One of the more constant features of the Mac human interface is its common menu bar, featuring application menus at the left, and system-wide items at the right. Dating right back to Classic Mac OS, this is about to change in Big Sur, whose overhauled interface brings important changes and ends the free-for-all at the right end. This article explains what’s happening.
Currently, the right end of the menu bar is used by three main classes: two fixed items for Spotlight and Notifications, several System Preference panes with options controlled within the respective pane, and third-party software can add its own items, such as menus which provide quick access to app features. Each of those is controlled individually, particularly those of System Preference panes.
Among the most popular items for the right end of the menu bar is a digital clock. It can be set to display the time and date in a range of different formats, according to the settings in the Date & Time pane.
Before I take screenshots to illustrate an article that I have written for publication, I have to take a tour through half a dozen different panes, disabling some and changing the settings in others, until my setup meets the standard house layout. I also have to quit a couple of third-party apps which provide convenient points of access through items at the right end of the menu bar.
Read more at EclecticLight.co