About MenuGlide and first launch
Getting Started
MenuGlide brings a customizable application menu to the macOS menu bar. Use it to switch between running applications, open pinned apps and folders, and reach application actions without going through the Dock. MenuGlide requires macOS 13 (Ventura) or later.
- Launch MenuGlide and find its icon or label in the menu bar.
- Click it to open your menu. Choose Organize Menu… to add the apps and folders you want to keep close.
- Open Settings… to choose the menu-bar appearance, an optional keyboard shortcut, and whether MenuGlide opens at login.
The welcome window explains where the menu lives and how to get started. The Show this window at launch checkbox controls whether it appears on a later launch. Get Started closes the welcome window; Settings… opens Settings. Closing the welcome window leaves MenuGlide running in the menu bar. The Processes window is opened only when you request it; it is not opened automatically at launch.
MenuGlide can be used alongside the Dock and macOS application-switching shortcuts. Quitting MenuGlide stops its menu and shortcut; it does not quit the other applications on your Mac.
Adding applications to pinned items
Getting Started · Menu Items
Open the MenuGlide menu and choose Organize Menu…. In Pinned Items, use the plus button to choose an application or folder. Add Running lets you choose an application that is already open; its menu shows application icons to help you identify it.
A pinned application stays in your chosen position while closed. Selecting it from the main menu opens it when needed, or brings its running instance forward. Other running applications can appear in a separate section when that setting is enabled.
Select an item to review its details. The menu-label field supplies a name of your own; clear a custom label to use the original name again. The selected-item controls offer the operations that apply to that item, such as Open, Reveal and Info.
Use Remove to take selected pins out of MenuGlide. Removing a pin changes the menu arrangement; it does not delete its application, folder or files. If an item was moved or removed outside MenuGlide, locate and add its current location again.
Application and process information
Processes · Application Actions
Choose an application’s information command from App Actions, select an application in Menu Items and choose Info, or select a row in Processes and choose Info. The information window follows that selected application or process and refreshes the details that can change.
For an application, the Overview tab includes its version, bundle identifier and location. Current Process identifies the running instance. A closed application can still have application information, while commands requiring a running process are unavailable.
For a process without a graphical application, the same information window shows its PID, parent PID, user, start time, status and executable path when available. Long paths can be read or selected in the non-editable path field. Application-only details and commands are omitted when they do not apply.
The toolbar offers applicable commands such as Reveal, Sample Activity and process actions. Their availability depends on the selected instance, its state, ownership and macOS access. If a process exits, the information window reports that change rather than silently targeting another process with a reused number.
Changing table columns and row order
Menu Items · Processes
Drag a column heading sideways to change the order of columns. Drag the boundary between headings to resize a column. MenuGlide remembers the supported column arrangement and widths for that table, so reopening the window keeps your layout. Live updates continue to show each value beneath its corresponding heading.
In Pinned Items, drag selected rows to change their menu order. Separators move with the selected items. Command-click adds or removes individual rows from a selection, and Shift-click selects a range where multiple selection is available.
Running-process and excluded-application lists follow their own live or alphabetical order; they are not a way to change the order of running programs in macOS. A column arrangement changes the display, not process identity or saved menu order.
Right-click a selected row to see the commands available for that selection. When an operation only makes sense for one item, choose a single row first. A disabled command can mean that the selection, item type or current process state does not support it.
Choosing the menu-bar icon or label
Settings
Open Settings → Appearance. The menu-bar field accepts a symbol, emoji or short text. Type or paste what you want, or click one of the quick icons to replace the field with that choice. The default choice restores MenuGlide’s standard icon.
Emoji & Symbols… opens the native macOS character picker for the text field. Select a character there to insert it, or paste text from another application. Choose Image… uses an image file of your own.
The preview follows your edits. Text changes apply after a short pause; leave enough space for the icon or label in the menu bar. Empty text selects the default appearance. Invalid or excessively long input is left for you to correct without replacing the previous valid icon.
The quick-icon grid is a set of convenient choices, not an exhaustive symbol catalogue. The native character picker supplies other characters. Visibility can vary with the menu bar’s space, display scale and light or dark appearance.
Excluding and restoring applications
Menu Items
Exclude an application when you want it left out of the MenuGlide application menu. Select it in Menu Items and use the exclusion control or its contextual command. Excluding an application does not quit, hide or delete it.
Open the Excluded Applications tab to review excluded items. Select one or more applications and choose Restore to Menu to allow them to appear again. A restored application still needs to be running or pinned to appear in the normal menu.
A pin and an exclusion are different choices: a pin remembers a place in your menu; an exclusion prevents the application from being shown until you restore it. If you remove a pin, that application may still appear among other running apps when that setting is on.
Folder shortcuts and separators are menu items rather than applications, so the application-exclusion command does not apply to them.
General settings and opening at login
Getting Started · Settings
Open Settings → General to control whether MenuGlide opens at login and whether other running applications are included in its menu. Turning off the running-app section does not remove pinned items.
When you enable opening at login, macOS may require approval in System Settings → General → Login Items. Check the status shown beside the setting. If macOS has blocked or disabled the item, allow MenuGlide there and check again.
The Show the welcome window at launch checkbox controls the welcome window separately. It is the same choice shown in the welcome window itself and does not control whether MenuGlide opens at login. The Processes window does not open automatically at launch.
Ordinary MenuGlide settings apply as you change them. Close Settings when finished. If a choice reports a save or registration error, read the explanation and correct the cause before assuming it has taken effect.
Help, updates and diagnostic information
Troubleshooting
Use Help and Support in the MenuGlide menu for the manual, Contact Support, Release Notes, available update checking, and Debug Log. The License menu provides the available registration and licence-information commands.
When requesting help, include the MenuGlide version, macOS version, the command you selected and the result. Mention whether the target application was open, hidden or already quitting. For folder problems, include whether the folder is on a disconnected drive or network volume.
Review a debug log or Sample Activity report before sharing it. Diagnostic information may contain application names, paths and process details. Send only the information relevant to the issue through Koingo Support.
See Contact Koingo Support for assistance. Update and licensing availability depend on the edition and its configuration; this manual does not provide an alternate activation or update service.
Organizing pinned items and separators
Menu Items
In Organize Menu… → Pinned Items, drag an item to the position you want. You can select several rows and move them together while preserving their relative order. This is the order used for your pinned section of the main menu.
Use Separator in the controls beneath the list to add a dividing line. A separator looks like a line in the table and in the menu. Select it to move or remove it; application commands such as Open and Info do not apply to a separator.
The segmented controls beneath the list operate on that list or its selection. Right-click a selected row for its applicable commands. Add Running adds a pin; it does not launch a second copy of an already-running app.
Menu labels change the names shown in MenuGlide, not the names of the underlying apps or folders in Finder. Your saved order, labels and pins remain local MenuGlide settings.
Processes, search and selection
Processes
Open Processes… from MenuGlide when you want to inspect running software. The initial list contains graphical applications. Turn on Show All Processes to include other processes that macOS makes available.
The columns show the process name, process identifier (PID), kind and user. MenuGlide looks up a user name when available. A PID identifies one running instance and may be reused by macOS after that instance exits; it is not a permanent application identifier.
Use the search field to narrow the visible list. Select a row and choose Info to open its live information. Right-click a row or use the toolbar for commands applicable to the selected process, including available quit and sampling actions.
Command-click or Shift-click selects multiple rows. Quit, Force Quit and Copy Process IDs support multiple processes when every selected row is eligible; Info, Sample Activity and Reveal require one row. Commands unsupported by the current selection are disabled. Non-graphical process actions are limited to readable, unchanged processes owned by your current user that are not protected or changing privileges. MenuGlide does not elevate access. Some system processes cannot be inspected or controlled.
The list changes as processes launch and exit. The status area summarizes the displayed list and selection, with Live or Updating status. If refresh is unavailable, review its status details.
Recording or clearing a keyboard shortcut
Settings
Open Settings → Keyboard and click Set Shortcut…. Then press the keyboard combination you want to use to open MenuGlide’s menu. Include Command, Option or Control as directed by the recorder.
The recorder captures a physical keyboard key with its modifiers, so you do not need to choose an English letter from a popup list. The button shows the assigned combination when one is set. Use Clear to remove that shortcut.
If a combination conflicts with another registration, MenuGlide explains that it could not be registered. Try a different combination. The shortcut needs MenuGlide to remain running, and another app or macOS can reserve combinations that are unavailable.
While recording, the button says Press Shortcut…. Press Escape to cancel. If you change applications or close the window before finishing, check the displayed combination rather than assuming an incomplete recording was saved.
Sampling activity and managing reports
Processes · Application Actions
Select a running application or eligible process and choose Sample Activity…. MenuGlide opens a sample window for that instance and collects a short diagnostic report using the standard macOS sampling tool.
A progress indicator shows when sampling is in progress. The command at the right of the toolbar becomes Cancel while the sample is running. Cancel requests that collection stop; allow the operation to finish safely before starting another sample.
After collection, read the report, copy it, export it to a local file, or open Activity Monitor for further investigation. Import lets you read an existing sample report; importing a report does not start or control the process described in that file.
A sample is a snapshot of activity, not an automatic diagnosis or repair. Sampling depends on process state, ownership and macOS permissions. An inaccessible or ended process can prevent a sample from being taken.
Reports may contain application names, executable paths and other process information. Review them before sending them to another person or to support.
Switching applications and reading menu indicators
Getting Started · Application Actions
Click MenuGlide’s menu-bar icon or label, then choose an application. A running app is brought forward; a closed pinned app is opened. Folder pins open submenus instead of switching applications.
Your pinned items appear in their saved order. Other running applications can appear below a Running Applications heading. The check mark identifies the active application. Hidden applications have a slightly muted name and a small slashed-eye indicator, while remaining selectable.
A hidden application is still running. Selecting it from the main menu brings it forward; hiding it is different from quitting it. An unavailable item may refer to an app or folder that has moved, been deleted or become inaccessible.
For commands beyond switching, open App Actions and choose the application there. MenuGlide checks the selected running instance again when applying an action, because applications can quit or relaunch while a menu is open.
Troubleshooting missing apps, folders and shortcuts
Troubleshooting
- A running app is missing: check the General setting for other running applications and the Excluded Applications tab. Background-only processes belong in Show All Processes rather than the ordinary application menu.
- A pin is unavailable: use Finder to check its current location and drive availability. Remove the obsolete pin and add the current item if needed. Removing a pin does not delete the original.
- A folder shows Loading… or only some items: reopen its submenu after loading, or choose Show in Finder. MenuGlide deliberately limits work and does not enumerate every item in a very large folder.
- A shortcut does nothing: confirm MenuGlide is running, review the combination in Keyboard settings and check for a registration conflict. Try another combination.
- Open at login is not active: check the status and approve MenuGlide in System Settings → General → Login Items when macOS requests it.
- Quit or sampling is unavailable: the process may have exited, be protected, belong to another user or be inaccessible under macOS permissions. Refresh your selection and read the explanation.
If a command says the trial has expired, use the normal Unlock command and enter the licence code for MenuGlide. Changing a menu item or restarting the app does not renew an expired trial.
Unlocking MenuGlide and trial expiry
Licensing · Getting Started
MenuGlide uses Koingo’s normal trial and licence system. Use the available Unlock… command in the License menu to enter a MenuGlide licence code. Review License Details to check the current activation status.
During a valid trial, supported app-switching, application actions and Processes features are available. This manual does not specify a trial duration; follow the status and instructions shown by your installed edition.
After a trial expires, MenuGlide can still launch and you can inspect its interface and settings. Choosing an app from the main menu, invoking application actions or opening Processes presents the licence requirement instead of performing that operation. Enter a valid code through the normal registration window to restore licensed access.
A purchase receipt or account sign-in alone is not the same as a completed activation in the app. If a code is rejected, check that it belongs to MenuGlide and follow the registration explanation or contact support. Do not send a full private licence code in a public forum.
Using App Actions and Hide All
Application Actions
Open App Actions in the MenuGlide menu, then choose an application to see the available commands. Depending on its state, these include Switch To or Open, Hide or Show, Quit, Relaunch, Reveal in Finder, App Information and Copy Process ID.
Hide All is at the top of App Actions. It hides the applications that were running when you selected the command and brings Finder forward if Finder is already open. It does not launch Finder, quit your apps or save their documents.
Use Quit for a normal shutdown request. Force Quit asks for confirmation and can discard unsaved work, so reserve it for an app that will not quit normally. Relaunch quits the selected instance and opens the application again when that can be done safely.
Finder and MenuGlide are protected from ordinary application quit commands. An action can become unavailable if its selected process exits or changes. A command shown for one app is not permission to control every process on the Mac.
Working with pinned folders
Menu Items
Add a folder in Organize Menu to give it a place in your pinned menu. Open its submenu to browse available files and subfolders. Show in Finder is the first command and opens the complete folder.
MenuGlide limits each folder submenu to a selection of up to 100 entries and follows subfolders up to ten levels deep. It reads a bounded portion of the folder rather than scanning tens of thousands of entries before showing the menu. The displayed selection is not a complete alphabetical catalogue of the folder.
A new or refreshed submenu may show Loading… while contents are read. Reopen it to see the refreshed selection. Choose Show in Finder when you need the full contents, an item beyond the limit, or a folder deeper than the menu limit.
In Settings → Appearance, choose whether folders appear at the top or bottom of the displayed selection. This changes MenuGlide’s presentation, not the folder’s order or contents in Finder.
Folder menus follow the current files and folders. A disconnected drive, unavailable network share or macOS access restriction can make an item unavailable. Opening a file uses its normal associated application.
