7 Simple Ways to Fix a Non-Working Touch Bar on a 2024 MacBook Pro

Are you looking for solutions to fix the Touch Bar not working on MacBook Pro? Here are some troubleshooting steps that might help you:

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Why isn't the Touch Bar on my MacBook Pro working?

Is your MacBook Pro's Touch Bar giving you trouble? If so, this article will show you how to fix it quickly! The Touch Bar on a MacBook Pro is an OLED multi-touch strip that provides a great way to access app and system-level functions quickly.

Although the MacBook Pro Touch Bar is very user-friendly, it can suddenly stop working correctly at any time! However, there could be thousands of reasons why your MacBook Pro Touch Bar is unresponsive. Here are some of the most common ones:

• Water damage
• App issues
• Hardware problems
• High CPU, memory, and disk space usage
• Running an outdated macOS Base System version
• Software glitches

This article lists the top 7 ways to fix a MacBook Pro Touch Bar that's not working due to water damage. So, if your Touch Bar isn't lighting up, freezing often, or unresponsive, these are the fixes you must try.

Solutions to Fix MacBook Pro Touch Bar Not Working [7 Best Methods]

Are you wondering how to fix MacBook Pro Touch Bar not working? This comprehensive guide presents seven magical solutions to help you tackle the issue in various scenarios.

To better understand and quickly resolve the issue with your MacBook Pro Touch Bar not working, watch the video and refer to its main timeline:

• 00:14 Restart your MacBook Pro
• 00:29 Reset the MacBook Pro Touch Bar
• 01:30 Use Activity Monitor to troubleshoot

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Solution 1: Restart your MacBook Pro to Fix the Touch Bar

In some cases, a simple restart can help resolve minor issues with your MacBook Pro. A small glitch might be affecting your MacBook and causing the Touch Bar to become unresponsive. Fortunately, you can fix the non-working Touch Bar by restarting your MacBook Pro. Here's how:

Step 1: Click the Apple menu and choose Restart.

Step 2: In the dialog box that appears, click Restart to confirm.

Alternatively, if your MacBook Pro screen is frozen, you'll need to hold down Command and the power button to force a restart.

Solution 2: Update macOS to the latest version on your MacBook Pro

Certain bugs in some versions of macOS can affect the functionality of specific parts of your MacBook. These issues can be resolved by updating to the latest version of macOS. Here's how:

Step 1: Click the Apple icon in the top-left corner of the screen.

Step 2: Click on “About This Mac” under the Apple icon.

Step 3. A pop-up window will display detailed information about your Mac. There, you need to choose "Software Update." If your macOS Monterey update is stuck, click on this link to find several solutions.

Step 4: Your Mac will scan for available updates. If there is an update available, it will be displayed.

Step 5. Choose “Update Now,” and wait a few minutes for the update to complete. If you don't see the update, you can also download macOS Ventura from the App Store.

Step 6: Wait for your Mac to restart and install the updates. Check if the issue is resolved.

Solution 3: Adjust your MacBook Pro's Touch Bar settings

Since we've ruled out software bugs and problematic apps, if your Touch Bar still isn't working correctly, you'll have to look into a more technical issue. Let's check your settings.

Step 1: Click “System Preferences,” then choose “Keyboard.”

From the Touch Bar display, choose App Controls.

Step 3: Make sure the control bar is turned on.

Solution 4: Restart the TouchBarServer using Activity Monitor

The Touch Bar shows specific keys and functions that relate to the Mac app you're using. The software that controls what appears on the Touch Bar can occasionally become unresponsive.

You can resolve this issue by terminating the TouchBarServer process in Activity Monitor on your Mac. However, follow these steps to restart the Touch Bar server using Activity Monitor:

Step 1. To open Spotlight on your Mac, you can use the Mac Spotlight shortcut by pressing the Command and Spacebar keys together.

Step 2: Click on "Activity Monitor" to open the app.

Step 3: Click the "CPU" tab at the top of the window.

4. Then, search for TouchBarServer in the search field in the top right corner.

Step 5: Select the TouchBarServer process, then click the “Stop” button at the top.

Before you relaunch the app, do not close the Activity Monitor. The touch bar should now be working correctly.

Solution 5: Reset the MacBook Pro's SMC/NVRAM/PRAM

Your Intel-based Mac has a chip called the System Management Controller (SMC), which handles various hardware functions and operations, including the power button, LED lights, battery, CPU, and keyboard.

Thus, if your MacBook Pro Touch Bar is frozen, unresponsive, or not working, you may try to reset the SMC on your MacBook Pro.

Follow these steps to reset the SMC on a MacBook with a T2 chip (2018 and later MacBook Pro and MacBook Air models):

Step 1: Shut down your MacBook.

Step 2: After 10 seconds, release the Power button.

Step 3: Wait a moment, then turn on your smartphone.

If your MacBook Pro touch bar still isn't working correctly, reset the SMC by following these steps:

Step 1: Turn off your Mac.

Step 2. Hold down the Control, Option (or Alt), and Shift keys on the built-in keyboard. Your device might start up.

Step 3: Hold all three keys down for seven seconds. The Power button should be held down as well. If your MacBook is currently on, it will now shut down.

Step 4: Hold these four keys down for seven more seconds.

Step 5: Wait a moment after you release the key.

Step 6: Power on your device.

On the other hand, defaults for startup disk, virtual memory, and even some hardware components are stored in the PRAM (Parameter RAM), which holds important information about your Mac. If none of the above fixes work, resetting the PRAM can help restore the Touch Bar to its defaults. Here's how to reset the PRAM on your Mac:

Step 1: First, shut down your Mac, but do not remove the battery or unplug it from the power adapter.

Step 2: Hold down the Command-Option-P-R keys as you start up your Mac.

Step 3: Hold down all four keys until you hear the startup sound twice. If you hear two startup sounds, that means the NVRAM has been reset.

Fix 6: Force Quit or Reinstall the Problematic App on MacBook Pro

Suppose you notice that your Mac's Touch Bar isn't working or not displaying controls after switching to a particular app. This could be due to a minor issue caused by the program or a crashed background process preventing the Touch Bar from functioning correctly. In such cases, force-closing the problematic app can help fix the Touch Bar on your MacBook Pro. Here's how: 1. **Force Quit the Application:** - Click the Apple menu in the top-left corner of the screen and select "Force Quit." - Alternatively, use the keyboard shortcut `Command + Option + Esc` to open the "Force Quit Applications" window. 2. **In the "Force Quit Applications" window:** - Locate the problematic application in the list. - Click on it, then click the "Force Quit" button. - If prompted, click "Force Quit" to confirm your choice. 3. **Check if the Touch Bar has been restored:** - After closing the app, return to the desktop or switch to another app to see if the Touch Bar starts functioning normally. 4. **If the issue persists:** - Restart your MacBook Pro and try opening the app again to see if it still causes Touch Bar issues. - If the problem continues, consider updating the app to its latest version or reaching out to the app developer for support. Please note that force-quitting an app might result in unsaved data loss, so make sure to save all important information beforehand. If the Touch Bar is malfunctioning across multiple apps, it might indicate a problem with the system software. In this case, consider updating your MacOS to the latest version.

Step 1: Press Command, Option, and Esc together to open the "Force Quit" dialog.

Step 2: Tap the app causing the Touch ID issue, then tap "Force Quit."

If Force Quitting the app didn't work, keep reading to learn how to fix a Touch Bar that's not working on your MacBook Pro.

Fix 7: Contact Apple Support for Touch Bar issues

If you've tried everything to fix the Touch Bar on your Intel or M1 MacBook Pro and nothing has worked, it's time to seek professional help. Sometimes, there can be more serious issues that you cannot – and should not – fix yourself.

If your MacBook Pro has a hardware issue or liquid damage, the Touch Bar might malfunction. In that case, it's recommended that you take your Mac to an Apple Store for diagnosis. Avoid using cheap alternatives, as they could cause irreparable damage to your MacBook.

Additional Tip: How to Recover Lost Data While Fixing Touch Bar Issues

While attempting the fixes above, especially when resolving the issue by updating macOS, the MacBook Pro Touch Bar not working problem can lead to data loss. The update might get stuck and cause data loss. But you can quickly fix this with top-notch data recovery software! We're talking about the awesome tools Data Recovery Wizard for Mac, the best tool to recover endless data after accidental deletion.

This professional tool can recover files of all sizes, from a single Office Word document to a large number of photos stored on your Mac, in various data loss scenarios. The following advanced recovery features aid in your Mac data retrieval:

• Recover data from an unbootable MacBook Pro with the Mac Data Recovery Wizard: Retrieve Data from a Dead MacBook Pro.
• Retrieve lost data from your MacBook Pro when macOS Ventura installation fails.
• Restore deleted files and folders after forcefully emptying the Mac trash.

If you want to use tools Data Recovery Wizard for Mac to retrieve lost data from MacBook Pro, just follow this guide:

Step 1: Select the scan location

Launch the Mac Data Recovery Wizard, select the hard drive, SSD, SD card, USB flash drive, or TF card from which you lost data. Click “Search for Lost Files” to start scanning.

Note: Before data recovery, it's recommended that you click “Disk Backup” from the left sidebar to create a backup for your Mac to prevent further data loss. After the backup, the software can recover data from the Mac backup, and your computer can write new data again.

Step 2. Filter Lost Mac Data

The software will automatically scan for lost data on your MacBook or iMac. Once the scan is complete, you can filter the required data by clicking on the "Type" and "Path" tabs.

Step 3: Recover Lost Data or Files

Double-click the file to preview it. Then, click “Recover” to restore the lost data to another location.

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That concludes our tutorial on how to fix a non-working Touch Bar on MacBook Pro. Hopefully, these seven effective solutions helped you resolve the issues and get your Mac's Touch Bar up and running smoothly. If you accidentally lost data in the process of fixing it, we recommend using tools like Data Recovery Wizard.

Q&A: Troubleshooting the MacBook Pro Touch Bar

Here's a list of frequently asked questions (FAQ) to better understand the topic:

How do I fix an unresponsive Touch Bar on my MacBook Pro?

Try forcing your MacBook Pro to shut down. Click the Apple icon in the top-left corner of the screen. Select “Force Quit.” After selecting the app whose Touch Bar isn't working, click “Force Quit” again. Confirm that you want to close the app.

How do I download the latest version of macOS on my MacBook Pro?

You can update to it or download macOS Ventura as per this tutorial:

1. Choose Apple Menu, then click "System Preferences," and then select "General" in the sidebar (you may need to scroll down). 2. Click "Software Update" on the right to download the latest macOS upgrade. 3. Click the Apple Menu to update any software you've downloaded from the App Store.

How do I unfreeze the Touch Bar on my MacBook Pro?

You can try the following tutorial to unfreeze the Touch Bar on your MacBook:

1. Launch Finder, and type "activity" in the search bar. Once you find Activity Monitor in Finder, double-click it. 2. Within Activity Monitor, look for "control." When you see Control Strip, select it. 3. Click the "X" at the top of the Activity Monitor window, then choose Quit to terminate the service. It will restart immediately.

Why isn't half of my MacBook Pro Touch Bar working?

Half of your Mac Touch Bar not working could be due to a hardware issue or any software malfunction. Try reaching out to Apple Support to discern any hardware problems.