Arch Linux

Hooks

Member

Registered: 2025-10-07

Posts: 2

[SOLVED] Can anyone help get the touchbar working on my 2017 Macbook?

Hey all, I installed Arch onto my old Macbook (an Intel model from 2017, with a touchbar) and so far I've been able to get almost everything working. Namely, I've got the wifi and audio working after neither worked on the fresh install. The last thing that still doesn't work is the touchbar, the long touchscreen display above the keyboard. I would really like to get this working, as there is no physical esc key, volume control, or brightness control without it; but nothing I have tried has worked so far.

Does anyone have any knowledge about how I can get this working? I would appreciate any help, and I can provide any more info if needed. Thanks in advance!

Last edited by Hooks (2025-10-09 20:07:06)

Hooks

Member

Registered: 2025-10-07

Posts: 2

Re: [SOLVED] Can anyone help get the touchbar working on my 2017 Macbook?

In case anyone has this problem in the future, I was able to get it working! Here is what I did:
First, changed my Kernel to LTS (6.12)
Then I downloaded and ran make on https://github.com/Heratiki/macbook12-spi-driver.git (has to be specifically Heratiki's branch)
I had to manually copy the .ko files into my /usr/lib/modules/6.12.51-1-lts/updates/dkms/ folder
And I changed the modules line in mkinitcpio.conf to

 MODULES=(applespi intel_lpss_pci spi_pxa2xx_platform apple_ib_tb) 

Then, I rebooted and the touchbar worked!

Hope this helps someone later!

chueewowee

Member

Registered: 2012-03-14

Posts: 14

Re: [SOLVED] Can anyone help get the touchbar working on my 2017 Macbook?

Nice, You must be pleased! - and useful to have function keys too.

I managed got the install script to put the .ko files into updates/dkms dir, BUT;
After instructing mkintcpio to load the relevant modules, just as you set out here and, before rebooting, running:

 $ dkms autoinstall 

>> I cannot report the result with Archlinux on  my macbook  13,3 (late 2016) as success.

I  wonder, Had you intially taken any of the several steps mentioned on other relevant  posts on various web sites?

Perhaps you have configured firmware for the GPU in a specific way? That would be useful for me to copy.

[EDIT +]
Do you have OSX installed with its APPLE fimrware in /dev/nvme0n1p1/EFI, and do you run refind bootloader with 'spoof OSX'

[running 6.12.59-1-lts]

I do have OSX installed on first partition with its EFI and firmware, and had got the touchbar working with a test on fedora, but wish to stay with Arch.

Last edited by chueewowee (2025-11-27 01:39:27)

chueewowee

Member

Registered: 2012-03-14

Posts: 14

Re: [SOLVED] Can anyone help get the touchbar working on my 2017 Macbook?

I've got the wifi and audio working after neither worked on the fresh install.

Also, I'd appreciate it if you tell me what you did to get the sound working.
Thanks in advance!

V1del

Forum Moderator

Registered: 2012-10-16

Posts: 24,975

Re: [SOLVED] Can anyone help get the touchbar working on my 2017 Macbook?

DKMS modules need the kernel headers to build, are linux-lts-headers installed?

chueewowee

Member

Registered: 2012-03-14

Posts: 14

Re: [SOLVED] Can anyone help get the touchbar working on my 2017 Macbook?

Yes thanks, @V1dek: linux-lts-headers are  installed.

Last edited by chueewowee (2025-11-27 01:31:24)

chueewowee

Member

Registered: 2012-03-14

Posts: 14

Re: [SOLVED] Can anyone help get the touchbar working on my 2017 Macbook?

I've got the wifi and audio working after neither worked on the fresh install.

Also, I'd appreciate it if you tell me what you did to get the sound working.
Thanks in advance!

Ok sound working with addition of systemd into the mkinitcpio HOOKS array.
Happy at that.

The snd-hda-intel module is available  on fresh install. Needed systemd configured in kernel To activate it properly ,  even though pipewire systemd service  units were running.

The present version of the module serves an increased number of macbookpro versions, and so no need for a snd_had_macbook module, as mentioned in various posts over the past several years, even more recent ones.

Now, need to get the touchbar into play and, resume on suspend.

Last edited by chueewowee (2025-11-27 01:42:54)

k3rnel

Member

Registered: 2026-01-08

Posts: 1

Re: [SOLVED] Can anyone help get the touchbar working on my 2017 Macbook?

In case anyone has this problem in the future, I was able to get it working! Here is what I did:
First, changed my Kernel to LTS (6.12)
Then I downloaded and ran make on https://github.com/Heratiki/macbook12-spi-driver.git (has to be specifically Heratiki's branch)
I had to manually copy the .ko files into my /usr/lib/modules/6.12.51-1-lts/updates/dkms/ folder
And I changed the modules line in mkinitcpio.conf to

 MODULES=(applespi intel_lpss_pci spi_pxa2xx_platform apple_ib_tb) 

Then, I rebooted and the touchbar worked!

Hope this helps someone later!

Can someone dumb this down for me? i was able to get wifi working and sound working, this is the last thing i need. i have been trying for a few hours now

[root@archlinux ~]# uname -a
Linux archlinux 6.12.63-1-lts #1 SMP PREEMPT_DYNAMIC Thu, 18 Dec 2025 14:48:15 +0000 x86_64 GNU/Linux

chueewowee

Member

Registered: 2012-03-14

Posts: 14

Re: [SOLVED] Can anyone help get the touchbar working on my 2017 Macbook?

By specifying the modules as suggested in the mkinitcpio.conf file, then  those modules (which are   included and  present in the applespi module on your system)  will be loaded at boot. But only after your run 'mkinitocpio -P update' which will update your linux kernel to reflect inclusion of those modules at boot.
You should then have a working touchbar. But, If for some reason you don't, the use lsmod command to check the modules are in fact loaded, and take things from there.

Thereafter, any  kernel updates to the kernel will automatically run 'mkinitfcpio -P' with kernel updates, to keep your touchbar working with specified necessary modules.