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Bluetooth missing from system preferences?

Hello.


I've seached for ideas everywhere but am not having much luck.


I'm running a 27" iMac OSX, 10.8.3 (12D78) Mountain Lion

w/3.2 GHz i3

12 GB 1333 MHz DDR3


A few days ago, my magic mouse lost it's scoll, swipe, zoom, and right click abilities. The batteries were low, so I dismissed it. I have since replaced the batteries, and then noticed that the bluetooth icon is missing at the top of the screen/staus bar. I looked in system preferences, and the Bluetooth icon is also missing from there. Under the Mouse pane, there is no options for the magic mouse, only tracking speed and click speed.


I searched the archives and it appears it's a pretty common occurance. The difference is my BT mouse still works, only as a regular mouse. (Single click and pointer tracking).


I first tried a timemachine restore, with no luck.

Next, I tried a reboot. No luck.

I tried the SMC reset. No luck there either.


I know the BT is working somewhat, because after I reboot the system, the mouse pointer doesn't move, but if I click and hold the mouse buttom for a few seconds, I get control over the mouse, but like I said, with no options or extra abilities. But even with the mouse moving, there is no BT icon either on the staus bar or in system preferences.


Any ideas on what to try next?

iMac (27-inch Mid 2010), OS X Mountain Lion (10.8.2)

Posted on Apr 12, 2013 11:57 AM

Reply
44 replies

Mar 26, 2015 9:17 AM in response to Rod Fox

This resets the SMC. (System Management Controller)

You do it differently on portables vs desktop machines. On a desktop machine it's a bit easier, you shut your mac down. Wait a second. Unplug the power cord. Wait 15 seconds. Plug it back in and start up your mac.


More on this at these links

Intel-based Macs: Resetting the System Management Controller (SMC) - Apple Support


http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/reset-macs-smc-pram/


I think the key thing in diagnosing this problem is when you go to System Information (what used to be called System Profiler) and find nothing listed under Bluetooth. Any time you have problems with hardware/peripherals not interacting properly, check System Info to check if your mac can even see the device in question.

Mar 27, 2017 12:27 PM in response to Charles Floading

This method worked for me, so thank you. Do not worry if your apple Bluetooth mouse and/or keyboard doesn't work or if Bluetooth doesnt appear in System Preferences. Simply, unplug all your usb devices/cables from your imac, shut down your iMac. Also, remove the power cable and give it a good 10-15 minutes rest.


Next, plug in the power cable, switch on power button and your mouse and keyboard should be connected once again

Bluetooth missing from system preferences?

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