Reminders MenuBar: Apple Reminders in the macOS Menu Bar
Simple macOS menu bar application to view and interact with reminders. Developed with SwiftUI and using Apple Reminders as a source.
At a glance
- What is it?
- A SwiftUI menu bar client for Apple Reminders that reads and writes through EventKit. It suits Mac users who live in the menu bar and keep their tasks in Reminders, and it is the wrong tool for anyone who wants a task database of its own.
- Who is it for?
- Adopt Reminders MenuBar if your tasks already live in Apple Reminders and you want them one click away in the menu bar, and if you accept that the app is a client rather than a database. Skip it if you need a task store that works outside Apple's ecosystem, if you are not on macOS Monterey 12 or later, or if you want a project you can modify and redistribute under permissive terms, because GPL-3.0 applies to the source.
- Can I use it commercially?
- Yes, with conditions. GPL-3.0 is a copyleft licence: if you distribute software that includes it, you must release that software's source code under the same licence. Running it internally without distributing it does not trigger that obligation.
- Is it still maintained?
- Yes. The repository last received commits 10 days ago.
- What is it written in?
- Mainly Swift, according to GitHub's language statistics.
Answers come from the project's GitHub data, last synced on September 27, 2026, and from our analysis. They are not legal advice.
Editorial analysis
What Reminders MenuBar solves for Mac users
The app targets a narrow but common annoyance: checking or editing a reminder means leaving whatever you are doing, opening Reminders, finding the right list, and coming back. Reminders MenuBar puts the same data in the menu bar. The README describes it as a simple macOS menu bar application to view and interact with reminders, developed with SwiftUI and using Apple Reminders as a source. Every interaction happens through the menu bar, and the repository topics list apple-reminders, macos-menubar, swiftui and utility, which matches that scope.
The audience is macOS users who already keep tasks in Apple Reminders and sync them through iCloud. The app does not introduce a second task store, an account, or a sync service. If your reminders live somewhere else, this project has nothing to read. The README is explicit that reminders are available in Apple Reminders and can be synced through iCloud, so the app inherits whatever your Apple account already does.
How the EventKit bridge and menu bar UI fit together
The mechanism is EventKit. The README states that Reminders MenuBar uses EKEventStore to access reminders on macOS. That means the app is a client of the system reminders database, not a container for its own data: reads and writes go through the same store that the Reminders app and iCloud sync use. On first use the app should request permission to access reminders, and the README points to System Settings > Privacy & Security > Reminders for managing that permission afterwards. There is a documented exception for OpenCore Legacy Patcher users, handled in docs/fix-for-opencore-legacy-patcher.md.
The UI layer is SwiftUI, per the description and the reminders-menubar directory in the repository. The top-level layout also includes reminders-menubar.xcodeproj, a reminders-menubar-launcher directory, an appcast.xml file, and a .swiftlint.yml configuration. The appcast file is the notable one: it implies a Sparkle-style update feed, so the app is distributed outside the Mac App Store and updates itself rather than through App Store review. That is a distribution choice with consequences for how quickly fixes reach users.
Installing Reminders MenuBar with Homebrew or a direct download
The README gives two installation paths and states that macOS Monterey 12 or later is required. The Homebrew cask is the shortest route:
brew install --cask reminders-menubarAfter that, launch the app from Applications. On first use it should request permission to access reminders. If you dismiss that prompt, the app has nothing to show until you grant access in System Settings > Privacy & Security > Reminders.
The second path is a direct download from the releases page, either a disk image or a zip archive. The README describes the disk image as double-click to open, then drag the app to Applications, and the zip as extract and drag the app to Applications. Neither path is a command line install, so the choice is mostly about whether you already use Homebrew.
For a first real use, the README lists what you can do once the app is running: create new reminders using natural language for due dates, lists, and tags, mark items as completed, edit due dates, priorities, recurrences, lists and tags, view upcoming reminders with a configurable time interval, search across all your reminders, and filter by lists and tags. The menu bar itself is configurable with an icon, a counter, or the next upcoming reminder, and the app can be toggled with a global keyboard shortcut. Start by setting the menu bar display to the counter or the next upcoming reminder, since that is the part you will see all day.
Where Reminders MenuBar stops being the right tool
The dependency on Apple Reminders is the whole design, and it is also the limit. There is no local database, no import from other task managers, and no export described in the README. If you stop using Apple Reminders, or if your team tracks work in a shared system that is not Reminders, this app cannot help.
The platform floor is another constraint. macOS Monterey 12 or later is required, so older Macs are out. The README also treats OpenCore Legacy Patcher as a special case rather than a supported default, pointing to a separate document; users on that path should expect to follow extra steps rather than a plain install.
Permission is a real failure mode worth naming. The README says the app should request permission on first use, and that the permission is managed in System Settings > Privacy & Security > Reminders. If that grant is missing or later revoked, the menu bar has no data to render. The README does not document a fallback view or an in-app explanation for the denied state, so a user who declines the prompt has to work out the cause from the system settings path.
How it compares with a standalone task manager
The obvious alternative is a task application that owns its data, such as a cross-platform task manager with its own sync backend. The difference is not cosmetic. A standalone manager stores tasks in its own service, which means it works the same on macOS, Windows, Linux and the web, and it can offer features Apple Reminders does not have. It also means a second account, a second sync layer, and a second place your tasks can live.
Reminders MenuBar takes the opposite position: it stores nothing of its own and inherits Apple's sync, sharing, and Siri integration for free. The trade is portability. You cannot take this app to a non-Apple machine, and its feature set is bounded by what EventKit exposes. If your constraint is cross-platform access, a standalone manager wins on architecture. If your constraint is not maintaining two task lists, this app wins by doing less.
Maintenance cadence, licence and upgrade cost
The last push to the repository was on 2026-09-19, and the most recent release is v2.2.0 from 2026-09-08, preceded by v2.1.1 on 2026-07-01 and v2.1.0 on 2026-06-22. The repository is not archived. That release spacing suggests a project that ships fixes and features at intervals of weeks to a couple of months rather than continuously.
The presence of appcast.xml indicates the app checks an update feed, so upgrades should arrive in-app rather than requiring a reinstall. Homebrew users can also upgrade through the cask. The project is licensed under GNU GPL-3.0, and the README points to the LICENSE file for details. For someone installing and using the app, the licence is mostly an academic point. For someone who wants to fork it, ship a modified build, or embed the code in a closed product, GPL-3.0 is the deciding factor and should be read in full before planning that work. This is a description of the licence, not legal advice.
The translation surface is a recurring cost the README makes visible: the app ships in roughly twenty languages, and docs/adding-new-languages.md explains how to add more. Every new user-facing string has to be carried across that set, which is the kind of maintenance load that shows up in release delays rather than in bug reports.
Editorial conclusion
Adopt Reminders MenuBar if your tasks already live in Apple Reminders and you want them one click away in the menu bar, and if you accept that the app is a client rather than a database. Skip it if you need a task store that works outside Apple's ecosystem, if you are not on macOS Monterey 12 or later, or if you want a project you can modify and redistribute under permissive terms, because GPL-3.0 applies to the source. Before installing, confirm your macOS version, check that System Settings > Privacy & Security > Reminders grants access after the first launch prompt, and read docs/fix-for-opencore-legacy-patcher.md if you run OpenCore Legacy Patcher, since that path is documented separately.
Frequently asked questions
How do I install Reminders MenuBar on macOS?
The README gives two options: the Homebrew cask reminders-menubar, or a direct download from the releases page as a .dmg or .zip that you drag into Applications. macOS Monterey 12 or later is required either way.
Does Reminders MenuBar sync with Apple Reminders?
Yes. The README states the app uses EKEventStore to access reminders on macOS, which are available in Apple Reminders and can be synced through iCloud. The app keeps everything in sync with Apple Reminders rather than holding its own copy.
Why does Reminders MenuBar show no reminders?
The most likely cause is the reminders permission. The README says the app should request access on first use, and that the grant can be managed in System Settings > Privacy & Security > Reminders. Without that permission the app has nothing to read.
Can I change what the menu bar shows for Reminders MenuBar?
Yes. The README lists menu bar customization with an icon, a counter, or the next upcoming reminder, and notes the app can be toggled with a global keyboard shortcut.
Official sources
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