The Top Navigation Menu
In macOS, every Finder window features a Toolbar spanning the very top edge, just beneath the window title. By default, this Toolbar houses essential navigation controls (Back/Forward arrows), view style selectors (Icon, List, Column, Gallery), the file grouping button, sharing options, tag assignments, and the all-important Spotlight search bar. It is designed to put the most frequently used file management tools directly at your fingertips.
However, for hardcore power users who navigate entirely via keyboard shortcuts (e.g., using Cmd + [ to go back, Cmd + 2 to switch to List view, or Cmd + Space for system-wide Spotlight), this graphical Toolbar is largely redundant. It consumes valuable vertical screen real estate that could otherwise be used to display an extra row of files. If you are building an ultra-minimalist desktop environment and want your Finder windows to look like pure, unadorned lists of data without any graphical buttons hovering above them, you can disable the Toolbar entirely.
How to Hide the Finder Toolbar
You can instantly strip the top navigation bar from any active Finder window via the View menu.
- Open a Finder window.
- Click on the window to ensure it is the currently active application.
- Look at the top menu bar on your screen and click on the View menu.
- About halfway down the dropdown list, locate the option labelled Hide Toolbar.
- Click “Hide Toolbar.”
- Alternatively, you can simply press the keyboard shortcut
Option + Cmd + Twhile the Finder window is active.
The top button bar will immediately vanish, and the window’s title bar will shrink down, giving the window a much cleaner, streamlined appearance. To bring it back, simply press `Option + Cmd + T` again.