Touch Bar

A feature available at the top of the keyboard on some Mac computers. The Touch Bar lets you use familiar gestures — like tap, swipe or slide — to adjust settings, use Siri, access function keys and do tasks in apps. On some Mac models, the Touch Bar includes an Escape button on the left side.

The Touch Bar across the top of the keyboard.

By default, the Touch Bar shows the Control Strip which lets you adjust common settings — like brightness and volume — and ask Siri. You can expand the Control Strip to access additional settings and features, such as Mission Control and Launchpad, and even customise it.

The Touch Bar with buttons that vary by app or task on the left and the collapsed Control Strip on the right.

The other buttons in the Touch Bar depend on the app you’re using or the task you’re doing. For example, here’s how the Touch Bar looks when you write an email in the Mail app:

The Touch Bar with buttons from the Mail app that include — from left to right — Emoji, Colours, Bold, Italic, Underline, Alignment, Lists and Typing Suggestions.

See the Apple Support article How to use the Touch Bar on your MacBook Pro.