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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

Reply
13 replies

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.

User uploaded file


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

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

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).

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.

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!!

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?

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