MenuBarSpacer

A small macOS SwiftUI app that lets you adjust the spacing between menu bar status items. It reads and writes the NSStatusItemSpacing preference and shows a live preview before you apply changes.

Features

• Read the current menu bar spacing (custom or system default)
• Adjust spacing with a slider and live preview
• Apply a new spacing value
• Reset back to macOS default
• Optional logout prompt so changes take effect immediately

How it works

MenuBarSpacer uses the macOS defaults system to read/write the NSStatusItemSpacing key in the current host’s global domain. This setting only takes effect after you log out and back in.

Requirements

• macOS with Xcode installed
• Swift 5.7+ (Xcode-managed)

Build & Run

1. Open MenuBarSpacer.xcodeproj in Xcode.
2. Select the MenuBarSpacer target.
3. Build and run (⌘R).

Usage

1. Launch the app.
2. Set the desired spacing with the slider.
3. Click Apply.
4. Log out and back in to see the change.

To revert to the system default spacing, click Reset to macOS Default.

Notes & Limitations

• A spacing of 0 may cause menu bar items to overlap.
• Large spacing values can push items off-screen.
• Changes apply per-host (current machine) and require logout/login.

Project Structure

• MenuBarSpacer/ContentView.swift — main UI and actions
• MenuBarSpacer/SpacingManager.swift — reads/writes NSStatusItemSpacing
• MenuBarSpacer/MenuBarSimulatorView.swift — menu bar preview

Tests

Xcode unit and UI test targets are included:

• MenuBarSpacerTests
• MenuBarSpacerUITests

Contributing

Issues and PRs are welcome. If you add new features, include a short description and any relevant tests.