How to see your calendar from the Mac menu bar
Skip the dock. Your schedule should be one click away.
Clicking through Finder, opening Apple Calendar, waiting for it to load — it adds up. If you check your schedule 10+ times a day, a menu bar calendar saves real time. One click on the menu bar, and your events are right there.
Option 1: The built-in macOS clock
macOS Ventura and later added a basic calendar to the clock widget. Click the date in the top-right corner of your screen, and you'll see a small month view alongside your notifications. It shows dates, but not your events — you still need to open Calendar.app for that.
For quick date checks, this works. But if you need to see what's on your calendar, you need more.
Option 2: A dedicated menu bar calendar app
Menu bar calendar apps replace or complement the system clock with a full calendar that shows your actual events. The best ones include:
- •A month grid — navigate between months, see which days have events at a glance
- •An event list — your upcoming agenda for the next few days, not just today
- •Event creation — add events without opening Apple Calendar
- •Meeting links — join Zoom, Meet, or Teams directly from the event
What to look for in a menu bar calendar
Not all menu bar calendars are equal. Here's what matters:
Works with your existing calendars
iCloud, Google, Outlook, Exchange — it should read from macOS Calendar so everything syncs automatically. No extra accounts.
Keyboard shortcuts
The fastest way to check your calendar is a global shortcut. Press a key combo, calendar appears. Press Escape, it's gone. No mouse needed.
Native and lightweight
Electron-based apps drain battery and feel sluggish. A native SwiftUI app launches instantly, uses minimal memory, and respects your Mac's resources.
Privacy
Your calendar data is personal. Look for apps that keep data on your Mac — no account required, no server sync, no data collection.
How Dot works as a menu bar calendar
Dot is a menu bar calendar for Mac that gives you a full calendar, event list, and meeting tools in one click. Here's what you get:
- •Full month grid with event indicator dots under each day
- •Agenda view showing up to 30 days ahead
- •Natural language event creation — type “Team sync every Monday 10am for 1 hour” and it just works
- •One-click meeting join for Zoom, Google Meet, Teams, and Webex
- •Global keyboard shortcut to toggle the calendar from anywhere
- •Next event countdown in the menu bar — “Standup · 15m”
- •Full event search with &Cmd;F across titles, notes, locations, and people
- •Native SwiftUI — no Electron, launches instantly, respects your battery
Dot works with every calendar connected to macOS Calendar — iCloud, Google, Outlook, Exchange, CalDAV. No account needed, no data leaves your Mac.
Getting started
Dot has a 14-day free trial. After that, it's a one-time purchase — no subscription.
