How to use the Touch Bar with Reminders on the MacBook Pro

The Touch Bar on the MacBook Pro is a convenient feature for giving you access to settings you use often. The Touch Bar makes it easier for you to take action in the Reminders app without having to switch over to the trackpad. Here's how it works.

How to add a Reminder to a list with the Touch Bar

One of the most important features of any good to-do list app is the ability to quickly add a new item, and the Touch Bar makes such action much faster in Reminders.

  1. Select a list in the Reminders app on the Mac.
  2. Tap the Add (+) button on the Touch Bar.
  3. Type in the to-do item.
  4. Hit Enter to go to the next line.

That's all there is to it. When you have a list selected in Reminders, the Add button appears in the left corner of the Touch Bar.

How to edit a Reminder with the Touch Bar

You can add a location and time to any Reminder on the Mac (and in iOS), and with the Touch Bar, you can do so with just a few taps.

  1. Select a list in the Reminders app on the Mac.
  2. Click on an item on the list.
  3. Select Add Time on the Touch Bar.
  4. Tap the left or right arrows on the Touch Bar to change the due date.
  5. Drag your finger along the Time wheel to adjust the time.

  1. Tap the X on the Touch Bar when you are done to close the editing tool.
  2. Tap Add Location on the Touch Bar to add a geo-reminder.You can select Getting out of car (Carplay-only), Getting in car (Carplay-only), or Current location to receive a reminder notification when you are in those locations.

You can also manually add a reminder location. When you start to type an address, suggested locations will appear in the Touch Bar.

How to check off a Reminder with the Touch Bar

Just like adding a task to the Reminders app, you can check them off with just a tap.

  1. Select a list in the Reminders app on the Mac.
  2. Select an item on the list.
  3. Tap the Check mark on the Touch barAfter you check off an item on a list, Reminders will automatically select the next item on the list. If you've completed that next task on the list, you can just tap the check mark again to mark it done.

How to customize the Touch Bar for Reminders

Unfortunately, you can't. The Touch bar for reminders definitely didn't get a whole lot of love when the team was developing content for it. The tools that exist are great, but there aren't very many tools and there is no way to exchange what is there for something else.

Any questions?

Do you have any questions about using the Touch Bar with Reminders on the MacBook Pro? Put them in the comments and I'll help you out.

Lory Gil

Lory is a renaissance woman, writing news, reviews, and how-to guides for iMore. She also fancies herself a bit of a rock star in her town and spends too much time reading comic books.  If she's not typing away at her keyboard, you can probably find her at Disneyland or watching Star Wars (or both).