How can I press <Option> on a keyboard before the Mac started up?

This article ( https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT201372 ) says that in order to startup a Mac from an external drive:

  1. Press and hold the Option (Alt) ⌥ key immediately after turning on or restarting your Mac.


However: All keyboards today are wireless and need the MacOS to be installed and running before they can be selected as the keyboard for this Mac.


So how on earth can I press the Option key on a keyboard in a way that the Mac will recognize, BEFORE the MAC has started up?

In order to connect the keyboard, I need to have a MacOS, but in order to select a MacOS, I have to press a key on a connected keyboard.


This is completely impossible!

Posted on Dec 20, 2021 11:46 AM

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Posted on Dec 20, 2021 12:00 PM

One of two ways: press the alt key (yes, it’s wireless, but it’s the Mac firmware that accesses the keyboard at boot and not macOS), and (failing that) the rechargeable Apple Magic Keyboard can be connected to the Mac USB port via its Lightning cable.

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How can I press <Option> on a keyboard before the Mac started up?

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