MacBook Air 2019 keyboard and trackpad unresponsive after wake.

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Level 1

9 points

MacBook Air 2019 keyboard and trackpad unresponsive after wake.

Hello, I have a following problem, which occurs with various frequency. When I wake my Mac either by opening it or by pressing a key when it's already open and it just locked, the following thing happens. The Mac resumes but I can't use either the built in trackpad or the built in keyboard. A windows pops up labeled "Bluetooth settings assistant" and it states that no bluetooth keyboard is connected (which is correct but it doesn't explain why I can't use the built in one) and that it's looking for a keyboard. After some time the text changes to inform me that "Configuration of a Bluetooth mouse or touchpad" is apparently in progress even though it also states that no wireless touchpad or mouse is connected to the computer.

It is very annoying especially when I'm in a meeting and need to write or check something quickly. It is especially annoying when it happens every single time after waking up the computer. So far I tried removing my Bluetooth devices but it didn't help. I have also reset SMC but it didn't help either.

Please help.

MacBook Air 13″, macOS 10.15

Posted on Oct 22, 2020 7:57 AM

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Answer 1

Best reply

Axel Foley

Level 10

148,518 points

Oct 24, 2020 12:15 AM in response to andrzej131

Reset SMC by following the directions applicable to your MacBook here ➔ How to Reset SMC. If that does not solve things then-
Reset NVRAM/PRAM by following the directions applicable to your MacBook here ➔ How to Reset NVRAM/PRAM. If that does not solve things then
Enter ➔ Safe Mode and see if the screen issue still exists in Safe mode. Log out of Safe Mode and then reboot computer. If that does not solve things then-
Finally if none of the above works then you can enter ➔ macOS Recovery Mode and reinstall the macOS and see if that solves it.

Axel F.

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Answer 2

Axel Foley

Level 10

148,518 points

Nov 9, 2020 8:50 PM in response to andrzej131

You are welcome and I am glad that you were able to sort it all out. One thing I would like you know and that is that I have owned and worked with Macs for over 20 years and I have never installed any antivirus software. Never had any issues. I am not saying that there are not any malware or adware issues out there. There are. I have been good with knowing and learning about how those scam websites work. I have learned, over time, that antivirus and other like software tend to hurt the overall performance of Macs and often play a role of hindrance more than helping the user.

Axel F.

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Answer 3

andrzej131 Author

Level 1

9 points

Oct 30, 2020 1:55 AM in response to Axel Foley

Hello Axel, thank you for your reply. I did not respond sooner because I wanted to check how the system will behave after I followed your advice. I did reset SMC and NVRAM/PRAM but it only helped for about 5 days. Today the no bluetooth mouse and keyboard window popped up again and the built in keyboard and touchpad were unresponsive once more. Admittedly, this lockout was shorter than before but I assume that with time it will be getting worse. Yesterday there was a hint that the problem will reappear because after wake the touchpad/keyboard were unresponsive but only for a second or so and no window popped up.

I didn't have this issue in safe mode but I have only worked a couple hours in that mode. I don't know if it is advisable to work only in safe mode for a week or two. If that is not a problem then I could do that to check if the problem will reappear. if it does then admittedly the only thing left to do will be to reinstall the macOS.

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Answer 4

Axel Foley

Level 10

148,518 points

Oct 30, 2020 10:38 AM in response to andrzej131

It is not advisable to keep working in SAFE mode simply because the SAFE mode does not use all of the resources efficiently. It is designed to troubleshoot instances where one can identify software issues since the SAFE mode does not preload nonessential apps.

Let's try something, open System Preferences ➔ Users & Groups ➔ Login items tab : Here you will see which apps get pre-loaded during boot up (If any). If you see a list then unchecking one at a time and rebooting will let you know whether any one of those apps is the culprit.

If the above makes no difference or the issue remains random then, you are right, reinstall macOS is the final thing to do before contacting Apple Support.

Axel F.

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Answer 5

andrzej131 Author

Level 1

9 points

Nov 2, 2020 12:34 AM in response to Axel Foley

Hello Axel, I have only two items listed on my login list. OneDrive and Microsoft To Do. I doubt any of these is the culprit, besides I have no keyboard problems after a restart. These happen only when I wake my computer from sleep or from screen lock. A restart actually helps (for some time at least). However your mention of the startup programs got me thinking and I wonder if my Eset Cyber Security Pro might be the culprit. I can't remember if I had these problems before I installed it and I believe it to be the most intrusive program that I use. It is not listed on the login tab so I guess I will have to uninstall it completely and then check if these problems return.

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Answer 6

andrzej131 Author

Level 1

9 points

Nov 9, 2020 5:37 AM in response to Axel Foley

Hello Axel, first of all I hope that you don't feel ignored by my lack of answers but I simply want to reply only after I have something new to add. It's been a week now since I removed Eset Cyber Security Pro and there was not a single problem with touchpad or keyboard. Even more so my MBA seems to be more responsive and maybe even the battery life improved a little. Looking back I now do recall that even though my Eset was up to date a window sometimes (very rarely) popped up informing me that it has outdated resources which will be incompatible with future versions of MacOS (sorry, I can't recall the exact message). All in all so far it seems that in my case Eset was the culprit. This is unfortunate since I would rather have it installed and feel a little better protected online (at least that's the impression I had, I don't really know what is the real threat potential for Macs without antivirus software). So far I decided to wait for the next big MacOs update which I presume will happen soon and then I will reinstall Eset Cyber Security Pro to see if this issue returns.

Thank you very much for all your help :)

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Answer 7

Axel Foley

Level 10

148,518 points

Nov 2, 2020 8:38 AM in response to andrzej131

Not all startup items are listed under login items. There are several background items that are also loaded. You can use the app Activity Monitor and see what is running in the background.

Axel F.

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MacBook Air 2019 keyboard and trackpad unresponsive after wake.

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