Remove Siri Icon From Mac Menu Bar: 4 Ways

To remove the Siri icon from the Mac menu bar, open System Settings (or System Preferences on older macOS), go to Control Center, and toggle off “Show in Menu Bar� for Siri. This works on macOS Ventura and later; on earlier versions, you uncheck Siri in the menu bar settings within System Preferences. Below are all the methods, including a hidden trick for older systems.

Why the Siri Icon Appears in Your Menu Bar

The Siri icon has been part of the macOS menu bar since macOS Sierra (2016). Apple added it as a quick way to summon the assistant without using a keyboard shortcut or the Dock. On newer macOS versions (Big Sur and later), the menu bar is managed by the Control Center, which lets you decide which icons appear. On older systems, Siri’s menu bar icon was controlled by a simple checkbox in System Preferences.

The icon itself is a small, colored swirl that sits near the right side of the menu bar, next to the date and other status items. Some users find it redundant, especially if they never use Siri or prefer to trigger it with a keyboard shortcut.

Method 1: System Settings (macOS Ventura and Later)

If your Mac runs macOS Ventura, Sonoma, or Sequoia, the option is inside the Control Center pane of System Settings.

1. Open System Settings from the Apple menu () or by clicking its icon in the Dock.
2. Click Control Center in the left sidebar.
3. Scroll down to the Menu Bar section.
4. Find Siri and click the dropdown next to it.
5. Select Don’t Show in Menu Bar.

The icon disappears immediately. You can also choose to show Siri only in Control Center (the toggle icon at the top-right) or hide it entirely. If you later want it back, just repeat the steps and choose “Show in Menu Bar.�

Method 2: System Preferences (macOS Big Sur and Monterey)

On macOS Big Sur (11) and Monterey (12), the setting is also in System Preferences, but the layout is slightly different.

1. Open System Preferences from the Apple menu.
2. Click Dock & Menu Bar.
3. In the left sidebar, select Siri.
4. Uncheck Show in Menu Bar.

That’s it. The icon vanishes right away. This version also lets you control whether Siri appears in the Touch Bar (on supported MacBook Pro models) and whether it shows keyboard shortcuts.

Method 3: Older macOS (Mojave, Catalina, High Sierra)

If you’re running macOS Catalina (10.15), Mojave (10.14), or High Sierra (10.13), the option is in a different place.

1. Open System Preferences.
2. Click Siri (the icon is a colorful swirl).
3. Uncheck Show Siri in menu bar.

On these versions, there is no Control Center, so this is the only way to hide the icon. The setting is stored per-user, so if you have multiple accounts on the Mac, you’ll need to do it for each account.

Method 4: Using Terminal (Works on Most Versions)

If you prefer the command line or the setting is grayed out, you can use Terminal to remove the icon. This works on macOS Mojave through Sonoma, though the exact command varies slightly by version.

For macOS Big Sur and later:

defaults write com.apple.controlcenter "NSStatusItem Visible Siri" -bool false

Then restart the Control Center process:

killall ControlCenter

For macOS Catalina and earlier:

defaults write com.apple.systemuiserver "NSStatusItem Visible Siri" -bool false

Then restart the menu bar:

killall SystemUIServer

If the icon doesn’t disappear after the kill command, log out and back in. This method is useful if the normal checkbox isn’t working or if you’re managing multiple Macs remotely.

What to Do If the Icon Won’t Go Away

Sometimes the toggle seems to work, but the icon stays. Here are the most common causes and fixes:

• You’re looking at the wrong icon. The Siri icon is a colorful swirl. If you see a similar icon that isn’t Siri (like Spotlight’s magnifying glass), you’re trying the wrong setting.
• You need to restart the menu bar. After changing the setting, log out and back in, or restart your Mac. This forces the menu bar to reload.
• Third-party menu bar apps. Some apps like Bartender or iStat Menus can override system settings. Check those apps’ preferences to see if they’re forcing the icon to show.
• System Settings is stuck. Try quitting System Settings (Cmd+Q) and reopening it, then toggle the setting again.

If none of these work, try the Terminal method above. It bypasses the GUI and often fixes stubborn cases.

Can You Remove Siri Completely?

Removing the icon doesn’t disable Siri itself. Siri will still work if you use the keyboard shortcut (hold Cmd+Space, or hold the Siri key on newer Macs) or if you say “Hey Siri� (on supported Macs). If you want to turn off Siri entirely, go to System Settings > Siri & Spotlight (or System Preferences > Siri) and toggle off “Ask Siri.� This also removes the icon from the menu bar on most versions.

Note that on macOS Ventura and later, turning off Siri in System Settings also disables the “Hey Siri� feature and the keyboard shortcut. On older versions, you can still use the keyboard shortcut even if the icon is hidden.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does removing the Siri icon affect Siri functionality?

No. The icon is just a shortcut. Siri remains fully functional via keyboard shortcuts, the Dock (if you added it), or the “Hey Siri� voice command (on supported Macs). If you want to disable Siri entirely, you must turn it off in System Settings, not just hide the icon.

Why is the Siri icon grayed out in System Settings?

This usually happens if Siri is disabled entirely. Go to System Settings > Siri & Spotlight and make sure “Ask Siri� is enabled. Once Siri is on, the menu bar option becomes available.

Will the icon come back after a macOS update?

Usually no, but some macOS updates have been known to reset certain settings. If you notice the icon reappears after an update, simply repeat the steps to hide it again.

Can I move the Siri icon to a different location?

On macOS Big Sur and later, you can’t drag the Siri icon to a new position in the menu bar. The menu bar is fixed, and Apple doesn’t allow reordering of system icons. On older versions, you could hold the Command key and drag the icon, but that hasn’t worked since Mojave.

Is there a way to hide the icon only temporarily?

There’s no built-in “temporary� option, but you can use the Terminal command to hide it and then reverse it when needed. Alternatively, you could use a third-party app like Bartender to hide it, but that’s overkill for most users.

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