With the introduction of the all-new MacBook Pro Touch Bar, people have become obsessed with it. We can tell!
It's really no surprise: it's so good-looking and multi-functional that most users just don't pay attention to other cool MacBook Pro features. What's more important, you may not know all the Touch Bar lifehacks. Intrigued? 😏
Apart from the ability to change brightness or volume using the Touch Bar, you can do way more. We have picked 11 top MacBook Pro Touch Bar tips and tricks for you. They'll totally rock your world and enhance your experience to a whole new level. Let's see all of them!
1️⃣ Customize Touch Bar
You can customize it to have all the necessary options in one place. You can add and remove items you do not want to have on the Touch Bar. Here's how you do it:
- Click the Apple logo and choose System Preferences.
- Select Keyboard.
- Click Customize Control Strip.
- Drag the option down to add them. To remove, drag an icon (using Trackpad or mouse) up from the Touch Bar onto the screen.
2️⃣ Take a screenshot of the Touch Bar
Mac’s screenshot tool is multi-functional too. It also includes taking screenshots of the Touch Bar (if you ever need it!). For this, press Command + Shift + 6.
3️⃣ Use Touch Bar for the function keys
If you often use the function keys and want to make them the only thing visible on the Touch Bar all the time here's how you can do it:
- Open System Preference and click Keyboard.
- Click the dropdown menu for ‘Touch Bar shows‘ and choose F1, F2, etc. Keys.
4️⃣ Typing suggestions
When you type something, the Touch Bar shows the predictive text, just like on your iPhone. You can tap it to complete sentences. In case you don't see the text, tap the keyboard icon on the Touch Bar (if you see one.)
5️⃣ Using emojis becomes much easier
You can use emojis on Mac in a million ways, but with the help of the Touch Bar, it becomes easier than ever. When you type (in most apps), you'll see an emoji icon on the Touch Bar. Tap on it to see a couple of emojis and use them.
Touch Bar has formatting tools hidden when you are typing (as the Touch Bar displays the predictive screen). To reveal formatting tools like bold, italic, font type, etc., tap the > button on the Touch Bar. Additionally, when you select a word or sentence, the formatting tools automatically display on the Touch Bar.
When you select files in the Finder, you will see options like quick view, share, tags, etc., on the screen. Tap one to quickly make use of them.
You may also tap the icon (it looks like a bulleted list icon) to change the file’s view style in Finder effortlessly. The same button also reveals the handy ‘Sort By:‘ options.
In case you do not fancy Siri on the Touch Bar (or accidentally click it while reaching for the Touch ID), you may remove it. For this, open System Preferences and click Keyboard. Next, click Customize Control Strip and remove the Siri icon by dragging it (using Trackpad or mouse) from the Touch Bar onto the Mac screen.
9️⃣ Safari + Touch Bar = C-c-combo
When you launch Safari, the Touch Bar gets a new life, it seems. You will see various options that let you open new tabs, quickly launch favorite websites, navigate through open tabs, search, etc. Most of the options are pretty straightforward, and once you see them, it is easy to figure them out.
🔟 Use MacBook Pro Touch Bar to scrub through
Touch Bar works excellent as a scrubbing pad. Whether you are in the Photos app or editing a video or photo, you will see a slider kind of control on the Touch Bar. Use it to scrub through.
1️⃣1️⃣ Use third-party apps for more Touch Bar customization
In addition to the inbuilt controls, you can use different third-party apps that add to or enhance your Touch Bar experience. Some of them include Pock, TouchSwitcher, Better Touch, and Haptic Touch bar.
So, how was it? Did you learn something new about your cool MacBook Pro Touch Bar? We hope so 🤓
Share this blog post if you found some useful life hacks and leave us a comment about your favorite Touch Bar feature(-s) and stay tuned for more ♥️
Natali Solovyova
Apple junkie at Softorino
