user account. Same problem?

Part 1 of 3

Any Third Party Applications that will interfere with the normal operation of the OS,  is an invitation for disaster. 

Certain Applications maybe available on the Apple Apps Store - this only means the Developer is prepared to pay Apple a percentage on each sale. 

What the Application may do to the computer is up to the User to check this out before purchase

Any of the below should be removed as per Developers Instructions 

Disk Cleaner 

CleanMyMac , aka “ BrickMyMac “

Part 2 of 3

There are two schools of thought when dealing with CleanMyMac aka “ BrickMyMac “

The steps in #1 below is predicated on the Offending  Application has been Removed as per the Developers Specific Instruction 

# 1 Some Contributors suggest restarting in Recovery Mode and choosing to Reinstall the Operating System over the existing installation. 

This may or may not replace elements of the  Home Folder ( User Account )  and replace any corrupted or removed elements and make things right.

#2 - Then there are Other Contributors ( like myself ) would suggest  from this link Use Disk Utility to erase a Mac with Apple silicon.

Use the Erase All Content and Settings feature to quickly and securely erase all settings, data, and apps, while maintaining the operating system currently installed.

Thereafter to start from scratch and install all Required Applications directly from the Apple Apps Store or Directly from the Developer minus the Crapware

If going this route - I suggest Not using Startup Assist to migrate things back as this will probably Re-Introduce the existing  issue at the time TM Backup was made 

Part 3 of 3

There are 5 Categories of Third Party Software / Services that are not needed 

Get rid of them via the Developers Instruction 

In no special order 

1 - Third Party 2 Way Firewalls 

like Lulu and Little Snitch 

2 -Commercial VPNs 

They may not be what one believes they are doing for the computer and what they actually are doing behind the scenes and unbeknownst to the user ( you ) 

They may also reduce your Internet Speeds significantly 

https://gist.github.com/joepie91/5a9909939e6ce7d09e29

VPN: What you need to know - Apple Community

3 - Third Party Security Software 

There are no known Windows-like Viruses in the wild that self replicate and affect macOS, because of the underling UNIX  Foundation and Permission Limitation. 

The Operating System resides in a Sealed and Read Only Volume that cannot be opened by the User nor by Third Party Applications.

The Only thing this Antivirus software is protecting is the Bank Account of the Developers and for zero return to the User aside from the problems this software creates.

Mac app security enhancements

The Built in Security  is all that is required to protect the computer.

Protecting against malware in macOS

4 - Third Party Disk Cleaners / Optimizer 

Any Third Party Applications that will interfere with the normal operation of the OS,  is an invitation for disaster. 

Certain Applications maybe available on the Apple Apps Store - this only means the Developer is prepared to pay Apple a percentage on each sale. 

What the Application may do to the computer is up to the User to check this out before purchase

To put the Third Party Disk Cleaner / Optimizer in context and the damages it may have or has already done.

This type of applications can or will Muck Up your User Account ( Home Folder ) of this machine.

It does not touch the Operating System itself, unless you consider your User Account ( Home Folder ) as part of the Operating System.

Then, the user’s environment has been badly compromised ( hosed ) to the extent that the whole system is unstable and unreliable 

5 - All in One 

"Avast Compressor" is not a standalone product, but rather a functional component of Avast Cleanup Premium (also available in Avast One), which is designed to free up disk space and improve device performance by compressing or optimizing large files and media

Thank you.

1) In System Settings the hide and show option was set to Never. I have tried toggling this on and off.

2) Desktop & Dock Settings - for "Show Items": just "On Desktop" is checked & for "Click wallpaper to show desktop", "Only in Stage Manager" is selected. I do not use Stage Manager and the Settings selector is turned off.

3) I have not been using any apps in full-screen mode. When toggling between apps using Command + Tab the problem is intermittent. The menu bar is there in some apps and not in others - no detectable pattern.

4)I have restarted my Mac multiple times - both Shut Down and Restart. I have restarted in Safe Mode and the issue is the same.

5) MacOS - running 27.2.

6) 3rd Party Helper App - I was using BetterSnap Tool. I have uninstalled this.

Following the recommendation from neuroanatomist I downloaded EtreCheck and have run several reports and performed cleanup tasks based on them. Latest report attached.

Problem still persists with the difference that if I click the blank space where the menu bar should be it now switches to the menu bar for Finder. If I then click back on the main application window, e.g. Safari, then the correct menu bar reappears.

Grateful for any further recommendations.