Better Touch Tool: How to Build a Visual Command Center for Your Shortcuts

You set up 200 gestures in Better Touch Tool. Maybe 500. Trackpad swipes for window management. Keyboard shortcuts for app switching. Touch Bar buttons you forgot existed. And now you can't remember half of them.

That's the hidden cost of power. Naturally, the more shortcuts you create, the harder they are to recall. You open preferences, scroll through lists, and think: "I know I set something up for this..." Sound familiar? You're certainly not alone.

This guide shows you how to turn your Mac's menu bar into a visual command center. As a result, every Better Touch Tool automation you've built becomes visible, organized, and one click away — using an app called ExtraBar.

The Better Touch Tool Power User Problem

BetterTouchTool lets you customize nearly every input device on your Mac. Specifically, it handles trackpad, mouse, keyboard, Touch Bar, Siri Remote — even MIDI controllers. Essentially, if something sends a signal, BetterTouchTool can intercept it.

However, nobody talks about the discovery problem.

Once you pass a few dozen custom actions, you inevitably start forgetting what you built. For instance, was that window tiling gesture three fingers or four? Similarly, was the Figma shortcut Control+Shift+F or Option+Command+F?

The result is predictable. You either waste time digging through preferences, or you stop using half your shortcuts entirely. In fact, that's the paradox: the more powerful your setup becomes, the harder it is to use all of it.

What power users actually need isn't more gestures. Instead, they need a persistent, visible layer that shows what's available. Something that lets you trigger actions without relying on memory alone.

Why the macOS Menu Bar Solves This Better Touch Tool Problem

Think about where your eyes naturally rest on a Mac. The menu bar. It's always there, always visible. For most people, though, it's massively underused.

Meanwhile, your menu bar is probably cluttered with icons you never click. Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, battery — plus a dozen status indicators you glance at once a week. So what if that space actually did something useful?

That's the idea behind ExtraBar. Essentially, it's a macOS app that creates custom actions in the menu bar. Deep links, keyboard shortcuts, shell scripts, macOS Shortcuts, and more. Importantly, it's not a menu bar icon manager like Bartender or Ice. Those apps hide icons. ExtraBar, on the other hand, creates new actionable ones.

Additionally, ExtraBar recently added a Keyboard Shortcut action type. You can now send actual hotkey combinations to BetterTouchTool directly from the menu bar. In other words, your menu bar becomes a visual command center for every automation you've ever built.

How ExtraBar and Better Touch Tool Work Together

The integration works on two levels. Choose based on how you've structured your setup.

Deep Links for Better Touch Tool Named Triggers

BetterTouchTool supports a URL scheme for triggering named triggers externally. So if you've created named triggers, you can fire them from ExtraBar using deep links. For example, you could add a menu bar item labeled "Tile Windows Left" that calls the URL scheme directly.

Consequently, deep links work best for complex automations. Multi-step sequences and anything organized as a named trigger are ideal candidates.

Keyboard Shortcuts — The New Game-Changer

Here's where things get exciting. Specifically, ExtraBar's new Keyboard Shortcut action type lets you define a specific key combination. You choose the key, toggle modifier keys like Command, Shift, Option, Control, or Function, and ExtraBar sends it.

This is perfect for Better touch tool users. Instead of memorizing that your screenshot shortcut is Control+Shift+Command+4, you create an ExtraBar action labeled "Screenshot + Annotate." Click it from the menu bar, and the automation runs.

There's also a clever option called "Restore App Focus." When enabled, ExtraBar returns focus to the app you were using before triggering the shortcut. As a result, keyboard shortcuts get sent in the correct context. Therefore, if your BetterTouchTool action depends on the focused app, it works exactly as expected.

Setting Up Your Better Touch Tool Command Center

Here's how to build this setup in about 15 minutes.

Step 1 — Audit Your Automations

Open BetterTouchTool's preferences first. Then identify the 10 to 20 actions you use most frequently. Look at keyboard shortcuts, trackpad gestures, and named triggers. Finally, write down each action name and its trigger method.

Focus on actions you use daily but sometimes forget. Those benefit the most from a visible menu bar button.

Step 2 — Install ExtraBar

Download ExtraBar from extrabar.app. It requires zero permissions out of the box. Simply download, open, and start adding apps. Additionally, you can optionally enable Accessibility for enhanced keyboard navigation.

Next, choose your display mode:

• Inline Mode places actions directly in the native macOS menu bar
• Floating Bar Mode gives you a separate bar summoned with a global hotkey
• Menu Mode collapses everything under a single icon

For a BetterTouchTool command center, Floating Bar mode works particularly well. You summon it with one hotkey, see all your actions, and trigger what you need.

Step 3 — Create Keyboard Shortcut Actions

For each BetterTouchTool automation, create an ExtraBar action:

1. Open ExtraBar's management screen
2. Add an app or create a folder like "BTT Actions"
3. Click "Add Action" and select Keyboard Shortcut
4. Set a descriptive Menu Label like "Tile Left Half"
5. Enter the key that triggers your shortcut
6. Toggle the correct modifier keys
7. Enable "Restore App Focus" if targeting the previous app

Organize actions into subfolders by category. For instance, group them as Window Management, App Launching, or Clipboard Tools.

Step 4 — Add Deep Links for Named Triggers

For automations set up as named triggers, instead use the deep link action type. Enter the BetterTouchTool URL scheme, and ExtraBar fires it directly.

This approach works particularly well for complex multi-step automations. For example, things like "open project workspace, tile three windows, and start a timer" are perfect candidates.

Step 5 — Navigate Everything by Keyboard

Assign a global hotkey to ExtraBar. Your workflow now looks like this:

1. Press your ExtraBar hotkey
2. Navigate with arrow keys or number keys
3. Press Enter to trigger the action
4. ExtraBar sends the shortcut to BetterTouchTool
5. Your automation runs

Zero mouse movement. Zero memorization. Every action is labeled and visible.

Real-World Better Touch Tool Setups by Role

Developers

Developers typically have dozens of BetterTouchTool shortcuts for window tiling and terminal commands. With ExtraBar, you can also build a menu bar section with actions like "Tile: Code Left / Browser Right," "Git Status," and "Launch Dev Stack." Consequently, each fires the corresponding shortcut or named trigger. Everything stays visible and one click away.

Designers

Similarly, designers working in Figma or Adobe tools can trigger BetterTouchTool shortcuts they'd otherwise forget. For instance, export shortcuts, the system-wide color picker, annotated screenshots, and window arrangements all become menu bar actions.

Team Leads

Likewise, people in meetings all day benefit from mixing deep links with keyboard shortcuts. Zoom calls, Jira boards, and Slack channels sit alongside BetterTouchTool window tiling shortcuts. ExtraBar handles both action types seamlessly.

ExtraBar vs. Launchers for Better Touch Tool Users

You might wonder: why not use Raycast, Alfred, or Spotlight instead?

Those tools are transient. You press a hotkey, type a query, and the launcher disappears. That works for things you remember. However, the whole point here is solving the "I forgot what I set up" problem.

ExtraBar is persistent. Your actions sit in the menu bar, always visible or one hotkey away. No typing, no searching, no trying to recall a command name. You see the list, pick the action, and it runs.

Furthermore, ExtraBar requires no special permissions. It works entirely offline, stores everything locally on your Mac, and costs a one-time payment with lifetime updates. No subscription required.

Stop Memorizing, Start Clicking

You didn't configure Better Touch Tool just to forget your shortcuts. Power without visibility is power wasted.

By pairing BetterTouchTool with ExtraBar, you get both worlds. Deep automation under the hood. A clean, keyboard-navigable command center on top. Every shortcut becomes visible, organized, and one click away.

Download ExtraBar and turn your hidden shortcuts into a visible workflow. Your future self will thank you.