Why does macOS hide the Bluetooth "Connect" button for disconnected non-Apple mouse?

I have a problem. When a non-Apple mouse loses connection to my Mac, macOS for some unexplainable reason hides the "Connect" button for that device. I really can't understand this logic: if a Bluetooth device clearly isn't connected, why hide the "Connect" button from me in macOS System Settings? Also, clicking on the Bluetooth icon in the macOS menu bar doesn't help since the option is just greyed out there? I really can't understand this safeguard: why does macOS decide that I shouldn't be allowed to try to connect to a Bluetooth device that isn't currently connected to my Mac? The only way to reconnect the Bluetooth device is to make macOS forget it, go into another page in macOS System Settings, then go back into the Bluetooth page, scroll down to Nearby Devices, and connect it from there. It's unnecessary that I have to go through the whole Bluetooth pairing process every time. Why hide the "Connect" button from me?


(I'm using a Razer Pro Click Bluetooth mouse with my Mac on macOS Tahoe, but this behavior also occurs with other non-Apple computer mice.)


GIF demonstrating that the "Connect" button is hidden from me.


The Bluetooth device is greyed out from me in the macOS menu bar also!

MacBook Pro 16″, macOS 26.2

Posted on Jan 5, 2026 7:02 AM

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5 replies

Jan 5, 2026 6:39 PM in response to neuroanatomist

It is already paired to my Mac. This has nothing to do with the Razer mouse, it was just a device a named as an example. The same phenomenon occurs for other non-Apple devices. As you can see at the end of my screen recording, when I force it to connect again, I do so by making my Mac forget the device and reconnecting it from the "Nearby Devices" section, and I didn't activate pairing mode on the mouse. The mouse just accepts the connection handshake since it's already paired with the Mac, it's essentially just a unnecessary workaround to make my Mac show me a button to send out the "Hey let's connect!" signal.


My frustration is basically that it's so unnecessary that macOS arbitrarily decides to hide the "Connect" button from an already paired device, just because I carried my MacBook into a different room and it temporarily lost connection shouldn't mean that I'm never allowed to try to reconnect it unless I make my Mac forget the device. I bought my Mac for thousands of dollars, macOS shouldn't hide buttons from me arbitrarily, the "Connect" button should just always be available for the user to click so the user can at least try to "Connect" whenever they want. My mouse is already paired and ready to connect, but that can't be done unless there is a button in macOS to make it connect.

Jan 5, 2026 6:43 PM in response to Barney-15E

Yes, this occurs because my Mac temporarily looses connection with the mouse when I carry my MacBook into another room at the opposite side of the house. The mouse is not paired to any other devices, and you also have to click a button on the mouse to make it be reachable for new devices. The Razer mouse just sits there happily and is ready to connect again, it is macOS who's being stubborn here and refuses to show me a simple "Connect" button again just because it temporarily lost connection with a device. My frustration is basically that it's so unnecessary that macOS arbitrarily decides to hide the "Connect" button from an already paired device, just because I carried my MacBook into a different room and it temporarily lost connection shouldn't mean that I'm never allowed to try to reconnect it unless I make my Mac forget the device. I bought my Mac for thousands of dollars, macOS shouldn't hide buttons from me arbitrarily, the "Connect" button should just always be available for the user to click so the user can at least try to "Connect" whenever they want. My mouse is already paired and ready to connect, but that can't be done unless there is a button in macOS to make it connect.

Jan 6, 2026 7:48 PM in response to FilipOfficial

I've got a cheap Tecknet BT/WiFi mouse that I hardly use and pulled it out to test. I last used it with my MacBook Pro maybe a month ago. I had paired it to the Mini previously, but when I attempted to connect it to the Mini I had to forget and repair. Completely expected since it can only pair with one device. After pairing, I powered it off, then back on. Connected instantly. Carried it out of BT range and then powered it off. Left it sitting for three hours. Brought it back to the Mini and powered it on and it instantly connected.

I will turn it off for a couple of days to see what happens.

Why does macOS hide the Bluetooth "Connect" button for disconnected non-Apple mouse?

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