Replaces the row of physical keys at the top of the keyboard. The panel is a full-fledged MultiTouch Retina display, which is an additional toolbar for the active application that the user is currently working with. In this article we offer 15 tips that will allow you to work with Touch Bar simple and effective.
How to display function keys F1, F2, etc.
To access the function keys F1, F2, etc., simply press and hold the Fn button located at the bottom left of the keyboard.
Always show function keys in certain applications
When working with some applications, it may be necessary to constantly display function keys. Users can configure their own this function. To do this you need to go to " System Settings» → « Keyboard» → « Keyboard shortcuts", choose " Function keys" and click the icon " + ", to add the right application. Now on startup this application Function keys will always be displayed by default. When you press and hold the Fn key on the Touch Bar, the Control Strip interface (the right side of the Touch Bar that displays the various macOS switches) will appear.
Quickly adjust volume level and display brightness
To adjust the volume or screen brightness level, simply press, hold and change the position of the slider in the Control Strip.
Customizing the Control Strip interface on the Touch Bar
Open " System Settings» → « Keyboard" and select the option " Set up Control Strip" The icons in the Control Strip will start to wiggle. In this mode, you can drag (delete, replace) selected switch icons from the display MacBook Pro to the Control Strip panel.
Access to advanced Control Strip features
Click the chevron (arrow) button to the left of the Control Strip interface to access an expanded list of system functions and controls.
Setting up an expanded Control Strip
Pressing the button in the form of a chevron (arrows) in progress Control settings Strip will allow you to access more full list system functions.
How to place the necessary tools of the selected application on the Touch Bar
To place the necessary tools of a specific application on the Touch Bar, launch the application whose tools you would like to place in the Touch Bar and go to the " tab View» → « Set up Touch Bar" It is worth considering that not all applications have this feature.
How to customize the Control Strip while changing application settings
When changing application settings, you can quickly move on to adjusting the Control Strip by simply tapping on the interface.
Escape key
The Escape key is located in the upper left corner touchpad controls, but its location slightly differs from the location of the physical buttons below it. However, MacBook Pro owners who are used to touch typing need not worry—presses on the Escape key will be registered even if your finger doesn't make full contact with the button.
Sleep mode
The Touch Bar's backlight dims after 60 seconds of inactivity and turns off completely after 75 seconds to conserve your laptop's battery power. To return it to working condition, you can touch either the panel, the keyboard, or the trackpad.
Trackpad + Touch Bar
macOS lets you use your trackpad and Touch Bar at the same time. For example, you can add an object to Pixelmator and change its color or size at the same time.
Ability to take Touch Bar screenshots
With the release of macOS 10.12.2, users now have the ability to take screenshots of the Touch Bar (). The functionality is available to owners of MacBook Pro running macOS 10.12.2 or later.
The main innovation in laptops is the same touch panel called the Touch Bar. In its location, it replaces a number of function keys on a laptop, but is capable of displaying a wide variety of information and providing different controls depending on the application.
Depending on what you do on your MacBook, certain tools automatically appear on the Touch Bar. For example, volume and brightness controls, photo and video management functions, predictive text input and many others. Thanks to deep integration into the OS and the specifics of Apple’s work with software developers, such a panel can provide a new format for interacting with software in many cases.
1. Use Touch ID
Thanks to the fingerprint scanner built into the Touch Bar, you can instantly unlock your Mac, use Apple Pay to pay for online purchases, quickly access system settings and password-protected notes. And switch between accounts with one touch.
2. Work more productively with text
The Touch Bar lets you use predictive text in apps like Messages and Mail. QuickType works similarly to the keyboard on iPhone and iPad.
3. Receive calls from the keyboard.
Reply to iPhone calls and FaceTime calls right from your keyboard without even moving the cursor.
4. Manage mail
Using standard application Mail allows you to quickly reply to messages, flag emails, and even delete emails in one click.
5. Manage the file system
When using Finder, the touch panel allows you to work with Quick Look, add tags, share files, and perform other actions with files and folders.
6. Use function keys
Hold FN on your keyboard and the familiar function keys will appear on the panel.
7. Custom Actions
The Touch Bar can be customized to suit your needs. Remove, add, and swap controls such as volume, brightness, and more.
8. View events on your calendar
When using the Calendar application, the Touch Bar allows you to scroll through all the marked weeks on your calendar and quickly navigate your assigned tasks.
9. Use OS features
Touch Bar makes it easier and more convenient to control functions operating system: Adjusting volume, screen brightness and other actions are performed with a simple swipe.
10. Format text
Using the Touch Bar it is more convenient to work with text applications: control color, select a font, change the style (bold, underline, italic). Available actions will appear on the screen after selecting a section of text. The function works in Mail, Microsoft Word, TextEdit, Pages, Keynote and many other applications.
11. Video editing
In video applications, Touch Bar makes working with content easier. For example, in Final Cut Pro, you can navigate through your project using an interactive timeline that appears in the entire panel.
12. Emoticons
The Touch Bar lets you quickly add emoji in apps like Messages and Mail. The choice of emoticons is carried out by simply “swiping” left and right.
13. Convenient web surfing
The panel allows you to instantly switch between tabs in Safari. Or tap the Favorites button to open your favorite site.
14. Control music playback
When listening to music on Mac touch panel The Bar becomes a multimedia controller with the ability to switch tracks, pause, adjust volume, etc.
15. Choose colors
In any application that has a color selection panel, the Touch Bar allows you to select the desired shade with a simple gesture. Especially relevant for Photoshop or Keynote.
16. Work with photos
Select photos from your albums, rotate images, apply filters.
17. Program
Developers can use the Touch Bar in apps like Swift, where frequently used commands are available. Now you don’t need to remember shortcuts or wander through the menu in search of the desired action.
18. Call Siri
For the first time on Mac keyboard there is a separate call button voice assistant Siri.
19. Commands in the Terminal
Not all Mac owners use Terminal. But if you have to work with command line The Touch Bar simplifies these actions too.
20. Make music
Over the past couple of weeks, we've introduced you to several fun (or weird?) apps for the Touch Bar on the new MacBook Pro. During this time, there were even more of them, so it was decided to make a small but relevant selection of all sorts of utilities, toys and applications for the touchpad on MacBooks. Some programs you will definitely like, others you may not even want to install. Already interested?
1. TouchSwitcher (free download)
It is strange that the functionality of this small utility was not initially included in Touch functions Bar. It's so intuitive to switch between applications running on your Mac using the touchpad. This is exactly what TouchSwitcher does. After installing it, a special button will appear on the left edge of the sensor, which will display icons on the small display running programs. They tapped on one and it instantly opened.
2. Rocket (free download)
Rocket is the same TouchSwitcher, only with a slightly redrawn interface and two important features. Firstly, after launch, the utility icon is always lit in the top bar, through which it can be updated or further configured. Secondly, with Rocket you can fully launch applications from the Dock. That is, those that have not yet been launched.
3.Doom
No, well, if you were once able to launch the classic Doom game on first iPhone, then why not try it on the most powerful MacBook Pro? Only they will play with you not on the Retina screen, but on the tiny Touch Bar. Yes, you can play Doom on such a narrow screen! The toy cannot be downloaded yet; apparently, its author Adam Bell is still finishing it.
4. Nyan Cat (free download)
Nyan Cat is a world-famous man who appeared thanks to a YouTube video that appeared in 2011. It depicts a cat running in space with a body made of cookies. Want something like this on your Touch Bar? Easily! Even with sound, which is very important.
5. KnightTouchBar 2000 (free download)
This is an entertainment utility for those who remember the 1991 film “Knight Rider”. After launching it, the Touch Bar screen will display the same animation as on the dashboard of the Pontiac car of the main character of this legendary film. And the sound design is the same, yes.
6.Lemmings
Who remembers Lemmings? This is a game from 1991, which over all this time has been ported to many gaming platforms. In it, funny little people walk around the level mindlessly, and your task is to guide them so that they don’t get into any trouble and successfully reach the end of the level. One of these levelers can now be on your Touch Bar. You can control the little people using taps on the small screen. By the way, author I decided not to share this toy yet, but we are all really looking forward to it.
@stekme, I have talked about BTT more than once, but there is no proper response to such complex and complex utilities. Those who know about them have been using them for a long time, but newcomers to macOS simply cannot figure it out big amount settings and score. The situation is similar with Alfred.
@Artem Surovtsev, it’s clear that I just missed it.
But there is nothing complicated there for a beginner. All you need is a tab on the touchbar out of many other things. In it you fill in widgets for the finder, other standard ones, and choosing the desired program– you create your own set of commands with Castor, at least multi-level.
Users should not be considered stupid; it is worse to read when the main software is not mentioned. It would be great to just add Lina to the article on previous reviews, so that anyone who wants and is not in the know can try VTT. I meet a ton of people who haven’t heard of VTT and end up easily hooked. After all, it’s convenient to at least replace application hotkeys with visualization, as well as add actions to missing hotkeys that really make your work easier. With VTT in applications there is 40 percent less mouse movement on the screen while scrolling through menu tabs. Everything is at hand and convenient.
Not everyone needs it, but it’s stupid to put alarm clocks, timers, stock prices, tuna or spotify widgets, breed forecasts on the touchbar, and even a fifth grader can do this today.
It's great that there are reviews of such utilities.
The ignorance of stupid people who write about the uselessness of the touchbar has long been infuriating. It's like criticizing cars when traveling outside the city and using a trolleybus with a pawn for a walk along the highway)))) is simply stupid.
That’s why there are such wonderful things; the barrier to entry into them is quite low. It’s a different matter if you start clogging up scripts right away...
Fortunately, there are already a bunch of custom shells for VTT on the VTT forum in the form of a ready-made profile where people have already created high-quality sets for various software and share this regularly. A beginner can simply download a ready-made convenient set to taste
@stekme, considering the user stupid is fundamental to the development of any interface in general.
You judge by yourself and (possibly) by your friends/colleagues/family.
From my practice, I see that the majority are not able to do ordinary manipulations a la creation bootable flash drive with macOS on board. Not to mention customizing your desktop.
@iWolf, it’s not about stupidity/smartness. Well, I opened it, realized that I needed to figure it out and closed it until better times. When they arrive, I’ll come back and take a look and set them up. But for now I want a simpler “crutch”. And of course, there should be fewer even banal conflicts.