Menu Bar Controls

The menu bar app is the quickest way to control your Philips Hue lights without leaving what you're doing. Always accessible from the top of your screen, it provides instant access to your most common lighting tasks.

Accessing the Menu Bar App

The We Love Lights icon appears in your macOS menu bar (top-right area of your screen).

Finding the Icon

• Look for the We Love Lights icon in the menu bar
• It's typically near other system icons (WiFi, battery, etc.)
• Click the icon once to open the menu

Menu Bar Icon States

The icon indicates your connection status:

• Normal: Connected to bridge, ready to use
• Dimmed/Gray: No bridge connected or bridge offline
• Blue accent: Using remote connection

Menu Structure

When you click the menu bar icon, you'll see a dropdown menu organized into sections:

Main Sections

1. Rooms & Zones: Quick access to all groups
2. All Lights: Individual light controls (if enabled)
3. Scenes: One-click scene activation
4. Actions: Quick actions and shortcuts
5. Settings: Preferences and Studio access

Controlling Rooms & Zones

The most common use of the menu bar app is controlling rooms and zones.

Turning Rooms On/Off

1. Click the We Love Lights icon
2. Find your room in the list (e.g., "Living Room")
3. Click the power icon or room name to toggle on/off

Adjusting Room Brightness

1. Click your room name to expand controls
2. Use the brightness slider to adjust
3. Drag left (dimmer) or right (brighter)
4. Changes apply immediately to all lights in the room

Changing Room Colors

For rooms with color lights:

1. Click the room name to expand
2. Click the color indicator (colored circle)
3. Choose from the color picker:
   • Temperature: Warm to cool white
   • Colors: Full color palette
   • Recent: Recently used colors
4. Click to apply the color

Room Quick Actions

Hover over or click a room to reveal quick actions:

• Power: Toggle entire room on/off
• Brightness: Quick brightness adjustment
• Scenes: Apply room-specific scenes
• Favorite: Mark as favorite for quick access

Individual Light Control

Control specific lights without opening Studio.

Enabling Light List

If you don't see individual lights:

1. Open Preferences from the menu bar menu
2. Look for "Show Lights in Menu" option
3. Enable to display all lights

Controlling Single Lights

1. Find the light in the "All Lights" section
2. Click to toggle on/off
3. Expand for brightness and color controls
4. Same controls as rooms (brightness slider, color picker)

Scene Activation

Scenes are pre-configured lighting setups you can activate instantly.

Using Scenes from Menu Bar

1. Find the "Scenes" section in the menu
2. Click any scene name to activate it
3. The scene applies immediately
4. Current scene is indicated with a checkmark

Scene Organization

Scenes may be organized by:

• Room: Scenes for specific rooms
• Global: Scenes that affect multiple rooms
• Favorites: Scenes you've marked as favorites

Quick Scene Access

Favorite scenes appear at the top for fastest access:

1. Hover over a scene
2. Click the star icon to favorite
3. Favorited scenes appear in a priority section

Quick Actions

The menu bar menu includes helpful quick actions.

Common Actions

• All Off: Turn off all lights immediately
• Last Scene: Reactivate the previous scene
• Random Scene: Apply a random scene (if enabled)
• Refresh: Reload devices from bridge

Opening Studio Window

To access advanced features:

1. Scroll to bottom of menu bar menu
2. Click "Open Studio" or "Studio Window"
3. Studio opens with full controls

Search Functionality

Quickly find devices, rooms, or scenes.

Using Search

1. Click the menu bar icon
2. Look for the search field (usually at top)
3. Start typing a device, room, or scene name
4. Results filter in real-time
5. Click filtered result to control it

Search Tips

• Search works across rooms, lights, scenes, and groups
• Use partial names (e.g., "liv" for "Living Room")
• Search is case-insensitive
• Clear search to see all items again

Favorites System

Mark frequently used items as favorites for instant access.

Adding Favorites

1. Hover over any room, light, or scene
2. Click the star icon that appears
3. Item is now marked as a favorite

Accessing Favorites

Favorites appear at the top of their respective sections:

• Favorite Rooms: Top of rooms list
• Favorite Lights: Top of lights list
• Favorite Scenes: Top of scenes list

Removing Favorites

1. Find the favorited item
2. Click the filled star icon
3. Item moves back to regular list position

Multi-Bridge Support

If you have multiple bridges connected:

Bridge Selector

1. Look for the bridge selector at the top of the menu
2. Click to see all connected bridges
3. Select a bridge to switch to it
4. Menu updates to show that bridge's devices

Bridge Status

Each bridge shows:

• Name: Bridge identifier
• Status: Connected (green), Remote (blue), Offline (red)
• Device Count: Number of devices on the bridge

Menu Bar Preferences

Customize the menu bar experience to your liking.

Accessing Preferences

1. Click We Love Lights icon
2. Scroll to bottom of menu
3. Click "Preferences" or look for gear icon

Common Preference Options

• Show Lights: Display individual lights in menu
• Show Scenes: Include scenes section
• Launch at Login: Start automatically with macOS
• Keyboard Shortcuts: Configure global hotkeys
• Menu Size: Adjust menu height/width

Keyboard Shortcuts from Menu Bar

Set up global keyboard shortcuts for instant control without opening the menu.

Common Shortcuts

• Toggle All Lights: Quick on/off for everything
• Activate Scene: Hotkey for favorite scenes
• Brightness Up/Down: Adjust brightness system-wide

See Keyboard Shortcuts guide for detailed setup.

Tips for Efficient Menu Bar Use

Speed Tips

1. Memorize Positions: Items stay in consistent positions for muscle memory
2. Use Search: Type to find instead of scrolling
3. Favorite Everything: Put most-used items in favorites
4. Keyboard Shortcuts: Avoid opening menu entirely for common tasks

Organization Tips

1. Hide Unused Groups: Clean up the menu by hiding rarely used items
2. Rename Clearly: Use clear room/light names for easy identification
3. Scenes over Manual: Create scenes for common lighting setups

Performance Tips

1. Minimize Light List: Only show lights if needed (reduces menu size)
2. Favorite Sparingly: Too many favorites defeat the purpose
3. Close Studio: Menu bar performs better when Studio isn't open

When to Use Menu Bar vs Studio

Use Menu Bar For:

• Quick on/off control
• Brightness adjustments
• Scene activation
• Common daily tasks
• When focused on other work

Use Studio For:

• Creating new scenes
• Setting up automation
• Organizing devices
• Configuring sensors/switches
• Managing multiple bridges
• First-time setup

See Studio Window guide for advanced features.

Troubleshooting Menu Bar

Menu Doesn't Open

Problem: Clicking icon does nothing

Solutions:

• Check if app is actually running (look in Activity Monitor)
• Restart We Love Lights
• Check macOS menu bar isn't full (may need to quit other menu bar apps)

Devices Not Showing

Problem: Rooms or lights missing from menu

Solutions:

• Click "Refresh" in the menu
• Check bridge connection status
• Verify devices aren't hidden in Studio
• Check bridge is online

Slow Response

Problem: Menu feels sluggish or controls are slow

Solutions:

• Check network connection to bridge
• Reduce number of displayed lights (hide unnecessary ones)
• Close Studio window if open
• See performance troubleshooting

Icon Missing from Menu Bar

Problem: Can't find We Love Lights icon

Solutions:

• Check app is running (open from Applications folder)
• Look in menu bar (may be hidden if bar is full)
• Hold ⌘ and drag other icons to make space
• Restart macOS if icon doesn't appear

Next Steps

Master the menu bar basics? Time to explore more:

1. Studio Window - Discover advanced controls
2. Device Control - Learn detailed device management
3. Scenes - Create custom lighting scenes
4. Keyboard Shortcuts - Set up global hotkeys

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Questions? Check the FAQ or troubleshooting guide.