It can be quite a frustrating ordeal to buy your new mac mini with wireless keyboard only to find out that it cannot communicate with the keyboard. I spent the first 10 minutes trying to figure out how to connect my new mac mini to my wireless keyboard.
2.4G Wireless Keyboard MINI Waterproof X Structure Compact Keyboard mouse. About The Item: The item is a set of one 2.4G wireless keyboard with 78 keys and one mouse, has 3 colors and it can connect with your computer, TV box and smart TV. Setup New Mac Mini with Wireless Keyboard. Obviously the easiest way is to have your old USB keyboard do the ‘dirty work’ of installation for you up to the moment you actually start your new mac mini. Open the System Preferences, click the Keyboard option and choose the ‘Set Up Bluetooth Keyboard’ option.
Your device isn't recognized by your Mac. Follow these steps if your mouse, keyboard, or trackpad. Arteck-best mouse and keyboard for mac mini. It can be hectic to find suitable mouse and keyboard.
Fortunately a comment in MacRumors pointed me to the right direction and in the process saving me from venting my Anger to Apple ‘Genius’ with the fact that my $89 keyboard is pretty useless!
Setup New Mac Mini with Wireless Keyboard
Obviously the easiest way is to have your old USB keyboard do the ‘dirty work’ of installation for you up to the moment you actually start your new mac mini. Open the System Preferences, click the Keyboard option and choose the ‘Set Up Bluetooth Keyboard’ option.
Make sure your new wireless keyboard is in discovery mode (by pressing the power button until the green flashing light appears) and you will see in the setup screen that they found 1 keyboard. Follow the prompt to enter a sequence of six digits and press ‘return’ in the end.
Simple!
Setup New Mac Mini with Wireless Keyboard, but you don’t have USB keyboard
However, if you don’t happen to have an old USB keyboard like me (I dumped it a few months before I purchased this new Mac Mini), the situation is a bit trickier.
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Fortunately, I have my faithful (read: ugly as) USB mouse and my other two mice can bow down to its superiority (albeit only for a few minutes)!
As soon as you turn on your mac mini, you are greeted by language selection. Choose your preferred language, then choose your keyboard input method. You will then be asked to select wireless connection (if available) and at this time you won’t be able to enter the password yet (your wireless keyboard is nowhere to be found!). Don’t panic, just go ahead clicking the continue button and agree to the terms and conditions on the next screen.
The next screen is filled with five empty boxes that you are supposed to enter your name/password/etc. At this stage, you must think that Apple is nuts because you were supposed to fill in all these details with a lousy mouse.
The solution is a little bit strange but actually quite simple:
1. Right click on one of the boxes and highlight the ‘Substitutions’ option and choose the ‘Show Substitutions’ link.
2. On the next screen, choose the ‘Text Preferences’ option.
3. You will be taken to System Preferences menu for text. Click the ‘Keyboard’ option and choose ‘Set Up Bluetooth Keyboard’. After that, you have to turn on your new wireless keyboard (By pressing the power button until it’s in discovery mode – flashing green light), follow the prompt and enter six digits shown on the screen (with your new keyboard).
Your device isn't recognized by your Mac
Follow these steps if your mouse, keyboard, or trackpad isn't recognized by your Mac.
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Make sure that your wireless mouse, keyboard, or trackpad is turned on
The Magic Mouse and Magic Mouse 2 have a slide switch on the bottom of the device. Slide the switch to turn on the device. On the Magic Mouse, the green LED briefly lights up. On the Magic Mouse 2, green coloring is visible beneath the switch.
The Magic Keyboard, Magic Keyboard with Numeric Keypad, and Magic Trackpad 2 have a slide switch on the back edge of the device. Slide the switch to turn on the device (green coloring becomes visible). Earlier Apple Wireless Keyboard models have a power button on the right side of the device. Press the button and you see a green LED on the top of the device, near the button.
When you turn these devices on, they appear as connected in Bluetooth preferences and in the Bluetooth menu in your menu bar. If a device doesn't appear there, make sure it's charged or replace it batteries, and make sure it's been paired with your Mac.
Make sure that your device has been set up to work with your Mac
Learn how to pair your Magic Mouse 2, Magic Keyboard, Magic Keyboard with Numeric Keypad, Magic Trackpad 2 and earlier models of Apple wireless devices with your Mac.
Make sure that Bluetooth is turned on
Use your Mac notebook's built-in trackpad or a USB mouse to choose Apple menu > System Preferences, then click Bluetooth. Make sure that Bluetooth is turned on.
Refer to the table below for more information on determining the Bluetooth status. If the Bluetooth icon doesn't appear, or if the menu bar status continues to indicate that Bluetooth is off, restart your computer and then try to turn Bluetooth on again.
Bluetooth menu icon | Bluetooth status |
---|---|
Bluetooth is on, but no wireless devices are connected to the Mac. See the Make sure that your wireless mouse, keyboard, or trackpad is turned on section of this article. | |
Bluetooth is on and at least one wireless device is connected. | |
When this icon flashes, at least one wireless device has a low battery. Click the Bluetooth icon to identify the affected device, then recharge the device or replace its batteries. | |
Bluetooth is off. Click the Bluetooth icon using a USB mouse or built-in trackpad and select Turn Bluetooth On. | |
Bluetooth is offline or unavailable. Restart your Mac. If the Bluetooth status doesn’t change, disconnect all USB devices and restart your Mac again. |
Make sure that your devices are charged
Magic Mouse 2, Magic Keyboard, Magic Keyboard with Numeric Keypad, and Magic Trackpad 2 have built-in rechargeable batteries. You can charge these devices by connecting them to a Mac or a USB power adapter using a Lightning to USB Cable. For the fastest battery charging performance, be sure your device is switched on when connected to the Lightning to USB Cable.
To check the battery level of these devices, click the Bluetooth icon in your Mac's menu bar, then select your device by name. If the battery level of any device is low, recharge the device. If the device isn’t showing, make sure the device is turned using the steps outlined above.
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Turn the device off and on
If your Apple wireless mouse, keyboard, or trackpad isn't recognized by your Mac after following the tips above, try turning the wireless device off, waiting a few seconds, and then turning it back on.
Your mouse or keyboard intermittently stops responding
- Click the mouse or trackpad or press a key on the keyboard to reconnect the device to the computer. It might take a moment for the device to respond.
- Check for wireless interference.
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Your mouse doesn't scroll up or down or side to side
If you can't use your mouse to scroll through a web page or document, make sure that you're using the correct Multi-Touch gestures and have set up your scrolling speed preferences correctly.
Your mouse or trackpad doesn't track as expected
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Apple Wireless Mouse, Magic Mouse, and Magic Mouse 2 can be used on most smooth surfaces. If tracking issues occur, try these options:
- Choose Apple menu > System Preferences, then click Mouse. Set the ”Tracking speed” slider to adjust how fast the pointer moves as you move the mouse.
- Try using a different surface to see if tracking improves.
- Turn the mouse over and inspect the sensor window. Use compressed air to gently clean the sensor window if dust or debris is present.
- If multiple Bluetooth wireless devices are in use nearby, try turning them off one at a time to see if the issue improves.
Learn more what to do if your trackpad isn't tracking correctly.
Your keyboard has one or more keys that don't respond
Use the Keyboard Viewer to test whether the keyboard keys are responding correctly when they are pressed.
- Choose Apple menu > System Preferences, then click Keyboard.
- Click the Input Sources tab.
- Make sure that the keyboard language that you use is listed on the left side. If it's not, click the add button (+) and choose from the languages that appear.
- Select the ”Show Input menu in menu bar” checkbox.
- Click the Keyboard tab, then select ”Show keyboard and emoji viewers in menu bar” checkbox, if present.
- From the Input menu in the menu bar, choose Show Keyboard Viewer. The Keyboard Viewer showing the keyboard layout appears on your display.
- Type the key on the keyboard that doesn’t respond and see if the corresponding key highlights on the Keyboard Viewer. If it does, that key is functioning correctly.
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If you enable the Mouse Keys feature, many keys might not respond as you expect. To turn off Mouse keys, choose Apple menu > System Preferences, then click Accessibility. Choose Mouse & Trackpad from the list on the left side, then then deselect the Enable Mouse Keys checkbox.