FredNY

Q: My wireless keyboard won't pair with my mac mini and I can't enter my password.  Is there a way to use the keyboard on my ipad or mac airbook? any other way?

My wireless keyboard won't pair with my mac mini and I can't enter my password.  Is there a way to use the keyboard on my ipad or mac airbook? any other way?

MacBook, Mac OS X (10.4.7)

Posted on Sep 8, 2014 9:09 AM

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Q: My wireless keyboard won't pair with my mac mini and I can't enter my password.  Is there a way to use the keyboard on my ipa ... more

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  • by sterling r,

    sterling r sterling r Sep 10, 2014 6:46 AM in response to FredNY
    Community Specialists
    Sep 10, 2014 6:46 AM in response to FredNY

    Hello FredNY,

     

    It sounds like your bluetooth keyboard is not recognized when you are trying to log into your computer. I would recommend these steps first from the following article:

     

    Troubleshooting wireless mouse and keyboard issues

    http://support.apple.com/kb/TS3048#1

    Keyboard

    • Push and release the On/Off switch to turn on the Apple Wireless Keyboard.
    • When your keyboard is on and paired, and the batteries are charged, the light will glow steadily for several seconds, then turn off.
    • If your wireless keyboard isn’t paired with your Mac, the indicator light will begin to blink. This indicates your keyboard is in discovery mode and ready to pair with your Mac.
    • If the LED doesn't light up, remove the batteries to make sure they're good and that they're installed correctly.

    Keyboard indicator light and button

     

    Then reset your PRAM with the following article if the above doesn't resolve it.

     

    About NVRAM and PRAM

    http://support.apple.com/kb/ht1379

     

    Thank you for using Apple Support Communities.

    Regards,

    Sterling

  • by FredNY,

    FredNY FredNY Sep 11, 2014 3:53 AM in response to sterling r
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Sep 11, 2014 3:53 AM in response to sterling r

    Sterling, thank you for the reply but I was aware of this info. The keyboard and track board were in blinking - in discovery mode. But, my mac would not respond until I entered my password Which I couldn't do without a keyboard. One would think you could use  a keyboard on my air book or iPad, but I couldn't find any info. And I did replace the batteries. The solution was to borrow a keyboard with a USB connection which worked. But there has to be another way when your mac loses a pairing with a keyboard. Send any suggestions.

    Fred

  • by sterling r,

    sterling r sterling r Sep 15, 2014 6:23 AM in response to FredNY
    Community Specialists
    Sep 15, 2014 6:23 AM in response to FredNY

    Thanks for the update Fred. Next I would perform a Safe Boot, and test the issue. If it does not persist, go ahead and restart the computer, and test the issue again.

     

    OS X: What is Safe Boot, Safe Mode?

    http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1564

     

    If it does, then I would next reinstall Mac OS with the following article. The procedure outlined does not jeopardize your data, but it is always a good idea to have your data backed up with Time Machine so I would recommend backing up before proceeding.

     

    Mac Basics: Time Machine backs up your Mac

    http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1427

     

     

    OS X Mavericks: Reinstall OS X

    http://support.apple.com/kb/PH13871?viewlocale=en_US

     

    Use the built-in recovery disk to reinstall OS X while keeping your files and user settings intact.

    Important: You must be connected to the Internet to reinstall OS X.

     

    1. Choose Apple menu > Restart. Once your Mac restarts (and the gray screen appears), hold down the Command (⌘) and R keys.
    2. If you’re not connected to the Internet, choose a network from the Wi-Fi menu (in the top-right corner of the screen).
    3. Select Reinstall OS X, then click Continue.
    4. Follow the onscreen instructions. In the pane where you select a disk, select your current OS X disk (in most cases, it’s the only one available).
  • by El_Moco_Loco,

    El_Moco_Loco El_Moco_Loco Dec 22, 2014 2:50 AM in response to FredNY
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Dec 22, 2014 2:50 AM in response to FredNY

    I started to get this problem too. It happened when the batteries in the wireless keyboard ran out. I replaced the batteries but I found myself unable to log into my Mac Mini with the keyboard.

     

    Then I realised I'd previously connected the keyboard to my iPad. Turns out the keyboard was turning itself on after the battery change and was connecting to the iPad first. By turning the iPad's Bluetooth off, the Mac Mini was then able to connect to the keyboard. 

  • by ted03,

    ted03 ted03 Jan 11, 2015 5:45 PM in response to FredNY
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Jan 11, 2015 5:45 PM in response to FredNY

    This method of resetting, which is not terribly well documented by Apple, works stunningly well. http://davemeehan.com/technology/how-to-reset-an-apple-wireless-bluetooth-keyboa rd-mouse-or-trackpad

  • by jamesfromsyosset,

    jamesfromsyosset jamesfromsyosset Jun 15, 2015 8:35 PM in response to FredNY
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Jun 15, 2015 8:35 PM in response to FredNY

    The problem with my Amazon purchased Mac Mini i7 (Late 2012 model) was Bluetooth being set to "Discoverable - OFF" by the seller.

     

    I went to the Apple Store and purchased a wired keyboard and mouse.  I was then able to access the mini, and change the settings for both the mouse and keyboard.  Problem was solved.

  • by OneBeck,

    OneBeck OneBeck Jul 17, 2015 10:56 AM in response to FredNY
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Jul 17, 2015 10:56 AM in response to FredNY

    Remove existing batteries and replace them both with two new or completely different batteries and restart your system. Pairing numbers should appear within a few seconds. Hope this helps.

  • by CharlesErb,

    CharlesErb CharlesErb Feb 21, 2016 9:52 AM in response to OneBeck
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Feb 21, 2016 9:52 AM in response to OneBeck

    OneBeck: I tried that. Several times. Nada....

     

    <rant>So the only solution appears to be "buy a wired keyboard to use for pairing the bluetooth keyboard"!. Thats bonkers!

     

    Do I really have to be locked out of my mac until I can get a wired keyboard? Whats the point of a wireless keyboard then? I thought Apple stuff "just worked", which is why I paid a 50% price premium. </rant>

     

    Seriously though, is there really no other way to get into my mac mini (accounts are password protected, natch)? There are no other keyboards in the house (apart from the built-in one on my macbook pro and the virtual one on our iPads)

     

    Edit:

     

    Further googling revealed this promising article: http://www.cultofmac.com/247979/whoops-reconnect-your-bluetooth-keyboard-and-mac -after-logging-out-os-x-tips/

     

    But, before I got that far, I tried turning off bluetooth on my iPad (despite not recalling pairing the keyboard with it in the past) and then found the keyboard magically "just worked".

     

    Case solved.

     

    Moral: don't try to solve problems when you are cross!!