A MacBook cannot be used as a scale.
The Force Touch trackpad on MacBooks is designed to distinguish between a light click and a deep click (Force Click) by sensing the intensity of the applied pressure. However, this system does not have the hardware to perform an absolute weight measurement in grams or kilograms.
Additionally, placing hard or heavy objects on the trackpad can cause scratches on the glass surface or permanent damage to the underlying haptic (tactile) sensors.
Videos circulating online showing “making Apple devices a scale” typically demonstrate simple web-based concept applications (e.g., TouchScale) created for the 3D Touch technology found in past iPhones. These applications are also not compatible with the MacBook’s trackpad structure.
Is There an App for This?
There is no official, reliable, or accurately functioning app/software that turns a MacBook into a real scale.
While there are some experimental software developed by independent developers using the Force Touch (pressure sensing) infrastructure on Macs, these are not suitable for daily use due to three main reasons:
- Conductivity Requirement: A MacBook trackpad is a capacitive touch surface. To sense touch, it needs a conductive object like human skin or metal. If you place flour, a plastic container, or an apple directly on the trackpad, the system will not detect anything. Those who test these software must place a metal spoon on the trackpad and then put the item into the spoon to trick the system.
- Relative Measurement: The trackpad sensor reads weight not as grams or kilograms, but as “pressure intensity” ranging from 0.0 to 1.0. Experimental applications only try to fit this intensity to an estimated gram value, which is why the results are largely inaccurate.
- Very Low Limit: The trackpad’s pressure sensor, designed only to measure finger clicks, reaches its maximum level at a very low weight (approximately a few hundred grams). Above this weight, measurement stops completely.
Consequently, even if you find working software, taking an accurate measurement is physically impossible due to the system’s hardware structure, and there is a high risk of damaging the device’s mechanism.
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