How to edit and customize the MacBook Touch Bar on your laptop

• There are three main ways to customize your MacBook's Touch Bar, including the general touch bar settings, control panel, and touch bar for apps.
• You can add or remove buttons on the Touch Bar by dragging them into or away from the Touch Bar using your trackpad or mouse.
• App-specific Touch Bar buttons can be customized while the app is open.

If you have a MacBook from 2016 or later, you've probably noticed the Touch Bar, a small touch screen located above the number keys on your keyboard where the function keys should be.

This versatile Touch Bar can be used to activate Siri, adjust brightness and volume, and even perform app-specific tasks like flagging an email, rotating an image, or adding emojis.

To optimize the Touch Bar's usefulness, you can customize what buttons appear and the order in which they're displayed. Here's how to do it.

How to customize your MacBook's Touch Bar

There are three different ways you can customize your MacBook's Touch Bar. You can change the settings for your Touch Bar as a whole, customize what buttons appear in the Control Strip, and customize what buttons appear in specific apps.

The buttons located in the center of your Touch Bar will change depending on which app you're using, while the Control Strip, which is located on the right side, doesn't change. Control Strip commands are more universal, like activating Siri and adjusting the volume.

How to change Touch Bar settings

1. Click the Apple icon on the top left of your screen.
2. Select "System Preferences."
3. Choose "Keyboard," then navigate to the "Keyboard" tab.
4. Under the Touch Bar options, click "Touch Bar shows."
5. Then select from the menu of options which includes app buttons and the expanded Control Strip.

   Quick tip: If you don't want to see the Control Strip and app-specific buttons at the same time, make sure to leave "Show Control Strip" unchecked.

6. Also, under the Touch Bar options, click "Press and hold Fn (or Globe) key to."
7. Choose what you want to happen from the menu of options.

How to change Control Strip buttons

1. Click the Apple icon on the top left of your screen.
2. Select "System Preferences."
3. Choose "Keyboard," then navigate to the "Keyboard" tab.
4. Click "Customize Control Strip."

   Quick tip: You can expand the Control Strip on the Touch Bar by tapping the left-facing arrow button.

5. To add buttons, use your trackpad or mouse to drag the button you want from the screen to the Control Strip. The buttons already in the Control Strip will jiggle slightly as this is being done.
6. To rearrange buttons, place your finger directly on the Control Strip and drag buttons to where you want them to be.
7. To remove buttons, use your trackpad or mouse to drag the button you don't want from the Control Strip to the screen.
8. After you're finished adding, rearranging, and removing buttons, click or tap "Done."

How to change Touch Bar buttons for individual apps

1. While you have an app like Photos or Pages open, click "View."
2. Select "Customize Touch Bar."

   Quick tip: Not all apps have an option to customize buttons in the Touch Bar.

3. To add buttons, use your trackpad or mouse to drag the button you want from the screen to the Touch Bar. The buttons already in the Touch Bar will jiggle slightly as this is being done.
4. To rearrange buttons, place your finger directly on the Touch Bar and drag buttons to where you want them to be.
5. To remove buttons, use your trackpad or mouse to drag the button you don't want from the Touch Bar to the screen.
6. After you're finished adding, rearranging, and removing buttons, click or tap "Done."

How to get emoji on your MacBook's Touch Bar, and type with them in nearly any appMacBook Touch Bar: The special touchscreens built into MacBook Pro models, explainedHow to use your Mac's special touchpad commands, and edit them if you're not satisfiedHow to change the size of the Dock on your Mac computer in 2 ways, along with its position and behavior