Common MacBook Touch Bar Problems and Solutions
A comprehensive guide to Touch Bar issues and how to fix them. Find your specific problem below and get the solution.
1. Touch Bar Frozen/Unresponsive
Frequency
Very Common
Cause
Software
Difficulty
Easy Fix
Symptoms: The Touch Bar displays content but doesn't respond to touch. Buttons appear but nothing happens when you tap them.
Cause: The Touch Bar processes (TouchBarServer, ControlStrip, or Touch Bar agent) have crashed or hung. This is the most common Touch Bar issue.
Solution
Reset the Touch Bar processes using Terminal:
pkill "Touch Bar agent" && killall ControlStrip && killall TouchBarServerOr use TouchBarFix for a one-click fix.
2. Touch Bar Blank/Black Screen
Frequency
Common
Cause
Software or Hardware
Difficulty
Moderate
Symptoms: The Touch Bar is completely black and shows nothing. The Mac otherwise works normally.
Possible causes: Display process crash, connection issue between Touch Bar and logic board, or hardware failure.
Solutions (try in order)
- Reset Touch Bar processes (Terminal command above)
- Restart your Mac completely
- Reset SMC (Intel: Shift+Control+Option+Power for 10 sec)
- If still blank after restart, contact Apple — may be hardware
3. Touch Bar Flickering
Frequency
Uncommon
Cause
Usually Hardware
Difficulty
May Need Repair
Symptoms: The Touch Bar flickers, strobes, or has unstable display. May happen constantly or intermittently.
Possible causes: Loose cable connection, display driver issues, or failing Touch Bar hardware.
Solutions
- Try resetting Touch Bar processes first
- Reset SMC and NVRAM
- Check if flickering occurs in Safe Mode (hold Shift during startup)
- If flickering persists, likely hardware — contact Apple
4. Partial Touch Bar Not Working
Frequency
Uncommon
Cause
Software or Settings
Difficulty
Easy Fix
Symptoms: Part of the Touch Bar works but another section doesn't respond to touch, or certain buttons are missing.
Possible causes: Touch Bar customization settings, app-specific Touch Bar configuration, or process crash.
Solutions
- Check Touch Bar settings: System Preferences → Keyboard → Touch Bar
- Try customizing: View → Customize Touch Bar (in Finder)
- Reset Touch Bar processes
- Restart your Mac
5. Touch Bar Issues After Sleep
Frequency
Common
Cause
Software
Difficulty
Easy Fix
Symptoms: Touch Bar works fine until the Mac goes to sleep. When waking up, the Touch Bar is frozen or blank.
Cause: Touch Bar processes sometimes don't properly resume after sleep mode.
Solutions
- Reset Touch Bar processes after waking
- Keep TouchBarFix in your Dock for quick access
- Update to the latest macOS (Apple fixes these bugs)
- If frequent, consider disabling sleep and using screen lock instead
6. Touch Bar Problems After macOS Update
Frequency
Common
Cause
Software
Difficulty
Easy Fix
Symptoms: Touch Bar worked perfectly before the update, now it's freezing, unresponsive, or behaving strangely.
Cause: macOS updates can change Touch Bar processes or introduce temporary bugs.
Solutions
- Reset Touch Bar processes
- Restart your Mac (first restart after update is important)
- Reset SMC and NVRAM
- Check for a subsequent macOS update that may fix the issue
- If persistent, consider reporting to Apple via Feedback Assistant
7. Touch Bar Not Showing App Controls
Frequency
Common
Cause
Settings
Difficulty
Easy Fix
Symptoms: The Touch Bar only shows system controls (brightness, volume, etc.) but not app-specific buttons.
Cause: Touch Bar setting is configured to show Control Strip only.
Solution
- Open System Preferences → Keyboard
- Click "Touch Bar shows" dropdown
- Select "App Controls" or "App Controls with Control Strip"
- If using a specific app, check its preferences for Touch Bar settings
8. Touch Bar Brightness Issues
Frequency
Uncommon
Cause
Settings or Hardware
Difficulty
Varies
Symptoms: Touch Bar is too dim, too bright, or brightness doesn't adjust properly.
Possible causes: Auto-brightness settings, ambient light sensor issues, or display hardware problems.
Solutions
- Check auto-brightness: System Preferences → Displays → disable/enable "Automatically adjust brightness"
- Clean the ambient light sensor area (near FaceTime camera)
- Reset SMC (controls brightness sensors)
- If Touch Bar is very dim even at max brightness, may be hardware issue
Quick Reference: The Universal Fix
For most Touch Bar problems, start with this command:
pkill "Touch Bar agent" && killall ControlStrip && killall TouchBarServerIf you're not comfortable with Terminal, TouchBarFix (€2.99) provides a one-click solution. A free open-source version is also available.