Say hello to MacBook Pro

An open MacBook Pro showing the default desktop screen.

This guide provides the essential information you need in order to get the most from your MacBook Pro. The sections described below cover the hardware features, the software setup process and highlights, what you can do with apps on your Mac, and how to find more information about any topic.

Take a look around. Want a quick intro to the features of your MacBook Pro? Go to the next section, Take a tour.

Get started. Start your MacBook Pro by lifting the lid or connecting it to power, or by pressing the power button or Touch ID. Follow the Setup Assistant prompts, and you’re up and running. For details, see Set up. To migrate your information from an older computer, see Migrate your data.

Make the most of shortcuts. If your MacBook Pro has a Touch Bar, shortcuts for common tasks are right at your fingertips. Change settings, use typing suggestions for text and messages, add an emoji, edit photos, and much more, with just a touch. See Meet the Touch Bar and Touch ID.

Stay in sync. Access your documents, photos, music, apps, contacts, and calendars across all your devices with iCloud. And use your MacBook Pro with your iOS devices to make and receive phone calls and texts, copy and paste across devices, or create an Instant Hotspot. Learn more in Access your content anywhere with iCloud and Continuity.

Unleash your creativity. Plan events and share info and photos with Notes; organize and listen to music, books, movies, and more with iTunes; create presentations with Keynote; and check out all the apps available on the App Store, to express yourself in as many ways as you have ideas.

Dig deeper. Explore your MacBook Pro and get your questions answered. Go to Mac Help.

Take a tour

This guide is for MacBook Pro models with Thunderbolt 3 (USB-C). (Not all features are available on all models.)

The left side view of a MacBook Pro with callouts to the MagSafe 2 port, the USB 3 port, the 3.5 mm headphone jack, and the dual microphones.

Thunderbolt 3 (USB-C) ports: Charge your computer, transfer data at Thunderbolt speeds (up to 40 Gbps), connect to a display or projector, and more.

The right side of a MacBook Pro, showing the SDXC card slot (13-inch model only), another USB 3 port, and the Thunderbolt 2 port.

3.5 mm headphone jack: Plug in stereo headphones or external speakers to listen to your favorite music or movies.

Microphones: Talk with friends or record audio (models with the Touch Bar have three microphones; other models have two microphones).

Looking down on an open MacBook Pro, with callouts to the Touch Bar, the FaceTime HD camera, the power button, and the Multi-Touch trackpad.

Touch Bar: Some models include a Touch Bar at the top of the keyboard, which dynamically adapts to the app you’re using. The Touch Bar is an extension of the keyboard that presents intuitive shortcuts and application controls exactly when and where you need them. You can use familiar gestures like slide and tap in the Touch Bar. For more information, see Meet the Touch Bar and Touch ID.

FaceTime HD camera: Make FaceTime video calls or take pictures and video. If the light is glowing, the camera is on. For more information, see FaceTime.

Touch ID (power button): To learn more about how to use Touch ID, see Meet the Touch Bar and Touch ID. If your keyboard doesn’t have the Touch Bar, you can learn more about the power button in Keyboard.

Force Touch trackpad: Control your MacBook Pro with gestures. The entire trackpad surface acts as a button so you can easily click anywhere. For more about using gestures, see Trackpad.

What’s included

To use your MacBook Pro, you need these two accessories, included in the box:

				USB-C Charge Cable: To charge your MacBook Pro, connect one end of the USB-C Charge Cable to any Thunderbolt 3 port on your MacBook Pro, and the other end to the 61W Power Adapter (for 13-inch MacBook Pro models) or the 87W Power Adapter (for 15-inch MacBook Pro models).
				61W or 87W USB-C Power Adapter: After the power adapter is connected to MacBook Pro with the USB-C Charge Cable, fully extend the electrical prongs on the AC plug, and plug the adapter into an AC power outlet.

Automatically start up your MacBook Pro. Connect your 61W or 87W USB-C Power Adapter and USB-C Charge Cable and lift the lid to turn on and start up your MacBook Pro. Log in and get right to work.

Keyboard

The system function keys on the keyboard provide shortcuts for common functions, such as increasing the volume or screen brightness.

Note: If your MacBook Pro has the Touch Bar, the system function keys are in the Touch Bar. See Meet the Touch Bar and Touch ID.

The MacBook Pro keyboard showing the row of function keys, the power button across the top, and the Fn function key in the lower left corner.

Power button: Press and hold for 3 seconds to turn your MacBook Pro on or 6 seconds to turn it off. Press to put it to sleep.

Brightness keys (F1, F2): Press or to increase or decrease the brightness of the screen.

Mission Control key (F3): Press to view what’s running on your MacBook Pro, including all your spaces and open windows.

Launchpad key (F4): Press to instantly see all the apps on your MacBook Pro. Click an app to open it.

Keyboard illumination keys (F5, F6): Press or to increase or decrease the brightness of the keyboard.

Media keys (F7, F8, F9): Press to rewind, to play or pause, or to fast-forward a song, movie, or slideshow.

Mute key (F10): Press to mute the sound from the built-in speakers or 3.5 mm headphone jack.

Volume keys (F11, F12): Press or to increase or decrease the volume of sound from the built-in speakers or 3.5 mm headphone jack.

Function (Fn) key: Each function key (on the top row) can also perform other standard functions—for example, the F12 key can open Dashboard. Hold down the Fn key while you press a function key to trigger the action associated with the key.

Set keyboard preferences. Use the Keyboard pane of System Preferences (choose Apple menu > System Preferences, click Keyboard, then click the buttons at the top to see the available options).

Meet the Touch Bar and Touch ID

Note: Read the following sections if your MacBook Pro has the Touch Bar.

The Touch Bar at the top of your keyboard displays dynamically changing tools, depending on your current activity. The Touch ID (power button) is located on the right side of the Touch Bar. After you set up Touch ID, you can use your fingerprint to unlock your MacBook Pro and make purchases on the App Store, iBooks Store, iTunes Store, and websites using Apple Pay.

The MacBook Air keyboard showing the Touch Bar, the power button across the top, and the Fn function key in the lower left corner.

Use the Touch ID (power button). Press to turn on your MacBook Pro (or just lift the lid). When you first start up or restart, you need to log in by typing your password. You set up Touch ID during setup or later in the Touch ID pane of System Preferences. After setup, whenever you’re asked for your password after you first log in, you can place your finger lightly on the Touch ID sensor to authenticate instead of typing your password.

You can also use Touch ID to make purchases online securely with Apple Pay. For more information about Touch ID, see Set up. For more information about Apple Pay, see Apple Pay.

Note: Press and hold the Touch ID (power button) for a few seconds to turn off your MacBook Pro. To put your MacBook Pro to sleep, choose Apple menu > Sleep.

Use the Touch Bar. The Touch Bar is integrated into many macOS apps to give you handy shortcuts for the tasks you do most, based on your current app and activity. Use familiar gestures—like tap and slide—in the Touch Bar while you work.

The buttons at the right end of the Touch Bar are the Control Strip—you use them to expand or collapse the Control Strip, change the brightness and volume, or use Siri. The other buttons in the Touch Bar depend on the app you’re using.

A partial screen of the default Touch Bar, showing the compressed Control Strip. Tap the expand button to show the full Control Strip.

Expand or collapse the Control Strip. Frequently used system controls, like volume and brightness, are located in the Control Strip on the right side of the Touch Bar. Tap

to expand the strip, then tap buttons or sliders for the settings you want to change. Tap

when you finish, or leave the Control Strip open to keep the buttons available.

The Touch Bar with the Control Strip open. Buttons for screen brightness, Mission Control, Launchpad, keyboard brightness, media controls, volume, and Siri are shown.

Customize the Control Strip. Use the Keyboard pane of System Preferences (choose Apple menu > System Preferences, then click Keyboard) to customize the Control Strip.

Display the function keys. Press and hold the Function (Fn) key to display the function keys F1 through F12 in the Touch Bar, then tap a function button to use it.

The Touch Bar with function keys F1 through F12.

Tap instead of type. In apps where you compose text, like Notes, Messages, TextEdit, and Mail, the Touch Bar can display typing suggestions to help you save time by presenting words and emoji you can tap instead of type. Tap

in the Touch Bar to see typing suggestions, if they’re not already showing.

The Touch Bar with buttons for composing text and predictive input.

Express yourself with emoji. In some apps, you can choose an emoji instead of words for a fun way to make your point. Tap

to display the emoji. Swipe to scroll through options, organized by category, such as “Frequently Used,” “Smileys & People,” “Travel & Places,” and more. Tap to select the emoji you want.

Explore and experiment. Tap around to see what you can accomplish quickly and efficiently. It’s often easier to tap the Touch Bar than to click or select items onscreen in order to accomplish a task or apply a setting. For example, open Calculator and do quick calculations with the number keys and the functions on the Touch Bar—no more moving your cursor, clicking, and typing onscreen.

Keep using the Touch Bar to find the best ways to achieve the results you want. Move seamlessly between the Touch Bar, your keyboard, and the trackpad to get the job done. See Included apps and the sections for each app for information about their Touch Bar features.

To learn more about the Touch Bar, see the Apple Support article support.apple.com/HT207055.

Customize the Touch Bar

In the Finder and in many apps, such as Mail and Safari, you can customize the buttons in the Touch Bar. You can also customize the Control Strip. Choose View > Customize Touch Bar to add, delete, or rearrange items in the Touch Bar.

When you’re customizing the Touch Bar, the buttons jiggle, and you see the Done button. For example, here’s the Calculator Touch Bar, ready to be edited:

Add buttons to the Touch Bar. Drag controls to the bottom of your screen and into the Touch Bar to add them.

The items you can customize in the Calculator Touch Bar by dragging them into the Touch Bar.

When you finish, tap Done in the Touch Bar or click Done on the screen.

The Touch Bar for Calculator after it was edited, with different functions displayed.

Rearrange buttons in the Touch Bar. While customizing the Touch Bar, drag buttons to a new location. When you finish, tap Done.

Remove buttons from the Touch Bar. While customizing the Touch Bar, drag a button from the Touch Bar to the screen to remove it. When you finish, tap Done.

Trackpad

You can do a lot on your MacBook Pro using simple trackpad gestures—scroll through webpages, zoom in on documents, rotate photos, and more.

With the Force Touch trackpad, pressure-sensing capabilities add another level of interactivity. The trackpad provides feedback—when you drag or rotate objects, you feel a subtle vibration when they’re aligned, allowing you to work with greater precision.

Here are some common gestures:

				Click: Press anywhere on the trackpad. Or enable “Tap to click” in Trackpad preferences, and simply tap.
				Force click: Click and then press deeper. You can use force click to look up more information—click a word to see its definition, or an address to see a preview that you can open in Maps.
				Secondary click (right click): Click with two fingers to open shortcut menus. If “Tap to click” is enabled, tap with two fingers.
				Two-finger scroll: Slide two fingers up or down to scroll.
				Pinch to zoom: Pinch your thumb and finger open or closed to zoom in or out of photos and webpages.
				Swipe to navigate: Swipe left or right with two fingers to flip through webpages, documents, and more—like turning a page in a book.
				Open Launchpad: Quickly open apps in Launchpad. Pinch closed with four or five fingers, then click an app to open it.
				Swipe between apps: To switch from one full-screen app to another, swipe left or right with three or four fingers.

Customize your gestures. Choose Apple menu > System Preferences or click the System Preferences icon

in the Dock, then click Trackpad. In Trackpad preferences you can:

Learn more about each gesture
Set the pressure you prefer to use
Decide whether to use pressure-sensing features
Customize other trackpad features

Tip: If you find you’re force clicking when you don’t intend to, try adjusting the click pressure to a firmer setting in Trackpad preferences. Or change the “Look up and data detectors” option from the “Force Click with one finger” default setting to “Tap with three fingers.”

For more information and examples of force click options, see the Apple Support article Using a Force Touch trackpad.

Charge the battery

The MacBook Pro battery recharges whenever your MacBook Pro is connected to power.

MacBook Pro with power adapter plugged in.

Charge the battery. Connect your MacBook Pro to a power outlet using the included USB-C Charge Cable and 61W or 87W USB-C Power Adapter.

You can charge your MacBook Pro using any of the Thunderbolt 3 ports on your computer. The battery charges more quickly when the computer is off or in sleep.

Check the battery’s charge. Look at the battery status icon at the right of the menu bar to see the battery level or charging status. The icon displays a lightning bolt when your MacBook Pro is connected to power. Click the icon to show how much charge you have left if you keep using your MacBook Pro as you’re currently using it.

Charging and charged battery status icons

Conserve battery power. To extend battery life on a given charge, you can reduce the display brightness, close apps, and disconnect peripheral devices you’re not using. You can change your power settings in Energy Saver preferences (click the System Preferences icon

in the Dock, then click Energy Saver). If your MacBook Pro is in sleep when a device is connected to it, the device’s battery may drain.

For more information about the internal rechargeable battery in your MacBook Pro, and for conservation and performance tips, go to Apple Lithium-ion Batteries.

Accessories

The following Apple accessories are available to connect your MacBook Pro to power, external devices and displays, and more.

				Thunderbolt 3 (USB-C) to Thunderbolt 2 Adapter: Connect your MacBook Pro to Thunderbolt 2 devices or a Thunderbolt display.
				USB-C to USB Adapter: Connect your MacBook Pro to standard USB accessories or connect a USB cable to sync and charge your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch.
				USB-C Digital AV Multiport Adapter: Connect your MacBook Pro to an HDMI display, while also connecting a standard USB device and a USB-C charge cable to charge your MacBook Pro.
				USB-C VGA Multiport Adapter: Connect your MacBook Pro to a VGA projector or display, while also connecting a standard USB device and a USB-C charge cable to charge your MacBook Pro.

Adapters and other accessories are sold separately at apple.com or your local Apple Store. Review the documentation or check with the manufacturer to make sure you’re choosing the right adapter for your MacBook Pro.

Use an external display

The Thunderbolt 3 port on your MacBook Pro supports video output. You can use an external display, a projector, or an HDTV with your MacBook Pro.

MacBook next to an HDTV used as an external display

Connect a VGA display or projector: Use a USB-C to VGA adapter to connect the display to a Thunderbolt 3 port on your MacBook Pro.
Connect an HDMI display or HDTV: Use a USB-C to HDMI adapter or a USB-C to Digital AV adapter to connect an HDMI display or HDTV to a Thunderbolt 3 port on your MacBook Pro.
Connect a USB-C display: Connect the display to a Thunderbolt 3 port on your MacBook Pro.
Connect a Thunderbolt display: Use a Thunderbolt 3 (USB-C) to Thunderbolt 2 Adapter to connect the Thunderbolt display to a Thunderbolt 3 port on your MacBook Pro.

Adapters and other accessories are sold separately at apple.com or your local Apple Store.

If you have an HDTV connected to an Apple TV, you can also use AirPlay to mirror your MacBook Pro screen on your TV screen in up to 1080p HD. See AirPlay for details.

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