Today, I thought I would share what’s living in my Mac’s menubar these days. I’ll move from left to right.
1. Keyboard Maestro
You can see some of the things I do with this utility over here.
2. Dropbox
I collaborate with a lot of people, and Dropbox is the main way I do it. I have a Pro account with 50 GB of space.
3. TextExpander
If you type the same thing more than twice on your Mac, you’re wasting time if aren’t using this app.
I keep chunks of code, words I misspell often, email addresses and more in TextExpander. It really is like magic.
4. Cinch
While there are lots of window management options out there for the Mac, I like Cinch because it’s simple. It allows for easy window resizing by dragging it to the left, right, or top screen edge. It makes living with a dual-display setup much more pleasant.
5. 1Password
This is another invaluable Mac utility. I store website credentials, credit card information and more in 1Password.. I haven’t typed a password on my Mac in months.
6. Dropzone
Dropzone, while not well-known, is super powerful. It allows me to drag a file, URL or folder to the menu bar to do just about anything on it. I have S3 and FTP upload options, as well as quick shortcuts to print files, install apps and shorten URLs with my custom Bitly setup.
7. Evernote
While I’ve recently switched to Evernote,, it’s quickly becoming my hub while working on my MacBook Pro. The menu bar item is a fast way to add something to the Inbox and move on. It can also be used to take screenshots that will be imported upon taking.
8. Messages
I dislike having the Buddy List window open in iChat/Messages, so I just use the menu bar item.
9. Time Machine
I use Time Machine to backup my “Storage” hard drive to an external. If you don’t backup your files, you’re just asking for trouble.
10. Bluetooth
While I do use an Extended II keyboard, I keep Bluetooth on for my Magic Trackpad.
11. Battery
I have a portable. Duh.
12. Clock
As long as I’ve used the Mac, I’ve kept the clock on in the menubar. While working, its faster than looking down at my watch.
13. Fast User Switching
While I have only one user on this machine, this menu bar item gives me quick access to the Login Window, where I leave my Mac if I step away from my desk.
Update: I can’t believe I didn’t know about the “Lock” command in Alfred. Thanks, @philgetzen.
14. Spotlight
I’ve switched to Alfred, but Apple doesn’t let users get rid of this icon, so I’m stuck with it. (Alfred, by the way, can run without a menubar item, which is pretty sweet.)
Update: It seems this can be disabled. Thanks to everyone who sent this in.