The menu bar menu
This page describes the SidebarFavorites menu in the macOS menu bar: what each item does, and how to switch the menu bar item off and on again. Read it if you want to reach your folders without opening the app, or if you want the menu bar item gone.
What the menu is for
The app keeps a small sidebar icon in the menu bar. Clicking it opens a menu that lists every favorite with its icon. Choosing a favorite opens its folder in Finder, so you can reach it from any app without opening the manager window. The menu is a standard macOS menu, not a floating panel, so it closes as soon as you choose an item or click elsewhere.
The menu items
The menu has these items, from top to bottom. The shortcuts work while the menu is open.
| Item | Shortcut | What it does |
|---|---|---|
| Each favorite, by name | None | Opens the favorite’s folder in a Finder window. |
| No Favorites | None | Takes the place of the list when you have not added a favorite. It is dimmed and does nothing. |
| Open SidebarFavorites... | ⌘O | Brings the manager window to the front, and opens it if it was closed. |
| Refresh All | None | Rebuilds the icons and the sidebar rows and registers them again. It is the same action as Refresh in the manager window. |
| Preferences... | ⌘, | Opens the Settings window. See Settings. |
| SidebarFavorites and the version | None | Shows the version and build you are running, for example when you report a problem. It is dimmed and does nothing. |
| Quit SidebarFavorites | ⌘Q | Quits the app. Your icons stay in Finder’s sidebar, because quitting only closes the app and the icons do not need it to run. |
Turn the menu bar item off and on
The menu bar item is on by default. Its switch is Show in Menu Bar in Settings, and the change takes effect at once.
Choose Preferences... from the menu bar menu, or press ⌘,.
Show in Menu Bar is the second switch from the top. You seeThe Settings window opens.
Turn off Show in Menu Bar.
You seeThe sidebar icon disappears from the menu bar. The app keeps running, and your icons are unaffected.
To open Settings while the menu bar item is hidden, use the Settings item in the app’s own menu in the menu bar while the manager window is in front, or press ⌘,. If the app is not running, open SidebarFavorites Manager from Applications first. Then turn the switch on again:
Open Settings and turn on Show in Menu Bar.
You seeThe sidebar icon returns to the menu bar.
If it does not work
| What you see | Cause | Fix |
|---|---|---|
| There is no SidebarFavorites item in the menu bar. | The app is not running, or Show in Menu Bar is off. | Open the app from Applications, then turn on Show in Menu Bar in Settings. |
| The item is missing on a crowded menu bar. | macOS hides menu bar items that do not fit, such as under the notch. | Make room by quitting or hiding other menu bar items. |