Use the native macOS menu bar for the main application menus

Author: agapedimasCreated Sep 22, 2026Updated Sep 22, 2026
Labelsenhancementpossible-duplicate
  • I agree to follow the Code of Conduct that this project adheres to.
  • I have searched the issue tracker for a feature request that matches the one I want to file, without success.

Is your feature request related to a problem? Please describe. On macOS, the draw.io Desktop application currently renders its main application menus (File, Edit, View, Arrange, Extras, Help) as part of the application window UI rather than using the native macOS menu bar.

This makes the macOS desktop experience feel inconsistent with native applications. In particular, the menus remain inside the document window instead of being integrated into the system menu bar at the top of the screen. It also means the application does not fully follow the standard macOS menu-bar interaction model.

Describe the solution you'd like Use the native macOS application menu for the main draw.io menus, similar to other native macOS applications.

For example, the macOS menu bar could contain:

  • File
  • Edit
  • View
  • Arrange
  • Extras
  • Help

The existing menu actions and shortcuts should continue to work, but the menu presentation should be provided through the native macOS menu bar rather than a custom HTML/UI menu inside the draw.io window.

The document/window UI could then focus on the canvas and drawing-specific controls, while macOS handles the application-level menu through its standard menu bar.

Describe alternatives you've considered Keeping the current in-window menu is the main alternative, but it does not provide the same native macOS experience.

Another alternative would be to keep both the in-window menu and native macOS menu, but this would duplicate the same controls and could make the interface more confusing.

Additional context Screenshot showing the current macOS interface:

Current macOS menu layout

In the screenshot, macOS's native menu bar only exposes a small subset of application menus, while the main draw.io menus (File, Edit, View, Arrange, Extras, Help) are rendered inside the application window.

This feature request is specifically about improving macOS integration and making the desktop application behave more like a native macOS application.