Apple Reveals 'Scale to Fit' Setting to Prevent a Mac App's Menu Bar Items From Being Hidden Under Notch

Wednesday October 27, 2021 9:15 pm PDT by Joe Rossignol

Apple today shared a new support document that explains how users can ensure that an app's menu bar items do not appear hidden behind the notch, or the "camera housing" as Apple calls it, on the new 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pro models.

scale to fit notch setting macos
In the support document, Apple says users can turn on "scale to fit below built-in camera" for an app to adjust the active area of the display, ensuring that the app's menu bar items appear below the notch and are always visible.

Menu bar items appearing hidden behind the notch was demonstrated by Quinn Nelson, host of the YouTube channel Snazzy Labs.

To turn on "scale to fit below built-in camera" for an app on the new MacBook Pro models, open the Finder app and click on Applications in the sidebar. Then, right click on the desired app and select "Get Info." In the Info window that opens, check off the "scale to fit below built-in camera" box and the display will automatically adjust when the app is open.

The setting was demonstrated in a tweet by Joseph Angelo Todaro, a design advocate for Sketch.

Good news for notch haters! If you've got an app (or apps) with menus that collide with the notch, just Get Info on the app, and enable "Scale to fit below built-in camera". While the app is running (even in the bg), your display is scaled.#Apple #M1Pro #M1Max #MacBookPro2021 pic.twitter.com/nlGqkFkXAH — Joseph from Sketch (@Jatodaro) October 27, 2021

Apple notes that developers can update their app to work better with the notch, in which case the "scale to fit below built-in camera" setting no longer appears.

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Top Rated Comments

WilliamG

25 months ago

Did you notice that “scale to fit” restores the bezels of the previous generation MBP on the left and right side as well (not just the top of the screen)? This is how it maintains the aspect ratio. It is literally scaling down the whole screen

Yep. This is literally the worst possible solution.

Score: 34 Votes (Like | Disagree)

El Szomorito

Lol, a terrible solution to a problem we didn't had before. Nice job.

Score: 22 Votes (Like | Disagree)

timerickson

The video shows the entire screen shrinking at the same aspect ratio, bizarre. I would have expected the menubar to simply slide down the same number of pixels as the notch is tall, making it the same total aspect ratio as previous MBPs

This is going to be annoying for pixel critical work that designers (and artists, etc) do, as it's no longer a perfect 2x multiple PPI (for the default scale resolution, at least). Scaling the entire screen down a bit means you're no longer integer scaling the display.

Score: 21 Votes (Like | Disagree)

Superhappytree

When you have to have settings, dark modes and apps to appease the notch and yet you have floods of people on here defending it as “great design, well done Apple”.

It’s a massive design fail that interferes with UX and UI.

Score: 19 Votes (Like | Disagree)

semaja2

Why not just give an option for the system to ignore the notch area, and simply put the menu bar below the notch…

Essentially maintaining the scale but just making the screen shorter?

Score: 18 Votes (Like | Disagree)