Change Keyboard preferences on Mac
On your Mac, use the Keyboard pane of Keyboard System Preferences to change options for keyboard and function keys, and for keyboard backlighting. Depending on your Mac model, or if you’re using a Magic Keyboard, you can change options for the behavior of the Touch Bar and the Fn key or Globe key 
on the keyboard.
To open this pane, choose Apple menu 
, then click Keyboard.
Option | Description |
|---|---|
Key Repeat, Delay Until Repeat | Set how quickly characters repeat when you press and hold certain keyboard keys, and how long to wait before repeating them. See Set how quickly a key repeats. |
Adjust keyboard brightness in low light | If your Mac has a backlit keyboard, automatically adjust the level of backlighting in low-light conditions. |
Turn keyboard backlight off after [time period] of inactivity | If your Mac has a backlit keyboard, select the checkbox, then click the pop-up menu to choose how long your Mac is idle before the keyboard backlighting is automatically turned off. See Turn your Mac keyboard’s backlighting on or off. |
Touch Bar shows | If your Mac has a Touch Bar, choose what’s shown in it:
|
Show Control Strip | If your Mac has a Touch Bar, include the Control Strip in the Touch Bar. This option isn’t available when the Touch Bar shows the expanded Control Strip or the F1, F2, etc. keys. |
Press Fn key to or Press | Choose what happens when you press the key on the keyboard:
|
Press and hold Fn key to or Press and hold | If your Mac has a Touch Bar, click the pop-up menu, then choose what happens when you press and hold the key on the keyboard. The choices vary depending on what the Touch Bar shows. |
Use F1, F2, etc. keys as standard function keys or Use F1, F2, etc. keys as standard function keys on external keyboards | If you mainly use keyboard function keys to perform keyboard shortcuts (such as pressing F11 to show the desktop), select this checkbox so you can perform the shortcuts without having to also press and hold the Fn or Note: If you more often use keyboard function keys to control system features (such as to adjust brightness or volume), as indicated by icons on the keys, deselect this checkbox. If you do, remember to press and hold the Fn or |
Customize Control Strip | If your Mac has a Touch Bar, change the items that are included in the Control Strip. See Customize the Touch Bar. |
Modifier Keys | Choose the action you want performed when you press modifier keys, such as Control or Option. See Change the behavior of the modifier keys. |
Set Up Bluetooth Keyboard | Set up a wireless Bluetooth keyboard to use with your Mac. |
To always show function keys (F1, F2, etc.) in the Touch Bar for specific apps, choose Apple menu > System Preferences, click Keyboard, click Shortcuts, select Function Keys in the list on the left, then add the apps on the right.
Open the Shortcuts pane for me
To be able to access extensions from Quick Actions in the Touch Bar, you must first enable them. See Change Extensions preferences.