Useful macOS defaults: System UI Server

com.apple.systemuiserver controls parts of the menu bar and some system-level interface elements.

After changing these, restart the SystemUIServer:

killall SystemUIServer

Show extra menu bar items

You can add certain system menu extras to the menu bar through defaults. These are the small icons in the top right of your screen.

Show the Bluetooth menu bar icon:

defaults write com.apple.systemuiserver "NSStatusItem Visible com.apple.menuextra.bluetooth" -bool true

Show the Volume menu bar icon:

defaults write com.apple.systemuiserver "NSStatusItem Visible com.apple.menuextra.volume" -bool true

Note about modern macOS

On macOS Ventura and later, Apple moved most menu bar items to Control Centre. The systemuiserver defaults still work for some items, but many menu bar icons are now controlled through System Settings, then Control Centre.

For newer macOS versions, you may find it simpler to use System Settings directly rather than defaults commands for menu bar items. The systemuiserver domain is most useful on older macOS versions where Control Centre does not exist.

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