Turning Bluetooth back on on iMac without a mouse, only using the keyboard

Question

Turning Bluetooth back on on iMac without a mouse, only using the keyboard

We have wireless Apple mouse and Apple keyboard for our iMac.

My husband turned off our Bluetooth by accident.

We can plug the keyboard in to use it but I can’t use the mouse.

Things I’ve tried:

restarting - Bluetooth still off
command+space: I can get to the spotlight search, get to the system settings but I can only move up and down. I can see Bluetooth is off but pressing enter doesn’t get me across to be able to toggle things on/off. I also tried fn+return but that doesn’t work either
One tip online said to reset Bluetooth settings by pressing shift+option then to click Bluetooth icon but I think that assumes I have access to a mouse.

Anyway, with the exception of going out and buying a usb wired mouse, I’m at a loss as to what to try next. Any suggestions?

[Re-Titled by Moderator]

Original Title: Help turning Bluetooth back on without mouse

iMac 21.5″, macOS 14.7

Posted on Aug 17, 2025 1:21 AM

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Answer 1

Top-ranking reply

Phil0124

Level 10

216,944 points

Aug 17, 2025 1:10 PM in response to miss_georgina

Bring up the Spotlight Search. Type in "Bluetooth File Exchange" and press enter when the Bluetooth File Exchange.app result is selected. This will open the app and produce a window telling you Bluetooth is turned off and must be turned on. Hit enter to turn it on.

Once turned on, it should find and Connect to the mouse.

You can then close the Bluetooth File Exchange App.

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Answer 2

rkaufmann87

Level 10

148,458 points

Aug 17, 2025 1:42 AM in response to miss_georgina

You don’t, what you do is buy a $5.00 USB mouse and use that. It’s that simple! It would also be wise to spend another $15 and get yourself a USB keyboard too. You can find these at your local PC store, office supply store, Amazon, EBay etc.

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Answer 3

Aug 17, 2025 1:50 AM in response to rkaufmann87

Thankyou for your reply. I am aware I can just go out and buy replacement equipment and also know where to buy them from too. But thankyou for mansplaining that to me.

As I can use the keyboard (because it can be plugged in to the computer, but the mouse cannot because of where the lightning port is) I thought there might be a nifty keyboard shortcut that can help me fix this before I just give up and buy new equipment.

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Answer 4

Rudegar

Level 10

180,222 points

Aug 17, 2025 5:15 AM in response to miss_georgina

not sure if it's mansplaining really but there are situations, like if the computer for some reason disable Bluetooth where one needs to use an USB mice and or keyboard to resolve the situation, think of it as a prepper key of wired save my butt setup, one need not purchase special apple stuff, any USB keyboard and mouse should work if made for macos or windows or linux or...

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Answer 5

Aug 17, 2025 7:46 AM in response to rkaufmann87

Perhaps I jumped the gun and just assumed that had my username been Mr_John that you may not have suggested the places to buy a mouse and keyboard. Also, I’m in the UK so everyone knows where to buy a mouse/keyboard.

I didn’t mean to be rude and did appreciate the reply. I’m not close to the shops and work from home therefore hoped for a keyboard shortcut to resolve the issue rather than having to buy one but buying one I will do. Your suggestion to buy a cheap keyboard is also a good one as I always have a backup.

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Answer 6

rkaufmann87

Level 10

148,458 points

Aug 17, 2025 6:35 AM in response to miss_georgina

There is NO reason to be rude to someone that is simply trying to assist. If the mouse will not connect then no there is no other method,, hence my suggestion for a USB mouse.

Good luck!

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Answer 7

Aug 17, 2025 7:47 AM in response to Rudegar

Yes this is a good point. I will just purchase a spare mouse and keyboard then I’m not reliant on the bluetooth working.

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