How to always show the menu bar on fullscreen mode?

Question

Do not tell me to use this shortcut CTRL + COMMAND + F to exit or enter in the fullscreen mode. I would like to always see the menu bar in the top of the page when I am in fullscreen mode, is it possible?

This Mac default style is completely annoying.

I agree, probably the most annoying thing with mac, apps jump up and down everytime you use the toolbar — Alexander Mills, Sep 26 '18 at 16:57

Tetsujin · Answer 1 · 2015-02-04T13:18:23.257

12

I don't think it can be done.

By default, the menu bar will float in if you hover the mouse at the top.

Alternatively, why not just use the window maximised, which will give a very similar look to what you want. [Green dot, top left of any window - though some apps will toggle full screen horizontally & vertically, others only vertically, you'd have to drag the corner for those]

Update for Yosemite, the green button behaviour is now reversed from Mavericks & before…

Green dot will set to fullscreen, without the menu bar.
Alt ⌥ /Green dot will maximise, leaving the menu bar visible.

edited Feb 04 '15 at 13:18

answered Oct 06 '14 at 06:21

Tetsujin

115,663

2

The green maximize dot hides the menu bar for me. – Aaron Franke Jul 14 '18 at 17:44
4

The green dot is not maximise, it's fullscreen, since Yosemite. Opt/green dot is maximise, as already explained. This answer is from 2014. – Tetsujin Jul 14 '18 at 18:38
When you have two monitors and you arrange them vertically, the menu bar of the maximized window on the lower monitor will never show up when you hover your mouse on the top of it. – Aetherus Aug 17 '21 at 05:48

Breno Medeiros de Oliveira · Answer 2 · 2020-08-19T17:51:32.603

8

SOLVED!

The way I did this was:

Go to SystemPreferences -> Dock -> Check the AutomaticallyHideAndShowTheDock
Instead of ClickingTheGreenButton to use 'default' FullScreen, you must do: Option + ClickTheGreenButton.

Hope it helped you! :D

edited Aug 19 '20 at 17:51

answered Aug 09 '20 at 18:49

Breno Medeiros de Oliveira

190

1

alt+green zoom button doesn't open a new screen, it just resize window – Serg Smyk Oct 21 '20 at 11:13
You can create a new screen if you want, it work as well, but I think one of the best benefits of not using the default FullScreen is to open window over windows, and use resources as Drag and drop things between windows. – Breno Medeiros de Oliveira Oct 22 '20 at 15:13
My colleague use 2 monitors, so he wants status bar is always visible on second monitor in FullScreen, but there is no way to do it))) – Serg Smyk Oct 22 '20 at 22:58

score 5 · Answer 3 · edited Feb 08 '21 at 23:53

The problem with the suggestions people are offering is that they are NOT full screen mode. When you resize a window it takes over the desktop rather than becoming a separate pane. I like to toggle between screens using a four finger swiping motion on the magic trackpad (the way you do on an Ipad), or alternately, press command ⌘+TAB. You know how. If the apps are not in TRUE full screen, then they appear as part of the desktop screen and you can't toggle between them. You have to minimize one to find the other one beneath it, then bring it back up using the dock. I've lost pages that way when I have more than one screen from the same program open (like two spreadsheets, pdfs, or Word documents). Even when you go to Mission Control only one screen appears, that of the desktop. I sympathize with them. I hate that you can't have full screen and still see the menu.

The only thing I can suggest to you (just figured this out now) is to try to replicate some of the stuff from your menu bar onto the dashboard and then have a hot key for the dashboard. I suggest the blank F5 key. This will be as close as you can get to bringing up the menu bar with a single press as I can imagine. And you can just as quickly make it go away.

i have the exact same problem. i love the 4 finger scroll. but i hate that the menu bar keeps disappearing in fullscreen mode. — Awesome_girl, Jan 14 '19 at 04:31
This is precisely what Spaces was designed for. Fullscreen breaks Spaces [bad move, Apple] so using maximised & Spaces is a far more graceful solution - see https://apple.stackexchange.com/questions/179376/what-is-an-efficient-way-for-developers-power-users-to-use-osx-window-manageme — Tetsujin, Jul 23 '19 at 07:16

score 3 · Answer 4 · answered Jul 12 '19 at 16:06

Answering a question within 5 years of the question being asked was considered fast turnaround in ancient times. So...

The only way to do this is this:

1- Create a new desktop (slide three fingers up, click on the + on top right corner to create a new blank desktop)

2- Un-maximize (Microsoft language: restore) the window or app in question.

3- Drag the window all the way up until all the desktops show at the top.

4- Place the window/app in the desktop you just created.

5- Press Option and click on the green/maximize button of the on the top left corner of the window/app.

The window/app will maximize in that desktop with the menu showing on top as desired (only if the options is unchecked in System Preferences > General > Automatically hide and show the menu bar).

score 3 · Answer 5 · edited Feb 08 '22 at 15:38

3

Go to System Preferences > Dock and Menu Bar, uncheck the box Automatically hide and show the menu bar in full screen.

After unchecking the box, refresh your app by exiting full screen and entering it again.

edited Feb 08 '22 at 15:38

agarza

2,274

answered Feb 08 '22 at 05:35

Sean H.

31
1

grg · Answer 6 · 2016-09-02T10:46:01.797

1

In Safari, enable View → Always Show Toolbar in Full Screen.

edited Sep 02 '16 at 10:46

answered Aug 31 '16 at 12:39

grg

201,078

5

That only works for some applications and I think the OP meant the top menu instead of the toolbar (which is different depending on the app that's focused). – sebastienvg Aug 31 '16 at 14:20

score 1 · Answer 7 · answered Feb 12 '18 at 05:12

I just figured the solution! You need to adjust the screen in the maximize screen as everyone said but also, click hide on the bottom bar and hide it, that way you get a larger portion of the screen and keep the menu bar on top showing.

I like the menu bar because it keeps showing the time and battery. Not sure how you can live without seeing those two all the time...

score 0 · Answer 8 · edited Nov 15 '19 at 08:20

My husband showed me how to make it always show up.

Open up your browser and float at the top to get the tool bar.

Click on View, and then "Exit Full Screen."

It will make your browser window half the size of what you will want.

Then use your mouse to put the arrow on the right side of the window and pull it to fill in the right side.

Do the same on the bottom. And any adjustments you want on the top.

Now, quit your browser.

When you re-open it, it should remember and be the exact size you want - with the menu bar in full view.

score -1 · Answer 9 · answered May 04 '21 at 09:16

-1

Hold down on the option/alt key while clicking the green dot in the upper left hand corner.

answered May 04 '21 at 09:16

thumbmunkeys

99
1

This is no different than the answers already provided. Can you edit your answer to add any info that's not been already provided? – fsb May 04 '21 at 14:59

score -2 · Answer 10 · answered Jun 27 '20 at 10:52

I observed this phenomenon and let me try to explain the rationale behind this. Think of full-screen mode as a full-screen mode of a video on a youtube. you wouldn't want any menu bar appearing on that full-screen while watching any video. Similar is the logic behind the disappearance of the menu bar while in full mode of any application. the only other option is to maximize the application to view the menu bar. Additionally, mac allows the reappearance when hovered on the top instead of exiting the full-screen mode. This is an added feature when observed from this logic.

I hope, I have answered the logic behind the disappearance of the menu bar with my observation.

this does not answer the question at all. The question asks for how not why. — kuantumleap123, Aug 06 '20 at 04:33

How to always show the menu bar on fullscreen mode?

10 Answers10