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charging magic keyboard

Brand new 24inch iMac - fine - then a message your keyboard needs charging - okay. Plug to usb at back of iMac and wait and wait ... 24 hours later if i take out the connector its says 1%. but bluetooth preferences said it was charging, though the keyboard was greyed out. - any ideas or do i just keep the keyboard plugged in. Hope I have more luck with the mouse.

iMac 24″, macOS 12.0

Posted on Nov 28, 2021 8:34 AM

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Question marked as Top-ranking reply

Posted on Nov 28, 2021 8:40 AM

You have some options. You can use an external USB connection and connect the Magic Keyboard to that for charging.


Next option, please restart the computer in Safe Mode ( Use Safe Mode to isolate issues with your Mac ) and then restart normally and re-charge the Magic Keyboard. Please ensure it has a great connection to your Mac to ensure it is charging. When I charge mine I look in the Blue Tooth preferences (I have the Blue Tooth shortcut in my menu in the upper right of my display and check it there. Mine show the name of the keyboard grayed out with no percentage of charge showing. That way I KNOW it is connected and charging.

6 replies
Question marked as Top-ranking reply

Nov 28, 2021 8:40 AM in response to Tony Rees

You have some options. You can use an external USB connection and connect the Magic Keyboard to that for charging.


Next option, please restart the computer in Safe Mode ( Use Safe Mode to isolate issues with your Mac ) and then restart normally and re-charge the Magic Keyboard. Please ensure it has a great connection to your Mac to ensure it is charging. When I charge mine I look in the Blue Tooth preferences (I have the Blue Tooth shortcut in my menu in the upper right of my display and check it there. Mine show the name of the keyboard grayed out with no percentage of charge showing. That way I KNOW it is connected and charging.

Nov 28, 2021 10:37 AM in response to Tony Rees

I plug my Magic Keyboard (extended) directly into a USB-3 hub, and it charges within a couple of hours. I do so while continuing to use it. Waiting 24 hours for a reported 1% charge while the keyboard is plugged into an available USB port on the iMac is a problem. Were you using a USB-C to USB-3 adapter to plug that keyboard cable into a USB-C port? if so, the dongle may be blocking the charging, or the USB-C ports may not be charging ports.

Dec 1, 2021 9:58 AM in response to Mal-S

When I charge my keyboard and trackpad (I don't use a mouse) I plug them into my powered USB hub at the end of the day. By the next morning they are always charged whether I shut down the computer or not. My normal rule is to only restart the computer 1x per week which means if I wanted to I could plug the keyboard or trackpad into the Mac as the Mac has power.


As stated, when the computer is shutdown if you plug in a mouse or keyboard into it to charge you are going to be disappointed.

charging magic keyboard

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