The AirPlay Display Icon
macOS features built-in support for AirPlay, allowing you to wirelessly project your Mac’s screen onto an Apple TV or a compatible smart TV. To make this feature easily accessible, the operating system can display a “Video Mirroring” (or AirPlay Display) icon directly in the top Menu Bar. Historically, this icon would automatically appear whenever the Mac detected a compatible AirPlay receiver on the local Wi-Fi network, giving you a quick drop-down menu to initiate a screen mirroring session.
While this is incredibly convenient if you frequently present slides in conference rooms or watch movies on your living room TV, it can be an annoyance in dense environments like apartment buildings or large corporate offices. If your Mac constantly detects your neighbor’s Apple TV or a TV in another department, the mirroring icon will persistently occupy space in your Menu Bar. If you rarely or never use AirPlay to mirror your screen, or if you prefer to initiate mirroring strictly through the modern Control Center panel, you should remove this dedicated icon to reclaim valuable Menu Bar real estate.
How to Remove the Video Mirroring Icon
You can hide the AirPlay display icon from your Menu Bar via the Control Center settings.
- Click the Apple Logo in the top-left corner of the screen and select System Settings… (or System Preferences).
- In the left-hand sidebar, scroll down and click on Control Center.
- In the right-hand pane, scroll down until you find the section labelled Screen Mirroring.
- Look for the dropdown menu next to Show in Menu Bar.
- Click the dropdown menu and change the setting to Don’t Show (or “Never”).
The Video Mirroring icon will immediately disappear from the top of your screen, though you will still be able to access the feature at any time by opening the main Control Center drop-down.