GoldenChaos-BTT: The complete Touch Bar UI replacement

Setup/Preset Sharing GoldenChaos
, ,
1

GoldenChaos-BTT
GoldenChaos-BTT2500×985 196 KB


I love the Touch Bar. That's why I was so upset that Apple just sat on its useless user interface. So, inspired by Vas3k's popular blog post on the subject, and determined to make good on the promise that Apple broke, I've spent a (ridiculous) amount of time reworking the foundations of the Touch Bar into GoldenChaos-BTT: a true general purpose Touch Bar UI with support for tons of apps that's intuitive enough to make you love your Touch Bar again - or, more likely, for the first time.

_Want to buy me a coffee? You can donate here: https://paypal.me/GoldenChaos_

Thinking about buying BetterTouchTool because of this preset? Use this link and I'll get 40%. :slight_smile:

Latest stable version: GoldenChaos-BTT 3.563

Verified by the BetterTouchTool developer, thoroughly tested by the community.
Download link not working? Try the GitHub mirror.
(May 29 2021 - Release Notes) Option to disable GC-BTT menu bar item; Fixes for settings window rendering issues; New Presets functionality for multi-config management; Support for AirPods Max; Fixes for AirPods battery display issues; Fixes for Battery Percentage display; New dock badges for Boxy Suite and Facebook Messenger

Latest experimental version: None

Newer features, but less tested. Generally stable, but read the release notes first.

How to install

  1. Make sure you're using the latest version of BetterTouchTool.
  2. Follow one of the two release links at the top of this post and click "Direct import to BTT".
  3. Say yes to BTT when it asks if you want to import the preset.
  4. [Upgrades only] Say yes when BTT asks if you want to overwrite your existing GC-BTT.

You're all set! Use the built-in settings window to customize GC-BTT to your liking.

Need help? Head over to the GC-BTT Help and Feedback thread!

Screenshots

Home Strip

00%20AM
00%20AM2170×60 30 KB

The default key set when nothing is open. Fullscreen doubles as escape key; tap for escape, long-press for fullscreen.

50%20AM
50%20AM2170×60 31.8 KB

Open a browser, and browser controls appear in the Home Strip.

12%20AM
12%20AM2170×60 34.9 KB

Open more apps to reveal a wide range of dynamic controls and widgets. Close apps to dismiss their controls.

Modifier Menus

Hold command, option, or control to access the app switcher, control strip, or window snapping controls.

21%20AM
21%20AM2170×60 54.4 KB

11%20AM
11%20AM2170×60 28.1 KB

03%20PM
03%20PM2170×60 18.9 KB

Dynamic Menu Bar

Dynamic Menu Bar with three size options lets you dedicate as much or as little space to widgets as you like.

18%20PM
18%20PM2170×60 33.2 KB
46%20PM
46%20PM2170×60 28.3 KB
15%20PM
15%20PM2170×60 27.7 KB

37%20PM
37%20PM2170×60 50.7 KB

46%20PM
46%20PM2170×60 48 KB

30%20PM
30%20PM2170×60 45.1 KB

30%20PM
30%20PM2170×60 59.3 KB

38%20PM
38%20PM2170×60 59.7 KB

19%20PM
19%20PM2170×60 65.3 KB

Widget Strips

Widget Groups like Emoji Picker and Browser Tabs replace the Home Strip, but not the Menu Bar.

42%20AM
42%20AM2170×60 50.8 KB

34%20AM
34%20AM2170×60 33 KB

Modal Widgets

Access expanded-view Modal Widgets by long-pressing on Weather, Now Playing, Reminders, Calendar, Volume, and more.

48%20AM
48%20AM2170×60 21.6 KB

32%20AM
32%20AM2170×60 25 KB

40%20PM
40%20PM2170×60 18.3 KB

Dock Badges

01%20PM
01%20PM2170×60 37.4 KB

08%20PM
08%20PM2170×60 37.7 KB

Dock Badges appear on the left side of the Touch Bar and remain sticky.

42%20PM
42%20PM2170×60 38.4 KB

Built-in Dock Badge support for all of your favorite third party apps; enable or disable them in the GC-BTT Settings menu.

46%20PM
46%20PM2170×60 38.2 KB

Dock Badges also support handoff!

Settings Window

The straightforward GC-BTT Settings window makes it easy to deeply customize your Touch Bar or restore your settings and is accessible right from the macOS menu bar.

Screen Shot 2021-05-04 at 8.45.54 PM
Screen Shot 2021-05-04 at 8.45.54 PM2192×1582 273 KB

Previous Versions

Only install the latest version unless you have a specific troubleshooting reason. If you do need to install an older version for whatever reason, make sure the version of BetterTouchTool you're running is greater than or equal to the GoldenChaos-BTT version you're installing.

Notes:

  • Versions 3.186 and earlier require icalBuddy (brew install ical-buddy) for the reminders widgets to work.
  • Versions 3.065-4 and earlier require icalBuddy (brew install ical-buddy) for the calendar and reminders widgets to work.
  • Versions 2.543 and earlier require the Python Requests module (pip install requests) and Locateme (brew install locateme) for the weather widget to work.
  • Versions 2.531 and earlier require the calendar widget to first be edited to include the names of the calendars that you wish to display.
  • Versions 2.516 and earlier require Location Helper and JSON Helper for the weather widget to work. Not compatible with macOS Mojave.

Version History:

I make other cool stuff, too, like Zelda Maps for Breath of the Wild! Check out all my other projects at https://goldenchaos.net. And thank you for trying out GoldenChaos-BTT! :slightly_smiling_face: