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KDE can have both types in use at the same time. KDE and GNOME allow users to turn Macintosh-style and Windows-style menu bars on and off. Screenshot of KDE 3.5 configured with a single menu bar Additionally, pressing Alt or F10 brings the focus on the first menu of the menu bar. Menus in the menu bar can be accessed through shortcuts involving the Alt key and the mnemonic letter that appears underlined in the menu title.
#What is the menu bar on mac windows#
The menu bar in Microsoft Windows is usually anchored to the top of a window under the title bar therefore, there can be many menu bars on screen at one time.
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#What is the menu bar on mac mac os#
It has been a feature of all versions of the Classic Mac OS since the first Macintosh was released in 1984, and is still used today in macOS. The idea of separate menus in each window or document was later implemented in Microsoft Windows and is the default representation in most Linux desktop environments.Įven before the advent of the Macintosh, the universal graphical menu bar appeared in the Apple Lisa in 1983. Therefore, for example, if the System Preferences application is focused, its menus are in the menu bar, and if the user clicks on the Desktop which is a part of the Finder application, the menu bar will then display the Finder menus.Īpple experiments in GUI design for the Lisa project initially used multiple menu bars anchored to the bottom of windows, but this was quickly dropped in favor of the current arrangement, as it proved slower to use (in accordance with Fitts's law). There is only one menu bar, so the application menus displayed are those of the application that is currently focused. In Mac OS 8.5 and later, the menu can be dragged downwards, which would cause it to be represented on screen as a floating palette. In the Classic Mac OS (versions 7 through 9), the right side contains the application menu, allowing the user to switch between open applications. If an icon is dragged and dropped vertically it will disappear with a puff of smoke, much like the icons in the dock. All of these menu extras can be moved horizontally by command-clicking and dragging left or right.
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On the right side, it contains menu extras (for example the system clock, volume control, and the Fast user switching menu (if enabled) and the Spotlight icon. In macOS, the left side contains the Apple menu, the Application menu (its name will match the name of the current application) and the currently focused application's menus (e.g. In the Macintosh operating systems, the menu bar is a horizontal "bar" anchored to the top of the screen.
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