Play/Pause Keys No Longer Working, but All Non-Media Function Keys Do

Hi,

I am using an Apple Magic Keyboard with the Touch ID and Numeric Pad on a Mac Mini M1 (16GB) running macOS Sonoma 14.0.

Lately, the play/pause (and fast forward/rewind) keys have not been working, but all of the other function keys (mute, sound up/down, spotlight search, etc.) work fine.

I do not remember when exactly it stopped working, but it was before I upgraded to Sonoma when that came out. Previously it would work fine (play/pause would work with YouTube, for example). More importantly, I use this key for my online classes because I can take notes in Word and pause the lecture if I need to without having to use the mouse to switch over to the browser, pause the video, and then switch back to Word. It makes it so much faster and easier.

I am using Google Chrome, but the same problem exists in Firefox as well as Safari.

I've searched through dozens of different forums on here with the same problem and tried almost all of the solutions, even booting into safe mode, which made no difference. I also tried my old Apple keyboard (I go through them fast, as I am a writer for work + school), and the same thing: all the other buttons work, but not the media keys.

Does anyone have ANY suggestions? Like I said, I've gone through tons of forums and tried solutions: enabling full keyboard access in Accessbility, made sure Slow Keys and Mouse Keys is off, made sure correct layout is selected (all as suggested here If your Mac doesn’t respond to key presses - Apple Support). I even uninstalled WhatsApp and Spotify as some users said those messed it up, though those apps are almost never open (and they were installed well before this started happening). Also tried adjusting settings in Chrome as suggested by others to no avail, but like I said, it doesn't work in Safari or Firefox either. And again, I already tried booting into safe mode.

So I am at a complete loss as to what to do. Restarting doesn't change anything, even temporarily. Clearly this is a very widespread issue and has been for quite a while based on forum posts.

Thanks for any assistance you can give.

Mac mini, macOS 14.0

Posted on Oct 23, 2023 5:04 AM

Top-ranking reply

Filmmaker_Matt Author

Level 1

8 points

Posted on Oct 26, 2023 6:55 PM

Update: SOLVED

Finally solved it. I made a separate user account and the keys worked fine.

So I erased the hard drive entirely and reinstalled everything with Time Machine. Now the keys work perfectly! (though I had to enable Hardware Media Key Handling in Chrome under chrome://flags/). Now I can play/pause YouTube and my school lectures, even if I'm typing in Word.

So, if anyone else is experiencing this problem, just see if it works in a separate user account and if it does... just reinstall everything with Time Machine.

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30 replies

dialabrain

Level 10

137,739 points

Oct 23, 2023 6:40 AM in response to Filmmaker_Matt

Filmmaker_Matt wrote:

Literally has nothing to do with YouTube or Netflix, I don’t use those for school

I guess I read this wrong…

"play/pause would work with YouTube, for example"

So what are you using?

Owl-53

Level 10

109,977 points

Oct 23, 2023 6:44 AM in response to Filmmaker_Matt

User wrote " I am using an Apple Magic Keyboard with the Touch ID and Numeric Pad on a Mac Mini M1 (16GB) running macOS Sonoma 14.0. "

I too have both the M1 and M2 Mac Mini both using the Magic Keyboard 2 ( Non Touch ID )

What Display is being used, as these Mac Minis are headless computers.

How is the Display ( Monitor ) connected to computer ?

On both of my M1 and M2 machines they are using HDMI connected to a HD Samsung TV and other to Asus VP278

The Media Key on the Magic Keyboard 2 do not function at all.

All Functions like F1, F2, F6, F7, F8, F9, F10, F11 and F12 have never functioned since macOS 11 to and including macOS 14

All the above Functions are passed off and Controlled by the Builtin functions of the Display ( monitor )

dialabrain

Level 10

137,739 points

Oct 23, 2023 8:13 AM in response to Luis Sequeira1

Luis Sequeira1 wrote:

That makes sense for the brightness keys, and maybe the volume, but not the play/pause key...

+1 I agree.

FWIW, I see no problem using these keys at all, in Sonoma or any of the previous versions.

Nor do I.

Oct 23, 2023 3:13 PM in response to Luis Sequeira1

My monitors haven't changed at all (which is two monitors, one connected through the HDMI port and one through a USB-C to HDMI cable into one of the Thunderbolt ports). Obviously, yes, the brightness keys don't work but they never have.

Your media keys work? What keyboard are you using and are you on a desktop or laptop? I haven't tried my MacBook Pro as I really only use it for traveling these days, but I suspect they probably still works on there.

As far as software, I have considered this, but would Safe Mode not have disabled any unnecessary software like that? The media keys didn't work in Safe mode either.

Oct 23, 2023 11:16 PM in response to Filmmaker_Matt

I regularly use a 16" Intel MBP. All the keys work on this one.

I also have access to Mac Studio M1 Max, with an Apple second generation "magic keyboard" (the one that charges with a Lightning cable, but without touch id).

This Mac Studio is connected to a non-Apple display, so of course the brightness keys do not work there. But the play/pause, volume and forward and back keys work just fine in Music. The playback/pause also works in Safari on youtube (and presumably other video or audio playing, I have not tested that).

Oct 26, 2023 2:51 AM in response to Filmmaker_Matt

Update 10/26/2023: tried a third party wired keyboard, media keys still did not work but all other function keys did

Unplugged everything from the computer except the HDMI cable to the monitor (and power cord of course) and the Bluetooth remained connected to the keyboard and mouse.

Still did not work.

I am at a complete loss here. There are so many forums asking this same question with the same problem, how has Apple not addressed it?

I'm installing macOS Ventura on a second volume, see what happens.

Nov 27, 2023 10:04 AM in response to Filmmaker_Matt

Seeing a similar issue. None of the media controls work in Apple Music, but play/pause works fine in Safari/Chrome. A test user account also works fine with Apple Music, but setting up a whole new user account to migrate all my configs over isn't a solution.

If anyone was able to fix the issue on their existing user account please let me know. Seems that this is either a keyboard setting and/or Apple Music config issue.

Nov 27, 2023 10:25 AM in response to Shareef Yousef

One interesting observation, if Music is closed and I press the play/pause button, the app is launched. Though no further function works once the app is open. I did notice the Music app is stuck "Updating Cloud Music Library" and am wondering if that's causing the app not to respond to key functions (maybe a bug?). I USED to have Apple Music, but cancelled after recent price increases to AppleOne. Don't see anywhere in the App to disable/remove Cloud syncing.

eyalnow

Level 1

8 points

Jul 15, 2024 12:42 AM in response to Shareef Yousef

i deleted the file , it didn't solve the problem, but my playlist view got resetted to playlsit instead of "songs" for ALL MY 1000+ playlist.

i restored the file from back up but it didn't restore the right view.

any other idea ?

dialabrain

Level 10

137,739 points

Oct 23, 2023 6:28 AM in response to Filmmaker_Matt

Filmmaker_Matt wrote:

No it doesn't, or at least it didn't used to need to be.

"it didn't used to need to be" is the operative phrase.

Oct 23, 2023 6:32 AM in response to dialabrain

So what changed?

And again, this is entirely irrelevant because the keys don't work AT ALL. So this is pointless to argue about.

dialabrain

Level 10

137,739 points

Oct 23, 2023 6:36 AM in response to Filmmaker_Matt

What changed as far as Netflix and YouTube is the sites themselves, as far as the FF & Rewind buttons. Even if the browser is in focus.

Oct 23, 2023 6:38 AM in response to dialabrain

Literally has nothing to do with YouTube or Netflix, I don’t use those for school

Oct 24, 2023 1:53 AM in response to Luis Sequeira1

Also, FWIW, the SPACE BAR does work to play/pause in Music or on YouTube or Netflix. But that doesn't work if you're in another window.

Mar 4, 2024 1:24 AM in response to Shareef Yousef

This worked for me. Thanks !

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Play/Pause Keys No Longer Working, but All Non-Media Function Keys Do