Revive the TouchbarThe Touch Bar Control Strip is the group of system buttons at the right end of the bar. You change its buttons in System Settings › Keyboard › Touch Bar Settings… › Customize Control Strip…: drag a button from the screen down onto the bar to add it, drag it on the bar with your finger to move it, and drag it back up to the screen to remove it. The short strip holds four buttons. The expanded strip, which opens when you tap the arrow, holds a full row and has its own layout.
Most guides stop at those steps and a screenshot. The question that actually comes after is which buttons are worth the space, and four slots go fast. This guide lists every button in the palette with what it does, shows layouts for different kinds of work, and covers the fixes for a strip that won't save or won't come back.
Applies to MacBook Pro models with a Touch Bar (2016 to 2022) on macOS Ventura (13) or later. On older macOS the same option lives in System Preferences › Keyboard. Revive the Touchbar is an independent app, not affiliated with Apple.
The two Control Strips
There are two strips, and each keeps its own set of buttons:
| Strip | Where you see it | Room |
|---|---|---|
| Collapsed Control Strip | Right end of the bar while an app's buttons are showing | Four buttons, plus the arrow that expands it |
| Expanded Control Strip | The full bar, after you tap the arrow (or when Touch Bar shows is set to Expanded Control Strip) | A full row of buttons and sliders |
When you open Customize Control Strip…, you edit whichever strip is on the bar at that moment. To edit the expanded one, tap the arrow first so the full strip is showing, then start customizing. People who say "my changes didn't stick" were usually editing the other strip.
If you never want the short strip next to app buttons, turn off Show Control Strip in Touch Bar Settings. To get to it anyway, set Press and hold fn key to to Show Control Strip and hold fn when you need it.
How to customize the Control Strip, step by step
- Open the Apple menu and choose System Settings.
- Click Keyboard in the sidebar, then Touch Bar Settings… (scroll down if you don't see it).
- Optional: tap the arrow on the Touch Bar to expand the strip if that's the one you want to edit.
- Click Customize Control Strip… A palette of buttons appears on screen.
- Add: drag a button from the palette down past the bottom of the screen. It appears on the Touch Bar under your pointer.
- Move: touch a button on the bar and slide it left or right with your finger.
- Remove: drag a button from the bar up toward the screen until it disappears.
- Click Done on screen, or tap Done on the Touch Bar.
Dropping a palette button onto one that's already on the bar replaces it. That's the fastest way to replace Siri on the short strip: drag the new button straight onto it.
Every Control Strip button and what it's for
The palette has around twenty buttons. Here's each one, grouped by what it does, with a note on when it earns a slot.
| Button | What it does | Worth a slot if… |
|---|---|---|
| Brightness | Screen brightness slider | You move between rooms or work outside |
| Volume | Volume slider | Almost everyone; it's the most used default |
| Mute | Mutes sound in one tap | You join calls or work in shared spaces |
| Play/Pause | Controls whatever is playing | You listen while you work |
| Siri | Starts Siri | You actually talk to Siri; most people swap it out |
| Dictation | Starts dictation in the current text field | You write long emails or notes |
| Screenshot | Opens the screenshot tools (same as Shift-Command-5) | You make docs, tickets, or tutorials |
| Screen Lock | Locks the Mac instantly | You step away from your desk in an office |
| Sleep | Puts the Mac to sleep | You want a hard stop at the end of the day |
| Do Not Disturb | Silences notifications | You present, stream, or need focus blocks |
| Notification Center | Opens notifications and widgets | You check widgets often |
| Night Shift | Warms the screen color | You work late |
| Mission Control | Shows every open window | You juggle many windows |
| Show Desktop | Moves windows aside to show the desktop | You drag files to and from the desktop |
| Launchpad | Opens Launchpad | You open apps by icon instead of Spotlight |
| Spotlight | Opens Spotlight search | You prefer tapping to Command-Space |
| Input Sources | Switches keyboard language | You type in more than one language |
| AirPlay | Sends your screen or audio to an AirPlay device | You present on a TV or Apple TV |
| Screen Saver | Starts the screen saver | You want the screen covered without sleeping |
| Quick Actions | Shows your Shortcuts and Automator quick actions | You've built quick actions you use daily |
The exact palette can differ a little between macOS versions, so treat the table as a map, not a contract.
Layouts that work
Four slots means choosing. These are starting points; swap one button and they fit most people.
| You mostly… | Collapsed strip (4 buttons) | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Write | Brightness, Volume, Dictation, Do Not Disturb | Dictation for long drafts, Do Not Disturb for focus |
| Code | Volume, Mute, Screenshot, Screen Lock | Screenshots for bug reports, lock when you step away |
| Present or teach | AirPlay, Do Not Disturb, Brightness, Volume | Mirror to the room's screen with no pop-ups mid-slide |
| Take calls all day | Mute, Volume, Do Not Disturb, Screen Lock | Mute is one tap away, always in the same spot |
| Work in two languages | Input Sources, Volume, Brightness, Screenshot | No more Control-Space guessing |
Keep the button you reach for without looking in the far right slot. It's the easiest spot to hit by feel, right next to the Touch ID sensor.
For the expanded strip, keep the slider pairs (brightness, volume) and the media keys you use, then add the buttons that didn't fit in the short strip. It's your overflow shelf.
Fixes when the Control Strip misbehaves
Your changes disappear. You likely edited the expanded strip while wanting the short one, or the other way around. Expand or collapse first, then customize again. Also check that Touch Bar shows is still on the mode you set up.
Customize Control Strip… does nothing. The Touch Bar processes may be stuck. Open Terminal and run:
sudo pkill TouchBarServer
killall ControlStripThe bar goes dark for a second and reloads. Then try customizing again.
You want the default buttons back. Reset the strip's saved layout in Terminal:
defaults delete com.apple.controlstrip MiniCustomized
defaults delete com.apple.controlstrip FullCustomized
killall ControlStripThe first line resets the short strip, the second the expanded strip. Run only the one you need. If a line says the key doesn't exist, that strip was already on its default layout.
The Control Strip is gone entirely. Turn Show Control Strip back on in Touch Bar Settings, or set Touch Bar shows to App Controls. If the whole bar is blank, the Touch Bar not working guide goes through the fixes by symptom and by model.
Buttons from other apps
macOS's palette is fixed: you can't add your own buttons to it from System Settings. Some apps can place their own button in the Control Strip, though, so it stays one tap away in every app.
Revive the Touchbar does this with a single lighting button. Tap it and the whole bar turns into a full-width animation, like Neon Breath, a big glowing clock, or the Do Not Touch hazard stripes. Tap it again and your normal Control Strip and app buttons come back. You can turn that button off in the app's settings if you'd rather start the lighting from the menu bar. See every animation on the Touch Bar animations page.
For building your own custom buttons and widgets, BetterTouchTool is the long-standing option; the best Touch Bar apps roundup compares it with the others. And for everything else you can change, from app buttons to function keys, see the full guide on how to customize the MacBook Pro Touch Bar.
Frequently asked questions
How many buttons can the Touch Bar Control Strip hold?
The collapsed Control Strip holds four buttons next to the expand arrow. The expanded Control Strip uses the whole bar and fits a full row of buttons and sliders. Each strip keeps its own layout.
How do I remove Siri from the Control Strip?
Open System Settings › Keyboard › Touch Bar Settings… › Customize Control Strip… and drag the Siri button from the Touch Bar up toward the screen. Or drag another button from the palette straight onto Siri to replace it in one move.
How do I customize the expanded Control Strip?
Tap the arrow on the Touch Bar so the expanded strip is showing, then click Customize Control Strip… in Touch Bar Settings. macOS edits whichever strip is on the bar when you start.
Can I add custom buttons to the Control Strip?
Not from System Settings: the palette only has Apple's buttons. Some third-party apps can add their own button to the strip, such as Revive the Touchbar's lighting button, and tools like BetterTouchTool let you build custom buttons for the rest of the bar.
How do I reset the Control Strip to its default buttons?
In Terminal, run defaults delete com.apple.controlstrip MiniCustomized for the short strip or defaults delete com.apple.controlstrip FullCustomized for the expanded one, then killall ControlStrip. The strip reloads with Apple's default layout.
Why does the Control Strip keep disappearing?
Usually Show Control Strip is off, or Touch Bar shows is set to a mode like F1, F2, etc. Keys. Turn Show Control Strip on in Touch Bar Settings, or hold fn if you've set fn to show it.
Animations in this post
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Revive the Touchbar is a menu bar app for MacBook Pro models with a Touch Bar. Download it and try every animation.
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