System 7.x and higher have a limit of 52 items that can be displayed in the Apple Menu Items folder.
The value of 52 was set for performance reasons. When more than 52 items are in the Apple Menu Items folder, available RAM for processing is limited (especially when the menu items have color icons), drastically slowing the display of menus. A decision was made to consider what "acceptable" performance was, and the value of 52 menu items was the threshold amount.
You can still place more than 52 items in the Apple Menu Items folder, but only the first 52 (alphabetically by name) are displayed. For more information on rearranging items in the Apple menu, see the following Tech Info Library article:
Article 8390: "
Mac OS: Changing Sequence of Apple Menu Items"
Here are a couple of workarounds:
- Have folder aliases in the Apple Menu Items folder.
- Use the hierarchical menus in the System Software, or a third-party software that provides hierarchical menus. Hierarchical menus in System 7.5 and higher are controlled through the Apple Menu Options control panel.