Apple USB keyboard not working anymore using right USB port...

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andi_h_mac Author

Level 1

5 points

Apple USB keyboard not working anymore using right USB port...

Dear Apple Community,

this morning I woke up my MacBook Air which has the following peripherals connected:

Left USB port: Generic USB mouse

Right USB port: Apple keyboard with numeric keypad

For some reason the keyboard does not work anymore on the RIGHT USB port (it used to work that way since the moment I bought the MBA and the keyboard a year ago).

Facts: The keyboard does work on the LEFT USB port and the mouse does work on the RIGHT USB port. So both the port AND the keyboard must be functional – just the specific combination of RIGHT USB port and keyboard doesn't seem to work anymore.

Tried to reboot without any effect – is there a way to clear some sort of device cache or something so the system re-detects the peripherals?

Thanks a lot!

Andi

(Running latest Mavericks OS X)

MacBook Air (13-inch Mid 2013), OS X Mavericks (10.9.5)

Posted on Oct 14, 2014 7:39 AM

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Answer 1

Best reply

norm123

Community Specialist

Oct 15, 2014 9:20 AM in response to andi_h_mac

Hello andi_h_mac,

I would start with resetting the SMC and PRAM. The SMC reset things related to power, Fans, Lights, and other functions. The PRAM normally handles designated startup disk, display resolution, speaker volume, and other information and both should short you out. Check out the articles below on how to handle these resets.

OS X Mavericks: Reset your computer’s PRAM

http://support.apple.com/kb/PH14222

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

http://support.apple.com/kb/ht3964

Regards,

-Norm G.

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Answer 2

andi_h_mac Author

Level 1

5 points

Oct 15, 2014 9:48 AM in response to norm123

Hi Norm,

thanks for your answer and the link to these detailed articles!

I've reset the PRAM as suggested – the keyboard actually worked for a few seconds on the right USB port, then it 'died' again without me doing anything specific. The SMC reset had no effect so far.

I'll fiddle around with this for a while today and will post any updates / permanent solutions of this problem here!

Thanks again,

Andi

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Answer 3

norm123

Community Specialist

Oct 15, 2014 2:17 PM in response to andi_h_mac

Hey Andi,

Sorry to hear that it is still acting up on you. I would suggest that you contact Apple for additional support and let them know what troubleshooting that you have done so you can get back to working the way you were used to.

Contact Apple Support

https://getsupport.apple.com/GetproductgroupList.action

-Norm G.

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Answer 4

tgapw

Level 1

9 points

Nov 12, 2014 4:59 PM in response to andi_h_mac

I've had the same problem. It started not working only in the right USB port, and now it doesn't work in either. MacBook Air, and I recently updated to Yosemite - but it had the issue prior to that.

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Answer 5

andi_h_mac Author

Level 1

5 points

Nov 13, 2014 11:24 AM in response to tgapw

Hi tgapw,

I am also lost on this one... after the upgrade to Yosemite it was working for like 30 seconds. After a short moment of joy I am now back at the start. I have not tried a full re-install of OS X yet, I guess this might fix it - but I don't want to set up my whole system again in order to get an external keyboard to work.

It is also noteworthy that I don't run any excessive amount of 3rd party apps that might cause this problem. I basically have (excluding Apple software here): Adobe CS6, AutoCAD 2014, Brackets HTML Editor, Cinema 4D R15 (3D Design) and Oracle VirtualBox to host a Windows 8.1 machine. But all this was installed prior to the appearance of this issue.

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Answer 6

tgapw

Level 1

9 points

Dec 15, 2014 12:12 PM in response to andi_h_mac

Since the last post, I've noticed that if the computer is left in sleep for several hours (like when I take the MacBook Air home) and then I plug the keyboard back in and resume, the keyboard works just fine until it is disconnected. Once disconnected, the keyboard will not work until the system has been asleep for several hours. Also, if while the keyboard is working, I shut down completely, disconnect the keyboard, boot back up and work a while, then shut down again completely before reconnecting the keyboard and booting back up, then it works fine.

Based on this, I'd wager it has to do with how OSX manages USB devices in the sleep state, and how it maintains them for notifications and power-up. I'd really like to know why, and would love it if Apple would fix the problem. I also use a secondary monitor, but the issue does not appear to be dependent on that - it does, however, mean that this MacBook Air has several hardware profiles.

I never thought I'd say this, but it appears there's finally something Windows does better than OSX - which is USB device management.

I should also note that I've reset the SMC and PRAM several times - this appears to have no bearing on the problem, which is also consistent with an issue with the OS handling USB devices and varying power/notification states.

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Answer 7

Dec 18, 2014 12:02 PM in response to tgapw

I have the same problem !!! Did you find any solutions yet ?

I plug in a mouse and it works, I switch and plug back my keyboard (same port as the mouse) and it doesn't work.

The problem seems to be only with the keyboard.... but if I plug the keyboard on another mac, it works. So WHAT'S UP ??

I also reseted my PRAM, twice.

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Answer 8

Dec 25, 2014 1:42 PM in response to macayer-dev

Hi, I have the same problem. A SMC reset solve the problem... until next time. To this day I haven't found a definitive answer.

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Answer 9

kolossi

Level 1

0 points

Apr 1, 2015 6:05 AM in response to tgapw

Hey there,

can absolutely confirm tgapw's observation.

My MacBookPro does exactly the same: keyboard only works after a couple of hours(?) of sleep and does not work after a restart or unplugging it.

Does anyone has a root cause or some kind of measure to solve this problem?

Apple support??

THANKS!

kolossi

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