The Touch Bar FAQ: Everything you need to know!

Apple announced the newest feature of the MacBook Pro line: the Touch Bar. You might be wondering what it is. We've got everything you need to know right here!

What is the Touch Bar?

The Touch Bar is a touch-based OLED bar that replaces the row of function keys on the Mac keyboard. The light-up panel will change, depending on what app is in use, and you can use taps and swipes to control what you want to use it for. It features Touch ID integrated into the Power button with multi-person support, so you can log into different accounts and use Apple Pay on the Web without needing to confirm a purchase on your iPhone.

Which Macs get the Touch Bar?

There may be an OLED panel for every Mac keyboard, laptop, and desktop, in the future, but for now, only the brand new 13- and 15-inch MacBook Pros will be sporting the Touch Bar. So, if you're in the market for a new laptop, now is the time to get one.

When can I get my hands on it (literally)?

Well, you can start man-handling the Touch Bar when you get your new MacBook Pro, which is available to order today. So, get on that!

How does it work?

There is a small strip at the top of the screen that features a light-up panel with different options, depending on what you are doing on your Mac. For example, if you're using Safari, it will show you navigation controls and favorite websites. If you are checking your email, it will show you mail actions like replying or flagging.

The Touch ID button sits on top of the Power button, which is at the far right of the OLED panel (where the power button sits on the MBP right now). You can use it to log into your account on your Mac or pay for purchases using Apple Pay on the Web.

What will I be able to do with the Touch Bar?

Quick Type

The Touch Bar supports Quick Type, which is a predictive suggestion when you are typing. The suggestions are based on what you've typed previously, so it will learn what you usually write and suggest words based on it.

Messages

Similar to emoji support in Messages on iOS 10, the Touch Bar will show you emoji suggestions when you type certain words while in the Messages app. For example, if you type the word "love", you'll see a heart. You can also browse through all of the emojis in the Mac's system, organized by category, to find the perfect way to express your emotions.

The Touch Bar also lets you quickly respond to messages with Tapbacks. You can access Tapback responses right on the panel.

Mail

When in the Mail app, You can perform email actions, like replying to emails, flagging, marking as unread, archiving, and more. You can also move an email to a folder with suggestions in the Touch Bar based on your previous activities. For example, if you always move emails from your boss into your "Work" folder, you will be given a suggestion on the Touch Bar to move a new email to that folder.

Safari

When in Safari, you will see your favorite websites on the Touch Bar. Tap one to visit a site. While visiting a website, you will see a list of navigation controls on the panel, like saving for offline reading, backing out of a page, opening a new tab, and more.

Even better, if you are browsing a website that supports Apple Pay on the web, you can pay for purchases simply by placing your finger on Touch ID when you are ready to checkout.

Photos

When in the Photos app, you can view content inside albums and collections on the Touch Bar. Tap a picture to see it in full view on your Mac's screen. When you are watching a video, you can access playback controls to skip ahead or rewind. Use the scrubbing controls to move forward to a specific part of a video.

You can also access editing controls from the Touch Bar. When you select a picture, you will be able to rotate, crop, adjust lighting, add filters, and more. Filter previews will even show up right on the Touch Bar

Finder

Use the Touch Bar with Finder to access your apps, files, quick look, and more.

Touch ID

As I mentioned before, Touch ID now comes on the MacBook Pro. But did you know that it supports multiple users? That's right. If you share a Mac with other people in your household or workplace, you can register multiple fingerprints. When one person logs into an account, he or she can place a finger on Touch ID and the account will unlock. Then, Touch ID will only work with that person's account for online purchases. The other user will have to log into his or her own account with a fingerprint to use Apple Pay on the web.

It's customizable!

That's right. You can customize the Touch Bar to suit your personal workflow. If you tend to open a specific app the moment you log on, you can drag that tool right into the primary system controls. The Touch Bar is yours to command in whatever way you see fit.

Third-party support

Apple is opening up the Touch Bar to developers through Xcode so they can integrate it into their apps. Apps like Photoshop, DJay Pro, and Skype for Business already have Touch Bar integration. Microsoft is adding support for Word, Excel, and Powerpoint, as well as Outlook. There are dozens of other companies that have already begun working on support for the Touch Bar.

Any questions?

We'll be updating this FAQ as we find out more about the Touch Bar, so be sure to bookmark it and visit often. Post your questions in the comments section and we'll answer when we know more.