MacBook Pro menu bar items hidden by the notch? Here's how to fix it.

Here's the checkbox to click if that pesky notch is getting in the way.

Apple's latest MacBook Pro models are here, bringing with them some superb performance and efficiency gains with the M1 Pro and M1 Max chips, the return of varied I/O options, and gorgeous new displays.

Though the new machines are undoubtedly the best MacBooks ever, they also bring something else that's new to the Mac: the notch. For Apple, as it is known officially, the camera housing is a necessary evil to shrink the bezels while improving the camera quality on the new laptops. However, the notch is causing problems for some users when app controls and menu bar items become hidden.

Fortunately, there's a simple way to fix it by scaling the app in question to fit below the MacBook Pro notch. Here's how to do it.

How to scale apps around the notch on the MacBook Pro (2021)

1. Quit the app causing the problem by choosing Quit from the app's menu in the menu bar or by pressing Command (⌘)-Q.

2. Click the Finder icon in the Dock, then click Applications in the Finder sidebar.

   

3. Select the app, then choose File > Get Info, Control (⌘)-click > Get Info, or press Command (⌘)-I.

4. In the Info window that opens, check the box next to Scale to fit below built-in camera.

   

After following the above steps, the app with disappearing menu bar items should scale down to fit below the notch entirely. The app then essentially takes up the amount of screen real estate offered by previous-generation MacBook Pro models.

It's worth noting that the "Scale to fit below built-in camera" setting will not appear in the Get Info window for apps that have been updated to work with the notch-bearing MacBook models. As more people get their hands on the new machines, it's possible more app developers will update their apps with proper compatibility.