MacBook Touch Bar Frozen / Stuck? How To Reset It

Updated on

A frozen MacBook touch bar can be a frustrating moment. Usually, all you have to do is force quit whatever application is causing the problem. However, that doesn’t always solve the issue. Here’s how to reset your MacBook touch bar if it’s frozen and not responding.

  1. Open Activity Monitor. The easiest way to do this is to search for it in Spotlight.
  2. Search for “touch” in the upper-right search bar.
  3. A process called “Touch Bar agent” will be available. Highlight it and then click the “X” at the top-left portion of the window (not the red X).
  4. Your MacBook touch bar will go blank and then should come back in a few seconds.

That should be all it takes to get a frozen touch bar reset. If your MacBook touch bar still does not respond, there could be a hardware issue that needs resolving. In this case, you would want to contact Apple support for servicing of your MacBook. Hopefully, it doesn’t come to that and this simple fix is enough to get you back up and running.

The MacBook touch bar looks like it’s here to stay in Apple’s top laptop models. The feature was introduced in 2016 and included in the 2017 refresh so it appears that Apple will be keeping the touch bar in the short term. We likely won’t see any announcement this fall from Apple regarding major updates to the MacBook. This fall is reserved for the iPhone 8. Although, there could be some iPhone 8 features that are meant to integrate and help users who also own a MacBook pro. Apple is one of the few manufacturers that controls the software and hardware of all products so they have a distinct advantage when designing those products to work together.

HomePod will also be coming in December. That device will be perfectly suited for integration into Apple’s ecosystem. The initial features may not be groundbreaking but Apple surely has a few tricks up their sleeve for future software updates that will make the device more useful for costumers.

This fall promises to be a big one for Apple. I’m interested to see if the MacBook touch bar has any purpose in the integration of Apple’s new devices into the ecosystem. Some touch bar controls for a connected HomePod would be very interesting but we have not heard anything so far. I guess only time will tell.

Leave a Comment