Where Does Bartender Store Settings?
Bartender keeps menu bar layouts and triggers in Application Support, with presets exportable for new Macs.
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Bartender remembers which icons hide, show, or shuffle into the submenu in its Application Support data. Triggers, search presets, and layout profiles sit in the same tree. There is no document to save; quitting preserves everything.
Major macOS updates sometimes reset menu extras ordering outside Bartender control. Reapply your preset after upgrades rather than rebuilding rules. Export presets before wiping a Mac so a fresh install restores the exact bar in one import. Spacing and hotkey choices persist in the same preset.
Where Bartender stores this, by platform
~/Library/Application Support/Bartender
Exact interior may vary by major version, check Application Support vendor folders if this does not match. Export presets from Preferences for portable backups.
Frequently asked questions
How do I back up my Bartender layout?
Export the preset from Preferences and keep it with your Mac setup files. Import it after reinstalls instead of re hiding every icon by hand.
Why did Bartender forget my menu bar after a macOS update?
System updates can reorder menu extras underneath it. Reapply your saved preset and re grant any permissions the update revoked, then verify triggers.
Notice an outdated path? Let us know.