Can't connect Apple Wireless Keyboard using Bluetooth

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Level 1

33 points

Can't connect Apple Wireless Keyboard using Bluetooth

I turn on Bluetooth on the keyboard, then on my MacBook Pro. The keyboard appears in the list of devices, with a 'Connect' button. I hit connect. Nothing happens until I hit 'return' on the keyboard (no other key produces any activity), at which point a popup displays with the 6-digit challenge code displayed; the popup disappears (since I've just hit 'return') but because no passcode was entered, the connection fails. How can I get this computer to recognize this keyboard? The same problematic behavior occurs on an older Mac mini.

MacBook Pro 13″, macOS 13.5

Posted on Sep 8, 2023 1:51 PM

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Answer 1

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Tesserax

Level 10

152,786 points

Sep 8, 2023 5:43 PM in response to LarryW-PDX

Hmm, I seem to recall that you had to first connect this keyboard by USB when setting it up before using it wirelessly.

Ref: Use an Apple wireless keyboard, mouse or trackpad with Mac - Apple Support

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Answer 2

Tesserax

Level 10

152,786 points

Sep 8, 2023 6:08 PM in response to LarryW-PDX

Hmm, well that may be because I happen to be using a MBP, running macOS High Sierra, as I am typing this. This most likely changed with a newer version of OS. Maybe something similar can be found in Bluetooth Settings... ?

I also came across this Apple Support article that describes the steps to pair the older Apple Wireless keyboards with a Mac ... that, in this case, does not have a port. It mentions using either a mouse or trackpad.

Set up your Magic Keyboard, Magic Mouse, or Magic Trackpad with your Mac - Apple Support

If none of this helps, your next step would be to contact Apple Support directly. To do so, simply select the "Support" link on the lower left-hand side of this forum's web page, OR alternatively wait for someone else here to chime in with what worked for them. Sorry, that I couldn't help you with this.

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Answer 3

Tesserax

Level 10

152,786 points

Sep 8, 2023 4:36 PM in response to LarryW-PDX

There were, at least, four generations of the Apple Wireless Keyboards ... the predecessors to the Apple Magic Keyboard line. Which exact model is yours? Which exact model is your MacBook Pro that you are trying to use it with?

Have you used this keyboard successfully with this laptop before, or has it never worked. That fact that this keyboard was not working with your other Mac, may indicate that it is the keyboard, and not either of your Macs that could be the culprit.

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Answer 4

LarryW-PDX Author

Level 1

33 points

Sep 8, 2023 5:32 PM in response to Tesserax

The keyboard is A1016, and the MacBook Pro is 13-inch 2020, 2 GHz quad core 4 thunderbolt 3 ports

The keyboard has been working for years with my old Mac mini, but I was having problems getting it to connect and deleted the entry from the Bluetooth device list. The keyboard was also known to my MacBook Pro and connected fine, but when I deleted the entry on that machine I was again unable to connect, with the behavior I described. So the problem isn't in the keyboard, but in the connection protocol.

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Answer 5

Tesserax

Level 10

152,786 points

Sep 8, 2023 5:57 PM in response to LarryW-PDX

Sorry, I don't have that particular keyboard, only an older wired-only model.

The only other thing I can think of is to reset the Bluetooth on your Mac. To do so, hold down the <shift> + <option> keys, and then, click on the Bluetooth icon on the macOS menu bar. Then select Debug > Reset the Bluetooth module

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