The Touch Bar is just as effective with Microsoft Word apps. Microsoft Office software developers provided real-time, relevant tool shortcuts based on what you’re likely to need when using Office apps.
What Is the Apple Touch Bar?
This Retina touch display strip is located above the keyboard keys, near where the display screen meets the keyboard. According to the product’s press release:
Using the Touchbar With Microsoft Programs
Microsoft is among the developers who provide customized Touch Bar controls. The Tool Bar is active with Word, PowerPoint, Outlook, Excel, One Note, Skype, and Edge. The Touch Bar changes with each app.
Microsoft Outlook: The Touch Bar makes it a breeze to attach your most recent documents to an email in Outlook or create calendar appointments from an email. It features your latest tools and commands, as well as your upcoming events.
Microsoft Excel: Use the Touch Bar to access your recent Excel spreadsheet actions. By entering an equal sign in a cell, the Touch Bar activates with these contextual tools. The Touch Bar also helps you format data or apply recommended charts.Microsoft Word: When working in word-processed documents, you can opt for a distraction-free mode that removes toolbars and the ribbon. Plus, you can access recent tools and commands through the Touch Bar’s contextual shortcuts. This Focus Mode works alongside real-time shortcuts to apply style changes to the text you are working with.Microsoft PowerPoint: In presentations, the Touch Bar shortcuts offer quick tools for editing PowerPoint slides, which helps when working with image-rich files. The Touch Bar features slide gestures that reorient an object to a better angle and a Reorder Objects button that works with graphic layers on a slide, making it easier to move things around. It can also produce a graphical map of the layers on a slide, making it easy to find the right object and move it where you want it.
Touch Bar Customization Options
Most Touch Bar arrangements contain a control bar that doesn’t change with each app, usually containing brightness, sound, and Siri icons. The rest of the Touch Bar varies by app or task. You can customize the Touch Bar, meaning you aren’t locked in with the contextual defaults. From the desktop, select View > Customize Tool Bar to open a screen containing options you can select. Drag your preferred shortcuts to the bar in a similar way to other favorites and toolbars you have customized in the past.
All Productivity and No Play?
The Apple development guidelines restrict any funny business when it comes to the Touch Bar display. Apple insists that developers use the Touch Bar as an extension of the keyboard and trackpad (not as a display), avoid message or alert functionalities that reduce productivity, and minimize bright colors.
