Nowbar – Now Playing is a free Mac app that shows Artist – Title of the song playing in Apple Music or Spotify in your menu bar, with previous, play/pause and next () next to it. Click the title to see the album cover. That's it: no windows, no settings screen, almost no memory. It needs Apple silicon and macOS 13 or later, and it collects no data.
Features
- Works with Apple Music and Spotify
- Previous, play/pause and next in the menu bar
- Album cover one click away
- Optional progress line under the title
- Show the controls, the title or both
- Collects no data
Requirements
- A Mac with Apple silicon (M1 or later). Intel Macs are not supported.
- macOS 13 or later.
- Apple Music and/or Spotify.
Light on your Mac
Nowbar uses about 15 MB of memory when idle (measured with macOS's footprint tool) and about 21–23 MB after you have opened the album cover. It doesn't poll the players: it waits for their own notifications, so it uses almost no processor time or battery.
Support
Questions, problems or ideas? Email us:
Common questions
How do I show the current song in the Mac menu bar?
Install Nowbar and play a song in Apple Music or Spotify. Nowbar shows Artist – Title in the menu bar, with previous, play/pause and next next to it.
Does Nowbar work with Spotify?
Yes, with both Apple Music and Spotify. If both are playing, the one that started most recently is shown.
Does Nowbar work on Intel Macs?
No. Nowbar is built for Apple silicon only and needs macOS 13 or later.
How much memory does Nowbar use?
About 15 MB when idle, and about 21–23 MB after you have opened the album cover.
Does Nowbar collect any data?
No. There are no accounts, analytics, tracking or advertising. Settings and the album cover cache stay on your Mac. See the privacy policy.
Nowbar shows nothing.
Nowbar needs permission to talk to Music or Spotify. Open System Settings → Privacy & Security → Automation, find Nowbar and turn on Music and/or Spotify.
I can't see Nowbar in my menu bar.
When the menu bar is full, macOS hides items that don't fit. Turn off Show Title in Nowbar's menu (right-click it) or remove other menu bar items.
Where are the settings?
Right-click Nowbar (or Control-click) for the menu: Show Controls, Show Title, Show Progress and Open at Login.