Put the Bluetooth icon back in your Mac's menu bar

Why it happens

Most icons on the right of the menu bar can be shown or hidden one by one, and Bluetooth is one of them. An update, a settings reset or dragging the icon away with the Command key held can take it off. Bluetooth itself still works; only the shortcut has gone.

How to fix it

1. Open the Apple menu, choose System Settings and click Menu Bar in the sidebar.

2. Scroll to Menu Bar Controls and tick Bluetooth.

   Menu Bar›Menu Bar Controls›Bluetooth

3. Look at the top right of your screen. The Bluetooth icon should be back with the other icons. Click it to turn Bluetooth on or off and see your devices.

Still not fixed?

1. On a MacBook with a notch, a full menu bar can hide icons behind the notch. Untick controls you don't use in the same list, or hold Command and drag icons you don't need off the bar.

   Menu Bar›Menu Bar Controls

2. Need Bluetooth right now? Open System Settings and click Bluetooth in the sidebar to turn it on and connect devices, with or without the icon.

   Bluetooth

3. If the icon appears but goes again after a restart, restart once more and check the tick is still there. If it keeps clearing, install the latest macOS update in General > Software Update.

   General›Software Update

4. If Bluetooth settings say Bluetooth isn't available, or the switch won't stay on, contact Apple Support or a repair shop. The Bluetooth hardware may need a look.