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I just got the new MacBook Pro with the touch bar, and I do not know what the TouchID button does. It is clickable, but as far as I can tell it does not do anything when clicked. However, this is unlikely because I don't think that Apple will add an inoperative button to their computers.

Jaskirat Singh
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  • Old question, but are you also asking this since the new MacBooks (2016 onwards) simply automatically power on when the lid of the machine is opened? In the past you had to hit that power button (which is now a Touch ID button as well) to power up a MacBook; not the case anymore. – Giacomo1968 Nov 16 '18 at 15:16

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In addition to TouchID functionality and serving as a power button, you can also configure the button to act as an accessibility shortcut. Just look under Accessibility in the System Preferences!

Shortcuts include things like Zoom, Color Inversion, Mouse Keys and more.

Screenshot: Accessibility Shortcut - System Preferences

Giacomo1968
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George Rautenberg
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Seems the only function of the "Press" on the Touch ID button is to force shut down (after holding for 6 seconds). Kind of a bummer if you ask me.

https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT207054

Unlike with older Mac notebooks, holding down Touch ID on your MacBook Pro or MacBook Air doesn't display a dialog with options to Sleep, Restart, or Shut Down. You can find these options in the Apple menu. If your Mac is unresponsive, you can hold down Touch ID for six seconds to force a shut down. Note that you'll lose any unsaved work if you do this.

Pressing Touch ID won’t put your Mac to sleep. Instead, choose Apple menu  > Sleep. If your Mac has a Touch Bar, you can also add a Sleep button to the Control Strip:

Click Finder. Select View > Customize Touch Bar. Touch the Control Strip region of the Touch Bar to switch to Control Strip customization.
Use

William Fletcher
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  • Looks like this got stuck and is incomplete. The final instruction for adding "sleep" to the touch bar (after clicking the faded Control Strip section on the right) is to drage the "Screen Lock" item to replace one of your 4 default options in that section (can't seem to add, just replace, I replaced the Siri button). Now the Screen Lock/Sleep button is at least right next to the Touch ID button. – jerclarke Feb 10 '20 at 15:33
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You can do multiple things with TouchID on a MacBook, it's essentially the same thing as on the iPhone.

With TouchID you can:

  • Turn on, restart, sleep and shutdown the system.
  • Unlock and log in when waking your Mac from sleep. You must type in your password after start up, restarting, or logging out of your account
  • Gain access to password protected sections, such as in System Preferences.
  • Make purchases in the iTunes Store, App Store or iBooks store.
  • Making purchases with Apple Pay in Safari

Although 2017 MacBooks start when you open the lid, the finger print button also acts as a power button, like all other laptops. You can hold it down to force shutdown and restart the OS.

I'm sure there is also more things that I'm unaware of.

DrZoo
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    Thanks! I guess it can be used to force restart the machine if the OS hangs up or something. – Jaskirat Singh Apr 11 '18 at 04:53
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    @JaskiratSingh yep it’s the same as the power button on other laptops, along with the fingerprint reader for other functionality. – DrZoo Apr 11 '18 at 05:03
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    "*sleep and shutdown the system*" – that doesn't apply to the new 16" MacBook Pro, unfortunately. The button doesn't do anything when pressed while being logged in. – LinusGeffarth Jan 31 '20 at 12:30
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    Thanks @LinusGeffarth I was starting to feel crazy. Pushing it on the 16" 2019 does nothing when the computer is already one. I hope this selected answer can be updated. Why doesn't Apple just make it a "sleep" button by default, I would use it all the time. – jerclarke Feb 10 '20 at 15:27
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In macOS Monterey, clicking the button while logged in locks the screen.

There seems to be an "accidental press" detection which prevents the screen from locking just by quickly tapping it. Instead, rest a non-registered finger on the button for at least half a second, then press to lock.

Resorath
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That button is very useful. As another way to login to this machine you need to enrol in TouchID within iCloud/System Preferences. You will then be able to login to your MacBook using only your fingerprint.

JohnnyVegas
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    Yes, I know the touch ID can be used to log into the MacBook, use apple pay, etc, but why does the button push down? The fingerprint scanner did not have to be a button, it could have been a static sensor. – Jaskirat Singh Apr 10 '18 at 22:21
  • @JaskiratSingh because it also functions as the power button. If that's what your original question is, your question body is not informative enough. – DrZoo Apr 10 '18 at 22:28
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From my experience so far, the Touch ID button allows you to switch to different user accounts on your Mac. However it may not have that same feature if your computer only has one user.

Allison Lee
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