What’s in the menu bar on Mac?

The menu bar runs along the top of the screen on your Mac. Use the menus and icons in the menu bar to choose commands, perform tasks and check status.

You can set an option to automatically hide the menu bar so it’s shown only when you move the pointer to the top of the screen.
See Change Dock & Menu Bar preferences.

Apple menu

The Apple menu , located in the top-left corner of the screen, contains commands for things you do frequently, such as update apps, open System Preferences, lock your screen, or shut down your Mac

App menus

App menus are located next to the Apple menu. The name of the app you’re using appears in bold, followed by other menus, often with standard names such as File, Edit, Format or Window.  Each app has a Help menu to make it easy to get information about using the app. See Use the built-in help.
Each menu contains commands, many of which are available in most apps.
For example, the Open command is often in the File menu.

For information about the symbols used in the keyboard shortcuts that are shown in the menu commands.
see What are those symbols shown in menus?

Status menus

Towards the right end of the menu bar are items (sometimes called status menus), typically represented by icons, that let you check the status of your Mac (such as the battery charge) or customize features (such as keyboard brightness).

• To show more details or options, click a status menu icon. For example, click Wi-Fi to show a list of available networks, or click Display to turn Dark Mode or Night Shift on or off. You can choose which items to show in the menu bar.
• To rearrange status menus, press and hold the Command key while you drag an icon.
• To quickly remove a status menu, press and hold the Command key while you drag the icon out of the menu bar.

Spotlight

If the Spotlight icon is shown in the menu bar, click the icon to search for items on your Mac and the web.

See Search with Spotlight.

Control Centre

Click the Control Centre icon to open Control Centre, where you can access features you use often, such as AirDrop, AirPlay, Focus, and more.

See Use Control Centre.

Siri

If the Siri icon is shown in the menu bar, click the icon to use Siri to do things like open files or apps, or to find things on your Mac or on the internet.

See Use Siri.

Notification Centre

At the right end of the menu bar, click the date and time to open Notification Centre, where you can view appointments, notes, weather, and more, and catch up on notifications you missed.

See Use Notification Centre.