The Redundant Control Center Icon
Starting with macOS Big Sur, Apple introduced the Control Center—a unified panel accessed by clicking a specific icon (which looks like two toggle switches) in the top-right corner of the menu bar. This panel houses quick settings for Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, AirDrop, Display Brightness, and Volume, bringing the macOS experience much closer to iOS and iPadOS.
However, if you are a long-time Mac user, you likely already have individual icons for Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and Volume pinned directly to your menu bar for faster, one-click access. In this scenario, the Control Center icon is completely redundant and simply takes up valuable space in your menu bar. If you prefer the classic, modular approach to system settings and never use the unified panel, you can hide the Control Center icon.
How to Hide the Control Center Icon
You can remove the icon via the Control Center settings pane.
- Click the Apple Logo in the top-left corner of the menu bar and select System Settings… (or System Preferences).
- In the left-hand sidebar, click on Control Center (In macOS Monterey or earlier, this option is located under “Dock & Menu Bar”).
- Scroll down the right-hand pane until you find the section explicitly labelled Control Center (usually near the top or middle, depending on your OS version).
- Look for the setting that dictates where the Control Center is shown. It will likely have a dropdown menu.
- Select the option to Don’t Show in Menu Bar (or toggle the specific switch to the Off position).
The two-slider icon will immediately disappear from the top-right corner of your screen, freeing up space for your other preferred system icons and third-party menu bar applications.