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Q: external mac keyboard not working with maverick on macbook air

I installed Mavericks 10.9 on a mid-2013 macbook air. The Apple external keyboard is no longer working from either usb port (external usb mouse does work, however, as does external firewire display). Reset PRAM and SMC to no effect.  External keyboard and external monitor (firewire) were connected at time of installing 10.9 (no idea if this interferred with the setup). Any suggestions on how to resolve appreciated.

MacBook Air, OS X Mavericks (10.9)

Posted on Oct 23, 2013 6:44 AM

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Q: external mac keyboard not working with maverick on macbook air

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  • by PoliticalNews,Helpful

    PoliticalNews PoliticalNews Jan 3, 2014 6:42 AM in response to nrorg
    Level 1 (5 points)
    Jan 3, 2014 6:42 AM in response to nrorg

    Same here.  Mid 2013 Macbook Air running Mavericks will not recognize Apple USB keyboard.   Billing my client for repeatedly unplugging, waiting 30 seconds, and plugging back in!

  • by aliasbde,Helpful

    aliasbde aliasbde Jan 11, 2014 10:00 PM in response to Sean Mantey
    Level 1 (5 points)
    Jan 11, 2014 10:00 PM in response to Sean Mantey

    Thanks, pal!

    I was facing the same issue — Apple USB keyboard attached to MBA Mid2013 with Mavericks (latest updates installed so far) was iether working or not. It`s a real puzzle to figure out the logics it starts working. Have just tried extension cord and it`s working fine now.

  • by oleborup,

    oleborup oleborup Jan 13, 2014 11:54 AM in response to nrorg
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Jan 13, 2014 11:54 AM in response to nrorg

    Same problem here. Mid 2013 MBA, up-to-date Mavericks and external Apple USB keyboard. Very frustrating.

  • by buzz99,

    buzz99 buzz99 Jan 14, 2014 12:51 AM in response to aliasbde
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Jan 14, 2014 12:51 AM in response to aliasbde

    Thanks for that workaround! Found an old usb-extension, tried that too... WORKS!

    Also through my Thunderbolt-Display....

  • by M.H.Poulsen,

    M.H.Poulsen M.H.Poulsen Jan 19, 2014 12:00 PM in response to nrorg
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Jan 19, 2014 12:00 PM in response to nrorg

    I have the same issue - any idea when this will be fixed and what I can do in the meantime? And does anyone know if the same issue occurs with apples bluetooth keyboards?

  • by buzz99,

    buzz99 buzz99 Jan 19, 2014 12:54 PM in response to M.H.Poulsen
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Jan 19, 2014 12:54 PM in response to M.H.Poulsen

    No idea about the Bluetooth keyboard... But try to connect your keyboard using an usb-extension... Worked fine for me. But I have no clue why....

  • by Leo Jones,

    Leo Jones Leo Jones Jan 23, 2014 8:52 AM in response to nrorg
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Jan 23, 2014 8:52 AM in response to nrorg

    I've just tried it with an extension cable too and what do you know!  It now works.  I've had some minor communications with Apple about this and they have said if I take the keyboard back to the shop I bought it from they will exchange it.

     

    So next time I'm in, I will...

  • by jon woodhead,

    jon woodhead jon woodhead Jan 24, 2014 5:04 AM in response to nrorg
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Jan 24, 2014 5:04 AM in response to nrorg

    I had the same problem with a brand new mac book air. One day the external keyboard worked and the next it didn't. Follwing the advice above I connected a short USB extension cable and it works!  Thanks to whoever first identfied this fix, although I do wonder about how they ever thought to try this.

  • by justin_gordon,

    justin_gordon justin_gordon Feb 10, 2014 12:40 PM in response to jon woodhead
    Level 1 (5 points)
    Feb 10, 2014 12:40 PM in response to jon woodhead

    I can confirm that connecting the Mac USB (new) keyboard via a USB hub makes the keyboard work, whereas a direct connection does not work. (new MacBook Pro Retina 15", Mavericks)

     

    Does anybody know if this USB issue could be related the laptop freezing when trying to wake it up after the screen locks or it sleeps?

  • by r_marshall,

    r_marshall r_marshall Feb 10, 2014 1:41 PM in response to Sean Mantey
    Level 1 (10 points)
    Feb 10, 2014 1:41 PM in response to Sean Mantey

    Kudos to Sean Mantey - the extension cable totally works.

     

    Here's some more details to add to this bizarre effect.

     

    - Brand spanking new MBP 13" Retina

    - Mavericks 10.9.1 installed out of the box

    - Apple Keyboard version 0.74 won't recognize at all on either USB port

    - Apple Keyboard version 0.69 recognizes just fine (and works fine) on either USB port

     

    --> Add the Apple UBS Extension Cable to the version 0.74 setup and Hey, Presto! It works perfectly.

     

    What the heck did they do to the USB drivers???

  • by d18ge,

    d18ge d18ge Feb 10, 2014 5:31 PM in response to r_marshall
    Level 1 (9 points)
    iPad
    Feb 10, 2014 5:31 PM in response to r_marshall

    I don't understand why just adding a short USB extension cable works, but it does.  In my case id found a short (9") USB extension cable, plugged my keyboard into it and the extension into the Thunderbolt monitor.  No more problems with the Mac not seeing the external keyboard.  Wht this works makes no sense to me.  Maybe someone smarter than me can 'splain it. 

  • by btbarton,

    btbarton btbarton Feb 12, 2014 5:37 PM in response to nrorg
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Feb 12, 2014 5:37 PM in response to nrorg

    Had the same problem.  Plugged in a usb extension between my rMBP 13" and my aluminum keyboard...and it worked immediately.  ***???

  • by btbarton,

    btbarton btbarton Feb 12, 2014 5:53 PM in response to nrorg
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Feb 12, 2014 5:53 PM in response to nrorg

    Spoke to apple care on the phone and they were surprised!  The original person I spoke to called someone higher up on the food chain, who said I need to get to a genius bar so they can run some diagnostics.  They are thinking it's a power supply issue in the usb controller (I don't know what that means, or if I repeated it correctly). I'll update when I get back from the genius bar tomorrow night.

  • by d18ge,

    d18ge d18ge Feb 12, 2014 6:12 PM in response to btbarton
    Level 1 (9 points)
    iPad
    Feb 12, 2014 6:12 PM in response to btbarton

    I would be interested to hear what you learn after they run diagnostics.  But, for what it's worth, I first experienced the problem with my late 2011 13" MBP after upgrading to Mavericks and also on my new 13" MBP Retina. The problem did not manifest itself before moving to Mavericks which leads me to feel this is a firmware/software issue and not hardware.  Just my 2-cents for what it's worth.

     

    As to why simply adding a short USB extender fixes the problem is a mystery.  Would love to find out what the final analysis reveals.

  • by btbarton,

    btbarton btbarton Feb 12, 2014 6:27 PM in response to d18ge
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Feb 12, 2014 6:27 PM in response to d18ge

    I think you are right...it's not hardware.  But I have a 3 day old computer here and I'm going to let them document the problems and make sure they fix it. 

     

    I plugged my keyboard into my wife's MBP (13" not retina) that we bought in January.  The keyboard didn't work at first, then started working.  The funny thing is that my old, clunky plastic keyboard that's probably close to 10 years old works just fine in both!

     

    I'll report back tomorrow.

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