Guy Hart-Davis - Teach Yourself VISUALLY MacBook Pro & MacBook Air

The MacBook Pro models include USB-C ports for connecting your USB devices.

HDMI Port

The 16-inch MacBook Pro includes one HDMI port for connecting an external display of up to 4K resolution.

The current MacBook Air and MacBook Pro models include a row of hardware function keys above the keyboard. These keys are marked F1 through F12; each has a dedicated function, such as changing screen brightness or controlling media playback.

Most MacBook Pro models produced from October 2016 to November 2020 have the Touch Bar instead of the hardware function keys. The Touch Bar is a multitouch control strip whose contents change to suit the current app or selection. While useful in some apps, the Touch Bar proved unpopular with professional users, many of whom use the function keys extensively.

Meet Your MacBook’s Keyboard

Brightness

Press to decrease your screen’s brightness or to increase it.

Mission Control

Press to open Mission Control so you can quickly move between working spaces.

Launchpad

Press to open or close Launchpad.

Keyboard Backlight Brightness

Press to decrease the brightness of the keyboard backlighting, or press to increase it.

Previous/Rewind

Press to move to the previous item or rewind in Music and other applications.

Play/Pause

Press to play or pause Music and other applications.

Next/Fast-Forward

Press to move to the next item or fast-forward in Music and other applications.

Volume

Press to mute your MacBook, to turn the volume down, and to turn it up.

Power Button

Press the Power button to turn on your MacBook; press and hold the Power button to force your MacBook to turn off.

Alternate Function Key

Hold down the Alternate Function key while pressing a function key to form the alternate task.

Modifier Keys

Macs and macOS use four modifier keys that you press to enter capital letters or symbols or to invoke keyboard shortcuts. As usual, you press Shift ( ) to type capital letters or the symbols that appear on the upper part of the keys. You press Command ( ), Option ( ), and Control ( ) to give keyboard shortcuts.

Arrow Keys

Press the arrow keys to move the pointer around the screen.

Understanding and Using the Touch Bar

If you have a MacBook Pro model produced between October 2016 and November 2020, it may have the Touch Bar at the top of the keyboard instead of the hardware function keys. The Touch Bar is a flat sensor strip that replaces the row of physical function keys with virtual keys that change depending on the app and the actions available to you.

You can take a wide variety of actions from the Touch Bar, depending on the apps you use and what you do in them. This section introduces you to buttons that appear frequently on the Touch Bar.

Esc Button

Tap escto issue a Cancel command — for example, to cancel an open dialog.

Brightness Button

Tap Brightness( ) to display the Brightness controls on the Touch Bar.

Volume Button