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Level 1

32 points

Wireless keyboard won't connect

Apple wireless keyboard (2009)

Mac Pro 5,1

Lion 10.7.5

Apple wireless keyboard won't connect after changing batteries. It is listed as a paired device under Bluetooth preferences but using the 'Connect' option fails. The keyboard does not go to discovery mode.

I'm answering my own question because there seems to be a lot of voodoo around the problem. The following worked for me after trying a lot of different stuff.

Go to System Preferences -> Bluetooth. Delete the keyboard from the list of devices by pressing the '-' button.
Alternatively you can delete the plist file but it shouldn't be necessary if the keyboard is the only problem. Deleting this file means restarting all other bluetooth devices to force them to reconnect. The plist file is in /Library/Preferences and is called com.apple.Bluetooth.plist.
Take the batteries out of the keyboard and reinsert them - don't power on the keyboard yet. This puts the keyboard in discovery mode the next time it's switched on.
In Bluetooth Preferences press the '+' button to add a new device.
When the Bluetooth Setup Assistant is displayed hold down the power button on the keyboard and don't release it! The keyboard should now appear in the list of devices.
Press 'Continue' - remember to keep pressing the keyboard power button while hitting 'Continue'. You should get an 8 digit passcode from the setup assistant.
Now release the keyboard power button and enter the passcode.
Press return - the keyboard is now paired.
Go to back to Bluetooth preferences and select the keyboard in the device list.
Press the gear icon and select 'Update Services'. Without this last step you may have to reconnect the keyboard from the Bluetooth menu after every startup.

Hope that helps.

Mac Pro, Mac OS X (10.7.5), Apple Wireless Keyboard (2009)

Posted on May 27, 2013 2:53 PM

Top-ranking reply

Treymona

Level 1

8 points

Posted on Oct 15, 2017 8:04 AM

This didn’t work for me cause I have a password, so when I restart my system it shows me the password space for me to type in my password.

Without the keyboard how do I do that?

Please I need help with this ASAP, anyone please.

Thank you.

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156 replies

Dec 20, 2016 8:38 AM in response to capitinymalau

The magic solution is (ready, fanfare...) an old closet-queen junk keyboard!

It's been my "spare tire" for ten years.

Here's a good compact spare:

"White Mini Slim 78 Key USB Wired Compact Thin Keyboard for Desktop Laptop Mac," $9.99 w/free shipping on eBay."

Feb 6, 2017 8:46 PM in response to sylv0701

This just happened to me... I was about to freak out ant macOS prompted me with the pairing code. I tried the steps mentioned above but didn't work. it suddenly worked.

fun fact: I reached for my iPad to search the web on this topic and iOS refused to show the onscreen keyboard!!! I had to hard reset my iPad....

Feb 17, 2017 4:04 PM in response to TM100

I had just installed 16gb of ram into my 2012 Macbook pro, and I just recieved a refurbished wireless apple keyboard.

I popped in batteries, turned keyboard on, then went into preferences on the laptop, and bluetooth, the little spinning circle came up that it was searching for devices, wouldnt find anything, I had messed with this thing for 45 minutes and checked a few YouTube videos.

Lo and behold, MY LED DESK LAMP 5 inches away...... was giving off interference during pairing.

I moved the Macbook Pro onto my lap and was trying one more time and boom, everything showed, even a device in the next room. So lesson learned is, bluetooth (especially during pairing) does not like any interference at all.

This also explains why I have to re-pair my wireless headphones sometimes as well.

TLDR - Interference from my LED desk lamp was keeping BT from seeing any devices trying to pair.

Put laptop on my lap (moved away from interference source, paired once more and it worked.

Sep 24, 2017 1:48 PM in response to TM100

I want to offer another troubleshooting tip. I am using my wife’s former Bluetooth keyboard on my iPad. When I am home, I cannot get the keyboard to pair no matter what. One day, while bashingat the keyboard for 30 minutes trying to force a pairing, I heard her cry out from the next room “How are you typing into my document?“ It was then that I realized she never deleted her “pairing“ from her computer, so when ever I was in the same house, the keyboard would fist connect to her computer and not my ipad.

Once we deleted the profile from her Bluetooth, everything worked as it should.

h2vh

Level 1

12 points

Sep 26, 2017 12:56 AM in response to joebartone

I experienced something similar to this: All of a sudden my iMac wouldn't

'recognize' the Bluetooth keyboard - I tried to seek help via my

wife's iPad, and to my surprise I saw that the iPad and the keyboard

were 'paired'! When I broke that connection, the iMac and the keyboard

'paired' again!

h2vh

Level 1

12 points

Sep 28, 2017 12:33 AM in response to h2vh

Happened again last night: Couldn't use the keyboard to type my password and consequently could not open the iMac...the keyboard turned out to be paired with the iPad, and when I broke that connection everything went back to normal! 🙂

(I'm positive that nobody in our household deliberately had made any changes to the Bluetooth setup).

drjookie

Level 1

13 points

Jul 18, 2013 12:32 PM in response to TM100

perfect and succint. Thanks!

appreciate

Level 4

1,278 points

Jul 22, 2016 9:33 AM in response to TM100

you can also follow an apple article it might help : Set up your Apple wireless devices - Apple Support

migigl

Level 1

4 points

Jul 29, 2013 5:40 AM in response to TM100

Worked like a dream. Thank you!

Jul 31, 2013 1:19 PM in response to TM100

Worked for me after 30 minutes of frustration. Thank you!

Aug 5, 2013 7:42 AM in response to TM100

Thank you - I had to keep trying and did get it to work!!

Aug 19, 2013 8:53 AM in response to TM100

Adding my thanks - I too had 30 minutes of frustration but following your guidance was able to resolve - now typing from my BT keyboard!

Aug 20, 2013 6:53 AM in response to TM100

I cannot tell you how thankful I am you took the time to post this. I've been trying to fix this for two days.

Sep 13, 2013 6:17 AM in response to TM100

I also had to turn my blootooth off and then turn it on again before going through this process. Good luck everyone.

Sep 18, 2013 3:04 PM in response to TM100

Was able to get it fixed with the help at the Genius Bar. It was a software issue and I needed to re-install OSX.

Wireless keyboard won't connect