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Ice Not Working on Tahoe? Check These Details

A blank layout or an endless spinner in Ice has a few known causes. Check them in order, and write down what you find before you change anything.

Updated

Short answer. Start with versions and permissions. Ice’s stable release predates Tahoe, and reports describe a blank Menu Bar Layout with the message “Unable to display menu bar items”. If the basics check out and it still fails, record your setup, then decide whether to try another manager.

Steps

  1. Write down your versions. Note your macOS build (Apple menu, About This Mac) and your Ice version (Ice menu, About). Reports are only useful with both.
  2. Check both permissions. Open System Settings, Privacy & Security. Confirm Ice is switched on under Accessibility and Screen Recording. Toggle each off and on again if they look right.
  3. Turn off menu bar auto-hide. If the macOS menu bar hides automatically, menu bar managers cannot arrange items. Set Automatically hide and show the menu bar to Never while you test.
  4. Quit any other menu bar manager. Two managers running together cause display problems. Quit all but one.
  5. Compare with the reports. Search Ice’s issue tracker for your symptom. Issue 711 describes the “Unable to display menu bar items” message.
  6. Save your layout before you switch. Reveal every hidden icon and screenshot the full menu bar. If you then try Tuck, you can rebuild it from the screenshot.

What we can and cannot say

Public reports describe a blank or stuck Menu Bar Layout on macOS 26 and broken hiding on macOS 27 betas. They describe particular builds and Macs. They do not tell us how many people are affected, and we have not reproduced them.

The stable Ice release we found, 0.11.12, predates macOS 26. A development prerelease exists. If you are not running it, that may explain the difference between your Mac and someone else’s.

If you decide to switch

Tuck is derived from Ice through Thaw, so the ideas are familiar. It requires macOS 26 and does not import Ice’s layout. The Ice alternative page has the switching plan, and the comparison lists what differs.

If you decide to stay

Watch the issue tracker for a release that targets your macOS version. Keep your screenshot of the layout so a reinstall does not cost you your arrangement.

The macOS steps target macOS 26. Tuck instructions describe its documented settings and supplied UI renders; the public DMG is launching soon. Pro features remain planned.

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