How to Hide Toolbar On Mac

There are many applications, both native and third-party, that have toolbars with buttons to provide access to features, actions, and shortcuts quickly. You also have the option to show and hide this toolbar if you choose to.

To hide toolbar on mac, right-click on any document and open it in Preview mode. Now, head over to the menu bar on the top and click on view. Here, simply select Hide Toolbar, and you are done. It can be done for both Safari and Chrome browsers.

To understand more about all these steps, you can check out this guide we have curated with everything there is to know on how to hide the toolbar on Mac. Let us get on with it.

Table of Contents

Now, let us see how to hide the toolbar on mac.

1. Inside the Preview Application

The Preview application is the default file viewer on Mac for PDFs, images, and other documents. Refer to the instructions below to see how you can hide the toolbar inside Preview.

Open a Finder window and launch any image or document within the Preview application.
To do this, select the file and use the two-finger gesture to open the contextual menu.
Select Open with and choose Preview from the list.
Now head over to the Menu bar and click on view.
Click on the Hide toolbar, and you’re done.

Your toolbar will be hidden when using the preview application. We will use the same methods for browsers such as Safari, Chrome, etc.

Moreover, you can also follow the steps to customize the toolbar, such as removing the button, rearranging the controls, and a lot more.

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2. On Safari

The process to hide the toolbar inside Safari is similar to how it was done on Preview. Refer to the steps provided below to see how it is done.

Launch Safari from the dock.
Now, you won’t be able to hide the toolbar on Safari completely, but you can customize it, so there’s nothing visible.
When you click on the View option, you will only see a single option saying Always show toolbar in fullscreen. There’s no option to show/hide it. You can hide it only when in full-screen mode.
You need to click on Customize toolbar.

You can drag and drop any item on the toolbar you want to hide or keep.

3. On Chrome

Like Safari, there’s no show/hide button inside the View menu. Refer to the steps below to see how you can hide the toolbar.

Open the Google Chrome browser.
Switch to the full-screen mode using the Fn + F shortcut and click on the View tab on the Menu bar.
Uncheck the Always show toolbar in the full-screen option, and the toolbar will not be shown when in full-screen.

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How to Remove a Button From the Toolbar

Did you know you could edit the toolbar and remove anything you do not need? Refer to the instructions provided below to see how this can be done.

Open a Finder window and launch any image or document within the Preview application.
To do this, select the file and use the two-finger gesture to open the contextual menu.
Select Open with and choose Preview from the list.
Make sure that the toolbar is not hidden. If it is, click on View on the Menu bar and select Show toolbar.
Now, hold down the Command key, drag any button you do not want out of the toolbar, and release it. You should hear a “whoosh” sound effect when you do this successfully.

How to Rearrange Buttons on The Toolbar

Like removing buttons from the toolbar, you can also rearrange their order according to your needs. Read the instructions provided below to see how it is done.

Open a Finder window and open any document within the Preview application.
Now, Hold down the Command button and click on the button you want to move.
Rearrange the icons as you please and drop them when you see a blank space appear.

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Adding Buttons on The Toolbar

If you deleted some useful button by mistake, you could add it back to the toolbar by following the steps below.

Open any document inside the Preview application.
Now, head over to the Menu bar and click on View.
Select Customize toolbar from the list.
A new window will appear on the screen where you drag and drop items from the palette into the toolbar. You will see a “+” sign.

How to Automatically Hide the Menu Bar on Mac

You can set the Menu bar on top to hide or show automatically. Refer to the steps provided below to see how it is done.

Head over to the Menu bar and click on the Apple logo.
Select System Preferences from the list.
Alternatively, you can use the system preferences shortcut on the dock.
Now, click on the Dock & Menu bar tab.
Click on Automatically show and hide the menu bar on the desktop to hide it in desktop mode, and select Automatically show and hide the menu bar in full screen to hide it in fullscreen mode.
You can also temporarily use the Function-Control-F2 to show the Menu bar in desktop or full-screen mode.

Conclusion

That’s it for this article, folks; now you know how to hide the toolbar on your Mac in various applications. Do remember the process is the same for any applications using a toolbar.

You can find the option to hide or show it inside the View tab on the Menu bar. The ability to move, remove and edit the buttons on the toolbar is also a helpful addition that allows for much greater flexibility and ease of use.

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Robert

Robert is a tech expert (with more than 10 years of experience in using mac os and iPhone) who loves to help others learn about the Mac operating system and iPhone. He provides helpful tutorials on how to use Mac OS, tips and tricks for getting the most out of your Mac operating system, iPhone tips and tricks, and more. He’s always up for a challenge and enjoys learning new things about his favorite OS. When he’s not helping people get the most out of their technology, he enjoys spending time with his wife and two cats. Check out more.