iMac pro wireless keyboard not working

Hi Luv2EatApples.

I can’t tell which version keyboard that is from the top view but if it has the built-in batteries and can be charged by connecting a USB/Thunderbolt lead directly between the keyboard and the Mac, or an external charger, then simply connect the lead between the keyboard and the Mac and communication will switch over automatically to wired.

After you log-in you can disconnect the lead again and set-up wireless pairing with the mouse.

If your keyboard is the sort with removable batteries that are charged externally then there is no possibility of directly connecting this type of keyboard, instead, connect any standard USB keyboard, even from a Windows machine, and you will be able to login using that.

HTH.

Will.

Hi Luv2EatApples

You’ve confused me now, your user profile shows a MacBook Pro, your question references the 2017 iMac Pro (Intel) desktop computer, but your reply above refers to a iMax Pro, which are the latest models with Apple Silicon.

Probably just a slip when typing your reply and you meant to say Apple iMac Pro…..?

If we are talking about the 2017 iMac Pro with Intel Xeon CPU then once you connect an external wired keyboard carry out a SMC and PRAM/NVRAM reset followed by a Safe-Boot, in that order.

It’s quite possible the keyboard itself has died rather than the Mac being the problem but the steps above will reset the system board responsible for Bluetooth and USB, the Safe-Boot will reset the low-level drivers and caches that hold Bluetooth device identification and Keyboard mapping.

If you really do have an Apple iMax Pro Notebook you will need a USB-C to USB-A convertor cable to be able to connect a standard wired external keyboard, and with the Apple Silicon Macs there is no SMC or PRAM/NVRAM reset, only Safe-Mode boot is possible with these new models.

If FileVault is enabled on your T2 security chipped 2017 iMac Pro? you may find it impossible to boot into Safe-Mode, the boot disk will not be found, this is a consequence of the FileVault encryption and there are ways around this but not official Apple recommended and can leave the entire disk unreadable. I won’t link to those external sites that describe how to get around this problem here, you would need to search the web for yourself.

If you do need to enter Safe-Mode but unable to, and need to pursue this further, make sure you have a valid Time Machine backup on a dedicated external drive to recover from.

The official Apple documents linked below describe how to carry out a SMC reset, PRAM/NVRAM reset and Safe-Mode boot:

https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT201295

https://support.apple.com/en-gb/HT204063

https://support.apple.com/en-gb/HT201262

HTH

Will.

Addendum.

Forgot to add, besides the above, try a different Thunderbolt cable for your suspect wireless keyboard, just in case the cable has broken = No charging + No communication when directly connected to the Mac

Sorry, missed that in my previous reply.

Will.