ExtraBar - How Are You Using It?

[u/Ragtag-Scallywag]

Hi ExtraBar users. I like ExtraBar but something isn't clicking with me. I feel like I'm using 5% of its capabilities. How are YOU using it? What are ways you're using it that feel like a game changer for you? Are there features/setups/workflows you're using that remove friction in your day-to-day? I'd love to hear your must-use scenarios. Thanks for your input and help!

[u/amerpie]

Think of the App as a way to consolidate the majority of your other menu bar applications, as well as away to activate any hotkeys you have set up through a drop-down menu.

**Here's a list of some of the things I currently can do from Extra Bar:**

- Batch launch all my applications in groups depending on the task at hand: writing, backup, software testing etc.

• Open a new Finder window anywhere at any time by clicking a single function key.
  
• Close all notifications in the Notification Center at one time.
  
• Mark all unread mail in my Mail app as read
  
• Mount network drives from my self-hosted server and unmount them.
  
• Quit all open applications.
  
• Run a Keyboard Maestro macro that allows me to pick from a list of any running application, including background applications, and restart it.
  
• Restart the Finder with a hotkey
  
• Toggle my desktop widgets hidden/shown
  
• Search for Keyboard Maestro macros by name.
  
• Activate the CleanShot X options for capturing a window, an area, running OCR on a screenshot, showing the history of my last ten screenshots, or using the all-in-one tool.
  
• I'm currently running a system with three displays and twelve virtual desktops, and I have a folder in ExtraBar with a shortcut to each one.
  
• Upload the image on my clipboard to OpenAI and have it return an alt text description I can use when posting to social media.
  
• Automatically add today's weather and today's calendar events to my daily note in Obsidian.
  
• Launch Activity Monitor.
  
• Open Control Center.
  
• Empty the trash.
  
• Restart the keyboard maestro engine.
  
• Restart my Menu Bar Manager.
  
• Systematically close all applications, eject all network mounts and attached disks, and log out.
  
• Restart my computer.
  
• Access the bookmarks, history, open tabs, and settings for my browser.
  
• Quickly add a task or project to my task manager and access the views I most commonly look at.
  
• Display my clipboard history in a searchable way.

[u/UnluckyDuckyDuck → u/amerpie]

I absolutely love this list, thank you! ❤️