Since the introduction of the 15-inch MacBook Pro in October 2016, the Touch Bar has generated controversy. Some critics have called it a gimmick due to frequent freezes and functional concerns, such as certain keys not responding or failing to display shortcut buttons.
The Touch Bar on the MacBook Pro provides a terrific method to swiftly access system-wide and app-specific functionality. It's a unique feature on MacBook Pro models that enables you to contact Siri, change settings, and also offers a number of shortcuts for each program by using actions such as swiping, sliding, or tapping.
However, despite being a really helpful innovation, the Touch Bar occasionally malfunctions and prevents you from using those crucial shortcuts.
If you've been having this issue, be rest assured that you can fix it. This article will walk you through each step of fixing your MacBook Touch Bar to get it working at its best but first, let’s understand why your Mac’s Touch Bar might be malfunctioning.
Why Your MacBook Pro Touch Bar Is Not Working?
Understanding what might be causing your Mac's Touch Bar to malfunction is the first step towards fixing it. You need to understand why the Touch Bar freezes suddenly, is unresponsive or does not display application-specific buttons. There are various explanations to this but some of the most common ones are:
- Apps malfunctioning
- Low memory, storage and CPU space
- Water spillage on Mac
- Old Mac operating system
- Hardware issues
- Software errors
7 Ways To Fix Your MacBook Pro Touch Bar
Below is a step-by-step guide to fix the Touch Bar on a Mac.
1. Force Quit Any Application Causing Issues
If you open or switch to a specific application and then notice that the Mac Touch Bar isn't responding or working properly, the app is probably stuck. If that's the problem, you'll need to forcibly close that program. Here's how to force the problematic program to close in order to resolve Touch Bar issues:
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To open the Force Quit Dialogue, use Command + Option + Esc.
- Select the app causing Touch ID malfunction and click Force Quit.
Here is an alternative method:
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Locate the Apple menu on the left upper corner of your Mac screen
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Select Force Quit
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Select the application that is not responding.
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Then click the Force Quit button
2. Restart Your MacBook
A simple restart of your MacBook device will often be sufficient to solve the problem of the Mac Touch bar not responding.
These are simple steps to follow in order to restart your MacBook:
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Click on the Apple Menu on your MacBook screen.
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Select Restart.
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Click on the Restart button in the box to complete your action.
In a situation whereby your MacBook screen freezes, all you need to do is to press and hold down the power button to forcibly shut down the MacBook. After some time, turn on your MacBook.
You need to save all of your work before restarting your Mac so as not to lose them.
3. Refresh MacBook Pro Touch Bar
Another effective way to fix MacBook Pro Touch Bar not functioning well is to refresh. It is an effective process because it will clean every resource and memory it is currently using. It will then assign new resources to the Mac Touch Bar after the refresh process is completed.
This refreshing procedure is helpful when your Mac’s Touch Bar backlight freezes or when you are experiencing disappearing issues. There are two ways you can refresh. The Terminal or the Activity Monitor method.
How to Refresh Mac’s Touch Bar Using Terminal
- Search for the terminal app with spotlight search or go to ‘Finder’.
- Click on Applications and then select utilities folder.
- Once the terminal app is opened, enter the command: 'sudo pkill TouchBarServer'
- Select Enter
To finish the process, terminal requires your administrator password to refresh your Mac Touch Bar. While you type in your password, it might not show any characters. It's normal. Just press the return key again. The system will then immediately refresh the process that controls the Mac Touch Bar and it will function as expected.
How to Refresh Mac’s Touch Bar Using Activity Monitor
Another way you can refresh your Mac’s Touch Bar process is via Activity Monitor. It shows all of the processes that are currently running on your MacBook. Below is a step-by-step guide on how to go about it:
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Go to Finder and search for ‘Activity’. Select and click on Activity Monitor
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Once you find the Activity Monitor, search for Control Strip and select it
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As you select, click on the x icon at the upper end of the Activity Monitor window.
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Click on Quit to force shut down the list of processes that are running and then your Touch Bar is back to functioning properly.
4. Refresh Control Strip
In a situation where the Mac Touch Bar is not responding to shortcuts but rather showing a blank opening, reloading the control strip is the best option to fix the issue. The control strip is located on the right side of the Mac’s Touch Bar. It contains buttons for volume, adjusting the brightness as well as ‘Ask Siri’. So if you are having a problem with Touch Bar volume or your Touch Bar brightness is not accessible, you just need to refresh the control strip.
How to Refresh Control Strip on Mac
- Go to Finder, click on Applications and the select Utilities
- In the Utilities folder, click on Terminal
- Once you get to the Terminal app, enter the following command: ‘killall controlstrip’ and press the return button. It will refresh the Mac’s Touch Bar and automatically fix any issue related to the Touch Bar.
5. Update MacOS to The Latest Version
MacOS constantly releases updates that fix issues and enhance support for internal features like the touch bar. A guaranteed technique to rule out outdated software as a potential reason your touch bar isn't working is to make sure you have the most recent releases from Apple.
Go to Software Update under System Preferences. Install it if one is available.
6. Reset Your Mac’s SMC
Your Mac's SMC, or System Management Controller, is in charge of overseeing a variety of different operations. If restarting your MacBook didn't help, you might try resetting the SMC on your Mac. Note that this advise does not apply to Macs with M1 chips because they lack SMCs.
Here's how to restart your Mac's SMC:
- Turn off your MacBook.
- Hold down Control, Option, and Shift on the built-in keyboards for seven seconds.
- Holding these three keys for 7 seconds will also require you to press and hold the power button. So, you have four keys pressed at once.
- Hold all four keys for a further seven seconds, then release them.
- Press the power button to turn on your MacBook after a brief delay.
7. Reset Your Mac’s NVRAM/PRAM
Restarting your Mac's NVRAM and PRAM is a more involved version of restarting your MacBook, much like restarting the SMC is. This has a decent chance to succeed if nothing else has succeeded so far.
Here's how to do it:
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Shut down your Mac.
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Turn it on, press and hold Option, Command, P, and R together. After around 20 seconds, during which your Mac will restart, you can release the keys.
You can let off of the keys on Mac computers that play a starting sound after the second sound.
After the Apple logo shows and disappears for a second time on Mac machines with the Apple T2 Security Chip, you can release the keys.
You might wish to access System Preferences after your Mac has finished booting up and change any reset settings, like the speaker volume, display resolution, initial disk option, or time zone.
Conclusion
If you've exhausted all possible options, you might need to schedule a meeting with Apple Support. You're probably dealing with a hardware problem or a unique issue, which an Apple specialist can help you identify more accurately.
