It’s something that Mac users love and hope will never go away. That’s right. I’m talking about the Touch Bar on your Mac that sits nice and pretty between the keyboard and the display. There are quite a few things you can do with it, but you may not have had time to get to know the MacBook Pro Touch Bar.
MacBook Pro Touch Bar Features
You can do things such as play games and also things that will make you more productive. If you have a MacBook Pro but don’t have a Touch Bar, it’s because they came out with the new 2016 MacBook Pro. So, if you don’t have one, the Touch Bar is the perfect excuse to get one.
1. You Can Still Use The Function Keys
Most Mac user don’t miss the function keys at all but of you were ever to need them for anything, they are still there. If you press and hold the function (FN) key at the bottom right of the keyboard. After that, you’ll see how the touch bar turns into the old function keys. You’ll see the F1-F12 keys.
2. Format Text with The Help of Apps
I think you’ll be happy to know that if you’re ever using any kind of text editing app such as Mail, TextEdit, Microsoft Word, the Touch Bar can format your text.
It’s not going to offer anything advanced, but you will have access to essential features such as Italicize, Bold, Underscore and more! To apply any of the formats select any text and tap on the button from the Touch Bar that will translate to the visual effect you want and it will be applied.
3. Siri Is There for You
Siri is everywhere, and that also includes the MacBook Pro Touch Bar. The Siri button is located all the way to the right, the colorful circle. Tap on it and the voice assistant will appear, and you can have her do things such as launching apps to performing intelligent file system searches.
4. Adjust Volume and Brightness
Changing the brightness and volume from the Touch Bat is also an easy task. All you have to do is touch the corresponding buttons and then just slide. You don’t have to touch and then release to slide. You select and adjust with just one touch.
5. How to Customize Control Strip
The Control Strip is that section on the right side of the Touch Bar, and you can actually change that to your liking. You can do this by opening System Preferences > Keyboard > Customize Control Strip.
When you’re done with those steps, you will see a menu of the options you can add to the Control Strip. You will notice that the current options are wiggling and that means that they are ready to be edited. Now, just select and drag to the Control Strip the options you want to add. Keep in mind that you can only add a total of 4, any more you add will replace the ones that are already there.
Also Read: How to Customize the Dock on Your Mac
6. Customize Supported App
Let’s say that you want to customize a supported app. Go to View and then Customize Touch Bar. For example, you’re using Pixelmator; you can customize which options for that app appear on the Touch Bar. Just drag the mouse to the Touch Bar and drag out the option you don’t want. Then from the options on your Mac, drag down to the Touch Bar, the option you do want.
7. How to Access Emojis on The Touch Bar
You just can’t type without including an emoji or two. You won’t have to do anything to access them. Every time you’re typing the emoji icon will appear on the left side of the Touch Bar. Just tap on it and choose your emoji.
8. Quickly Enter Form Info
When you sign up for something, the Touch Bar will display the usual information so you won’t have to type it in. In the center of the Touch Bar, you’ll see information such as Name, Email, and even a password Safari will suggest for you.
9. Three Ways to Wake Up The Touch Bar
After about 60 seconds, the Touch Bar is going to turn off if you don’t use it. When it does turn off there are three ways you can wake it up. For example, you can tap the Touch Bat itself, tap anywhere on the trackpad or the keyboard.
Also Read: 7 Free Cleaning Mac Apps
Conclusion
As you can see, the Touch Bar is a tool that makes things a lot easier. It’s full of great features that will save us time and help us complete our task in the best possible way. Did I miss your favorite tip? Drop a comment below and let share it with us.