Ask Different (Apple)
Q&A for power users of Apple hardware and software
Latest Questions
0
votes
1
answers
1543
views
How to fix regular blackout of Touch Bar?
I have a 13-inch 2017 MacBook Pro (Intel Core i5) with a Touch Bar. I've noticed, that it occasionally disappears, and then after a few days re-appears. It is not a hardware problem, as [killing the touch bar server](https://discussions.apple.com/thread/254759141?sortBy=best) is affecting the Touch...
I have a 13-inch 2017 MacBook Pro (Intel Core i5) with a Touch Bar. I've noticed, that it occasionally disappears, and then after a few days re-appears.
It is not a hardware problem, as [killing the touch bar server](https://discussions.apple.com/thread/254759141?sortBy=best) is affecting the Touch Bar: The buttons come back in a 'grayed out' colouring, but they are not affected by touch sensory. Unsure if the following information may be relevant: My behaviour, when I go off, is to close the lid of the computer overnight. I don't leave my computer powered at 100% battery and never let it run down to 0%. (If the Touch Bar has its' own battery, it *should* always be powered.)
Another observation I've made is, that it seems to be most of the time browser (Chrome) - or more specifically YouTube related, but it also once happened when I did not have the browser open.
Usually the touch bar re-appears the next day. The question is, why does this happen, and what options do I have on preventing it, without sacrificing quality of life (for example, without always turning off Mac)?
Someone
(103 rep)
Feb 25, 2024, 06:00 PM
• Last activity: Jul 21, 2025, 12:03 AM
2
votes
2
answers
2063
views
There is no process "Touch Bar Agent"
My MBP 15" 2018's touch bar died few days back. I read a lot of people suggesting to kill process "Touch Bar Agent". But, I don't find process "Touch Bar Agent" in the activity monitor, nor via grep in terminal. Interestingly, my another MBP which has a working touch bar does not show process "Touch...
My MBP 15" 2018's touch bar died few days back.
I read a lot of people suggesting to kill process "Touch Bar Agent". But, I don't find process "Touch Bar Agent" in the activity monitor, nor via grep in terminal.
Interestingly, my another MBP which has a working touch bar does not show process "Touch Bar Agent" as well.
I am running "macOS Catalina 10.15.6". Did apple change the process name in latest updates?
Edit:
There are numerous post here which suggest to kill that process, suggesting the process used to exist in older releases. Example: this
cosmos
(141 rep)
Sep 10, 2020, 11:26 AM
• Last activity: Jul 19, 2025, 01:03 AM
2
votes
1
answers
240
views
How to customize Touch Bar on the Macbook Pro 13" when Mathematica is on
Whenever I use Wolfram Mathematica, the Touch Bar on my Macbook Pro has a "New Document" button. My question is, how do I make sure I don't have that button when I open Mathematica? It is annoying, as every time I reach to hit the ```esc``` key, sometimes the "New Document" button gets tapped, resul...
Whenever I use Wolfram Mathematica, the Touch Bar on my Macbook Pro has a "New Document" button. My question is, how do I make sure I don't have that button when I open Mathematica?
It is annoying, as every time I reach to hit the
megamence
(451 rep)
Sep 8, 2020, 08:37 PM
• Last activity: May 17, 2025, 03:03 AM
6
votes
4
answers
16389
views
Touch Bar flashing bright white light when Mac is idle
I have a 2019 MacBook Pro with a Touch Bar. The Touch Bar has been flashing bright white light when I don't touch my keyboard or trackpad for a certain amount of time. I also have noticed that the Touch Bar stops flashing when I shine a bright light into the ambient light sensor by the camera. Does...
I have a 2019 MacBook Pro with a Touch Bar. The Touch Bar has been flashing bright white light when I don't touch my keyboard or trackpad for a certain amount of time. I also have noticed that the Touch Bar stops flashing when I shine a bright light into the ambient light sensor by the camera. Does anyone know any fixes for this?
Brendan Sullivan
(61 rep)
Dec 13, 2022, 10:07 PM
• Last activity: May 14, 2025, 02:02 AM
0
votes
1
answers
150
views
Customize Touch Bar with Function Keys
I need to customize my Touch Bar such that it shows Function keys by default but upon holding the fn key it should show app control and control strip (media controls) together just like how it is in normal default In settings there is no way to show both app control and control strip (media controls...
I need to customize my Touch Bar such that it shows Function keys by default but upon holding the fn key it should show app control and control strip (media controls) together just like how it is in normal default
In settings there is no way to show both app control and control strip (media controls) as a second setting
Is there any way to do this?
sidewala
(1 rep)
Jul 29, 2021, 04:03 AM
• Last activity: Apr 10, 2025, 01:06 PM
14
votes
6
answers
41001
views
Shutdown keyboard shortcut on MacBook Pro with Touchbar
So on previous Apple computers, one could shutdown using the keyboard shortcut `Ctrl + Option + Cmd + Eject/Power`. However, the new MacBook Pro w/ Touchbar has neither an eject nor a power key. Does this mean that the shortcut no longer exists for this computer?
So on previous Apple computers, one could shutdown using the keyboard shortcut
Ctrl + Option + Cmd + Eject/Power. However, the new MacBook Pro w/ Touchbar has neither an eject nor a power key. Does this mean that the shortcut no longer exists for this computer?
Amja
(377 rep)
Nov 16, 2016, 06:17 PM
• Last activity: Feb 27, 2025, 03:22 AM
0
votes
0
answers
24
views
I removed the "Arrow Left" button by error (where group all the buttons) from Touch Bar Mac
I removed the "Arrow Left" button by error (where group all the buttons) but now I can't return back, I tried to configure on "System Preferences" -> "Keyboard" but It doesn't show me. Picture 1: This is how's needs to looks as before: [Photo 1][1] Picture 2: This how's looks now (without the arrows...
I removed the "Arrow Left" button by error (where group all the buttons) but now I can't return back, I tried to configure on "System Preferences" -> "Keyboard" but It doesn't show me.
Picture 1: This is how's needs to looks as before:
Picture 2: This how's looks now (without the arrows):
What can I do? Please help! (I really needs to fix this problem because I need to have it for work).
Picture 2: This how's looks now (without the arrows):
What can I do? Please help! (I really needs to fix this problem because I need to have it for work).
Tyler Tisdale
(1 rep)
Feb 27, 2025, 12:48 AM
35
votes
1
answers
47891
views
Can you add an external fingerprint reader to a MacBook that will work like the built-in reader?
I would like to use an external keyboard, mouse, monitor, etc and have my MacBook closed. The only issue is that I can no longer access the fingerprint scanner. Is there a way to use an external one? FYI, I have installed [Unlox][1] which is very useful but doesn't cover all cases where a fingerprin...
I would like to use an external keyboard, mouse, monitor, etc and have my MacBook closed. The only issue is that I can no longer access the fingerprint scanner. Is there a way to use an external one? FYI, I have installed Unlox which is very useful but doesn't cover all cases where a fingerprint can be used.
Yes, I read the similar question but thought this one was different since that one referenced a 10-yr old Macbook that didn't have the Touchbar. And there are ways to solve the problem in that question.
kidbrax
(664 rep)
Feb 7, 2019, 05:34 PM
• Last activity: Dec 26, 2024, 03:04 PM
3
votes
1
answers
1663
views
Automatically switch Touch Bar to function keys for Minecraft only
Under System Preferences → Keyboard → Shortcuts → Function Keys, you can register apps to always show the function keys on the Touch Bar. I want to add Minecraft. However, Minecraft has an unusual structure where the app is actually just a launcher, then you hit a button and it opens the game in a J...
Under System Preferences → Keyboard → Shortcuts → Function Keys, you can register apps to always show the function keys on the Touch Bar. I want to add Minecraft. However, Minecraft has an unusual structure where the app is actually just a launcher, then you hit a button and it opens the game in a Java window. That means the function keys then show up in the launcher, but not the game proper.
I’ve tried adding the “java” executable to the function keys list by right clicking it while running, selecting Options → Show in Finder, then both dragging and dropping that file into the window and navigating to it from the Function Keys window, but in both cases the GUI didn’t accept the file to be added to Function Keys list.
macOS version: 13.4
Minecraft version: 1.19.4
twhb
(201 rep)
May 20, 2021, 01:15 AM
• Last activity: Aug 26, 2024, 11:14 AM
47
votes
9
answers
55979
views
Fully disable MacBook Pro's Touch Bar
I constantly keep touching my MacBook Pro's Touch Bar by accident. I have larger hands and my fingers accidentally press buttons on the Touch Bar without me noticing all the time. I like the Touch Bar and I'd like to use it, but I can't seem to find anywhere that will allow me to enable a *lock scre...
I constantly keep touching my MacBook Pro's Touch Bar by accident. I have larger hands and my fingers accidentally press buttons on the Touch Bar without me noticing all the time.
I like the Touch Bar and I'd like to use it, but I can't seem to find anywhere that will allow me to enable a *lock screen* type feature on the Touch Bar.
I'd really like to disable input unless explicitly enabled. How do I do that?
Chase
(571 rep)
Apr 29, 2019, 08:15 PM
• Last activity: Jun 18, 2024, 06:58 PM
0
votes
1
answers
293
views
Was there ever a MacBook Pro 2020 with intel Processor and without Touch Bar?
I found an offer online for a MacBook Pro 2020 with Intel i7 processor and without Touch Bar (that is, with physical Esc and F1-F12 keys). Did such a model ever exist? I have not heard about anything like it. I thought the Touch Bar was first removed with the M1 MacBooks.
I found an offer online for a MacBook Pro 2020 with Intel i7 processor and without Touch Bar (that is, with physical Esc and F1-F12 keys). Did such a model ever exist? I have not heard about anything like it. I thought the Touch Bar was first removed with the M1 MacBooks.
HerpDerpington
(101 rep)
Jun 6, 2024, 04:38 PM
• Last activity: Jun 6, 2024, 08:10 PM
2
votes
0
answers
87
views
Can I configure the Touch Bar to type my email address?
I still have to manually type my e-mail address many times a day, and proofread each time and it is exhausting. I do have a **Text Replacement** set up in my **Keyboard System Settings**, so that when I type "`@@@`" it types my email address automatically *in most cases*. But this isn't always worki...
I still have to manually type my e-mail address many times a day, and proofread each time and it is exhausting.
I do have a **Text Replacement** set up in my **Keyboard System Settings**, so that when I type "
@@@" it types my email address automatically *in most cases*.
But this isn't always working. There are apps such as password managers and some forms on the internet I frequently come across, where typing my shortcut does absolutely nothing.
As someone who rarely uses the Touch Bar (except maybe for volume), I think it would be great to be able to use some of this vast unused space to paste short clippings of text into a field on a webpage or an app. Ideally in a way that can be programmed.
**I haven't found a way to do that, is it possible either via system or a third-party app?**
MicroMachine
(4051 rep)
Mar 28, 2024, 11:35 PM
• Last activity: Mar 30, 2024, 07:54 AM
0
votes
0
answers
25
views
Mysterious "Chart-Encircled" Button in Touch Bar
[![Mysterious Button in Touch Bar][1]][1] The image shows the mysterious "chart encircled" button in my Touch Bar, on a 2019 MacBook Pro (2 Thunderbolt Ports). It shows four bar-chart-alike bars of varying height in black, on a background of a circle of white. What is it? I press it when it appears,...
The image shows the mysterious "chart encircled" button in my Touch Bar, on a 2019 MacBook Pro (2 Thunderbolt Ports). It shows four bar-chart-alike bars of varying height in black, on a background of a circle of white. What is it? I press it when it appears, and it simply disappears with no obvious action occurring.
Christopher Gautam Hota
(3 rep)
Mar 27, 2024, 02:28 PM
• Last activity: Mar 27, 2024, 03:06 PM
0
votes
0
answers
88
views
Disable battery display on lid opening
I disabled the automatic power-on when the lid is opened. Is there any way to disable the annoying battery display, which appears after opening the lid?
I disabled the automatic power-on when the lid is opened. Is there any way to disable the annoying battery display, which appears after opening the lid?
awado
(555 rep)
Dec 26, 2023, 09:59 PM
4
votes
2
answers
3102
views
Removing "Configure in: Extensions Settings" from Quick Actions on Touch Bar in OS Sonoma 14.1
I recently updated my MacBook to OS Sonoma 14.1 and noticed a change in the Touch Bar under "Quick Actions", where it now displays "Configure in: Extensions Settings". Previously, this area was blank, which I prefer as I enjoy having a black Touch Bar. However, I do use an additional Touch Bar setup...
I recently updated my MacBook to OS Sonoma 14.1 and noticed a change in the Touch Bar under "Quick Actions", where it now displays "Configure in: Extensions Settings". Previously, this area was blank, which I prefer as I enjoy having a black Touch Bar. However, I do use an additional Touch Bar setup as "Show Expanded Control Strip" and i want to stay when i press 'fn' button, i need only to get rid of one side of touch bar.
I wish to have the "Quick Actions" section completely black again, akin to how it was in OS Ventura. How can I achieve this?
MacBook Pro 16-inch, 2019
- Processor: 2.6 GHz 6-Core Intel Core i7
- Graphics: AMD Radeon Pro 5300M 4 GB
- Memory: 16 GB 2667 MHz DDR4
- macOS: Sonoma 14.1
This is how my problem looks:
My curent settings for touch bar (on Os Ventura this settings were blank):
My curent settings for touch bar (on Os Ventura this settings were blank):
oruchkin
(215 rep)
Nov 4, 2023, 01:32 PM
• Last activity: Dec 12, 2023, 06:55 PM
0
votes
1
answers
121
views
Is there an app that replaces the phased-out TouchBar?
I have just purchased a new M3 MacBook Pro, and am upgrading from a 2016 15" MacBook Pro (with TouchBar). While this is not a post about whether TouchBar was good or bad, there are a few things about it that I am going to miss. The most relevant one is the typing prediction strip that helped me coun...
I have just purchased a new M3 MacBook Pro, and am upgrading from a 2016 15" MacBook Pro (with TouchBar). While this is not a post about whether TouchBar was good or bad, there are a few things about it that I am going to miss.
The most relevant one is the typing prediction strip that helped me countless times with correcting grammar in languages I am not native to.
Besides using the iPad with Sidecar all the time, is there an app that can replace this in the new MacBooks? Something that possibly appears every time one is typing as a moveable floating bar somewhere on the screen.
Thank you for your advice.
NotationMaster
(1734 rep)
Dec 3, 2023, 01:37 PM
• Last activity: Dec 3, 2023, 01:55 PM
2
votes
0
answers
233
views
Possible to make watchdog process ignore faults in the dynamic function row daemon (dfrd)?
I have a 2020 Intel MacBook Pro with TouchBar. The TouchBar hardly functions; it sometimes flashes erratically, turns off, and will not turn on again until the computer restarts. When the TouchBar fails, the dynamic function row daemon (`dfrd`) causes then causes kernel panics in the `watchdog` proc...
I have a 2020 Intel MacBook Pro with TouchBar. The TouchBar hardly functions; it sometimes flashes erratically, turns off, and will not turn on again until the computer restarts. When the TouchBar fails, the dynamic function row daemon (
dfrd) causes then causes kernel panics in the watchdog process as described in Monterey - repeated kernel panics : watchdog timeout: no successful checkins from dfrd in 180 seconds . Unfortunately, the solution from that post doesn't resolve the issue because attempting to restart the TouchBar from the terminal doesn't work.
I usually use my laptop in clamshell mode with an external keyboard so I don't miss the TouchBar at all. But if I ever open the laptop or unplug it from the monitors, it causes a kernel panic.
Would it be possible to make the watchdog process ignore the no successful checkins from dfrd in 180 seconds error? I'd be happy for any solution that doesn't require spending $600 for Apple to fix a useless (to me) piece of hardware.
Roman Leal
(21 rep)
Nov 30, 2023, 10:02 PM
• Last activity: Dec 1, 2023, 04:29 AM
2
votes
1
answers
863
views
Please help me to fix this Touch Bar problem
I've set Touch Bar to show App Controls and Control Strip when I hold the fn key, but I've set it to show F1-F12 keys for several applications. Previously In those applications, I could hold the fn key to show me Control Strip instead of F1-F12 and it was so convenient, but now holding the fn key is...
I've set Touch Bar to show App Controls and Control Strip when I hold the fn key, but I've set it to show F1-F12 keys for several applications.
Previously In those applications, I could hold the fn key to show me Control Strip instead of F1-F12 and it was so convenient, but now holding the fn key is not working anymore, Touch Bar constantly showing F1-F12 and I don't know how to get that fn key behaviour back.
Please help me to fix this Touch Bar problem...
Here are 10 seconds video fragment of how it worked before (F1-F12 switch to Control Strip when you hold the fn key): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aU2eqKO-Fz4&t=46s .
Dmitry Shepelenko
(21 rep)
Apr 14, 2023, 05:28 AM
• Last activity: Sep 11, 2023, 11:06 AM
1
votes
0
answers
66
views
How do I completely turn off my touchbar?
I have owned a 2019 16" MacBook since it came out. A couple of months ago my touchbar started out of nowhere to show vertical green lines all across it, rendering it almost unusable. Since it is out of warranty and I am not some sort of money printer, I decided to go to the best unauthorized service...
I have owned a 2019 16" MacBook since it came out.
A couple of months ago my touchbar started out of nowhere to show vertical green lines all across it, rendering it almost unusable. Since it is out of warranty and I am not some sort of money printer, I decided to go to the best unauthorized service provider in my area, but to no success. I either had to replace the whole casing which would have cost me an arm and a leg or to have them replace the touchbar for a quite reasonable price.
Sadly, all the parts that they and I ordered seemed to come broken, either not turning on at all or showing green/red lines, so I've been stuck with an ugly green touchbar ever since.
Recently, I have tried to turn it off completely, but to no success. Do any of you know any other solution to this other than opening the laptop and unplugging the ribbon cable?
matei
(11 rep)
Sep 4, 2023, 02:52 PM
2
votes
0
answers
271
views
TouchBarServer not working, SIGSTOP error
The Touch Bar on my MacBook Pro 15'' 2019 is not working anymore after upgrading to Ventura. I have tried all solutions and fixes online about the Touch Bar not working, to no avail. As a last resort I ran the process through a debugger. The `TouchBarServer` process returns a `SIGSTOP`. I have run t...
The Touch Bar on my MacBook Pro 15'' 2019 is not working anymore after upgrading to Ventura. I have tried all solutions and fixes online about the Touch Bar not working, to no avail. As a last resort I ran the process through a debugger. The
TouchBarServer process returns a SIGSTOP. I have run the process through lldb and this is the output:
(lldb) process attach --pid 341
Process 341 stopped
* thread #1, name = 'com.apple.touchbarserver.main', queue = 'com.apple.main-thread', stop reason = signal SIGSTOP
frame #0: 0x00007ff817ae15c2 libsystem_kernel.dylib`mach_msg2_trap + 10
libsystem_kernel.dylib`mach_msg2_trap:
-> 0x7ff817ae15c2 : retq
0x7ff817ae15c3 : nop
libsystem_kernel.dylib`macx_swapon:
0x7ff817ae15c4 : movq %rcx, %r10
0x7ff817ae15c7 : movl $0x1000030, %eax ; imm = 0x1000030
Target 0: (TouchBarServer) stopped.
Executable module set to "/usr/libexec/TouchBarServer".
Architecture set to: x86_64h-apple-macosx-.
hedaon
(21 rep)
Sep 2, 2023, 09:54 PM
Showing page 1 of 20 total questions