How to Customize the Touch Bar on Your MacBook Pro

The Touch Bar, featured on several generations of MacBook Pro models before Apple transitioned back to physical function keys, is a dynamic OLED strip that replaces the traditional top row of the keyboard. By default, it changes contextually based on the app you are currently using — showing text formatting tools in Word, scrubbers in Final Cut Pro, or playback controls in Music.

However, if you find the default layouts unhelpful, or if you simply prefer having constant access to specific system controls like brightness and volume, macOS allows you to completely customise the Touch Bar’s behaviour and appearance.

How to Customise the System-Wide Touch Bar (Control Strip)

The rightmost section of the Touch Bar (which contains the Siri button, volume, and brightness controls by default) is called the Control Strip. This section is persistent across almost all applications.

1. Click the Apple logo () in the top-left corner of your screen.
2. Select System Settings (or System Preferences on macOS Monterey and older).
3. Scroll down the left sidebar and click on Keyboard.
4. Under the “Touch Bar” section, click on the Touch Bar Settings button (if you do not see this, look for a button labelled Customise Control Strip).
5. Your screen will blur, and a gallery of available buttons will appear on your main display.

Adding and Removing Buttons

• To add a button: Use your trackpad to click and drag a button from the screen down towards the physical Touch Bar. As you move the cursor off the bottom of the screen, the button will appear on the Touch Bar itself.
• To remove a button: Move your cursor down into the Touch Bar, click the button you want to remove, and drag it up onto the main screen until you see a “Remove” icon.
• To rearrange buttons: Simply place your finger directly on the physical Touch Bar, hold a button, and slide it left or right to a new position.

Once you are happy with the layout, click Done on the screen.

How to Change the Default Touch Bar Behaviour

If you dislike how the Touch Bar constantly changes depending on the app you are using, you can force it to display a static set of keys permanently.

1. Go to System Settings > Keyboard > Touch Bar Settings.
2. Look for the dropdown menu labelled Touch Bar shows:
3. You have several options to choose from:
   • App Controls: (Default) Changes based on the active app.
   • Expanded Control Strip: Permanently shows all system controls (brightness, volume, Mission Control, Launchpad, etc.), functioning much like traditional physical function keys.
   • F1, F2, etc. Keys: Permanently shows the standard F-keys.
   • Quick Actions: Shows custom Automator workflows.
4. Look for the next dropdown labelled Press and hold Fn key to:
5. Select what should happen when you hold the Fn (Globe) key on your keyboard. (For example, if your Touch Bar shows App Controls, you might want holding Fn to temporarily show the F-keys).

How to Customise the Touch Bar for Specific Apps

Many Apple apps (like Safari, Mail, and Finder) and third-party apps (like Photoshop or Chrome) allow you to customise the Touch Bar specifically for their interface. This customization only applies when that specific app is active.

1. Open the app you want to customise (for example, Safari).
2. Make sure Safari is the active window.
3. In the menu bar at the very top of the screen, click View.
4. Click Customise Touch Bar…
5. The screen will blur, and app-specific buttons will appear.
6. Drag buttons down to the Touch Bar to add them, or drag them up to remove them, exactly as you did with the Control Strip.
7. Click Done.

Note: Not all applications support Touch Bar customization. If you do not see the “Customise Touch Bar” option in the View menu, the app developer has locked the layout.

Advanced Customisation with BetterTouchTool

If Apple’s built-in customization options are too limiting, you can completely overhaul the Touch Bar using a third-party application called BetterTouchTool.

BetterTouchTool allows you to:

• Create custom buttons that execute complex scripts or terminal commands.
• Add widgets that display live information, such as your battery percentage, current weather, CPU temperature, or the currently playing Spotify track.
• Assign different colours, icons, and fonts to every button.
• Create entirely custom layouts for apps that do not natively support Touch Bar customization.

While BetterTouchTool requires a paid license (after a trial period) and has a steeper learning curve than macOS System Settings, it is widely considered the ultimate tool for MacBook Pro power users who want to unlock the full potential of the Touch Bar.