After updating to Tahoe, time/date in menu bar no longer dims in do not disturb

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Level 1

6 points

After updating to Tahoe, time/date in menu bar no longer dims in do not disturb

In past OS versions I've had Focus/Do Not Disturb set up so that I can option+click the time/date in the menu bar, and it dims to let me know I'm in DND. After updating to Tahoe 26.0.1, this no longer works on either my work machine or my personal machine. I know it's a new OS and possibly a bug, but figured I'd post it since I couldn't find another thread on it.

Option+click still enables DND in the background, there's just no signifier in the UI that anything has changed. I've tried:

Toggling the setting for the menu bar icon (which used to enable/disable time & date dimming)
Doing the same thing in Terminal (defaults write com.apple.controlcenter "NSStatusItem Visible FocusModes" -bool true, then false again)
killall SystemUIServer
killall ControlCenter
Restarting

I'm hoping Apple hasn't decided to lean into the menu bar half-moon 🌙 icon. That icon is solid white when DND is active. Hours after you enabled it, you're unlikely to notice a solid white icon blending into a row of other solid white icons (which your brain has learned to ignore), and your mom has been trying to get in touch with you all day. Apple, call your mother back.

Posted on Oct 26, 2025 12:44 PM

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Answer 1

Top-ranking reply

jeffreythefrog

Level 6

14,154 points

Oct 26, 2025 12:52 PM in response to kidboyblue

when you put the DND icon on your menubar, it disables the clock going dim or bright depending on wether or not DND is turned on. instead, the icon goes dim or bright.

if you want to return to the clock dimming or brightening, press and hold your keyboard's "command" key and drag the DND icon off of your menubar.

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Answer 2

Oct 26, 2025 5:17 PM in response to kidboyblue

kidboyblue wrote:

Thanks for the reply. I do understand this, it's why I tried toggling that icon to turn on/off the date/time dimming. The icon is currently (and for years now) not on my menu-bar, and the dimming of the date/time does not work.

Have you confirmed that date/time dimming works on your machine in Tahoe?

It is a change in Tahoe...

The Option key held click the Date and Time. I see no change brightness in Tahoe of the date/time as an indicator.

you can submit your Apple Feedback here: Product Feedback - Apple

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Answer 3

kidboyblue Author

Level 1

6 points

Oct 27, 2025 4:19 PM in response to leroydouglas

Thanks for confirming it doesn't work for you.

The half-moon icon has been an option in settings for years, pre-Tahoe. If you enabled it, it would disable the clock dimming (so you wouldn't end up with two signifiers for the same state in your menu bar).

It seems Apple have decided to lean into the icon signifier, and disabled the clock signifier.

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Answer 4

kidboyblue Author

Level 1

6 points

Oct 26, 2025 2:26 PM in response to jeffreythefrog

Thanks for the reply. I do understand this, it's why I tried toggling that icon to turn on/off the date/time dimming. The icon is currently (and for years now) not on my menu-bar, and the dimming of the date/time does not work.

Have you confirmed that date/time dimming works on your machine in Tahoe?

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Answer 5

kidboyblue Author

Level 1

6 points

Oct 26, 2025 3:59 PM in response to kidboyblue

And by turn on/off, I mean via the checkbox in Settings/Menu Bar. I tried turning the feature on and off in case that forced some sort of reload. My settings were already configured for date/time dimming to work before the update, and they are now as well.

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