Magic trackpad requires restart to operate as trackpad

Question

Level 1

4 points

Magic trackpad requires restart to operate as trackpad

Hello,

I recently updated to a 12" retina Macbook (the 512GB version) and have found a host of serious problems / known and unknown bugs with it.

I have installed all updates available. Running OSX 10.11.5.

I have a magic trackpad at work and one at home. I use bluetooth keyboards, a K380 (pairs interchangeably with 3 devices at once) at work and a standard apple bluetooth one at home.

When I wake the laptop the trackpad pairs, but a magic mouse icon pops up instead of a magic trackpad. I can then use the trackpad, but only to point and when I depress hard to 'click' it, it 'clicks'. So no gestures (scrolling, reveal, etc) , no tapping, no tap twice and drag (I have it turned on) etc.

I can fix this... but only by restarting the computer. Unpairing and repairing doesn't help, neither does deleting the device from the bluetooth pref pane and reconnecting.

Any suggestions would be gratefully received!

MacBook, OS X El Capitan (10.11.5), rMacbook, 512GB

Posted on Jun 15, 2016 1:27 AM

Reply

Answer 1

erin_b1

Community Specialist

Jun 15, 2016 2:17 PM in response to roggg

Hi there roggg,

Thanks for posting in the Apple Support Communities! There are some great resources here for addressing the issue you're experiencing with your MacBook not properly recognizing your Magic Trackpad.

First of all, if you are using the Magic Trackpad 2, it does require you to install OS X El Capitan v. 10.11 or later. You can see the system requirements here:

Identify your Apple wireless mouse, keyboard, or trackpad

Apple wireless trackpads

Magic Trackpad 2

Lightning connector, built-in battery

Requires OS X v10.11 or later

Magic Trackpad

Aluminum case, uses two AA batteries

Requires OS X v10.6.5 or later

Prior to updating your operating system, we do recommend that you have a recent backup. This is to ensure that all your important data is safely stored. Here is the article with information on how to create a backup:

Use Time Machine to back up or restore your Mac

If you are using the older version of the Magic Trackpad, I'd suggest performing an SMC reset to see if that corrects the issue. If not, you can also try an NVRAM reset. Neither reset will negatively impact your personal data. Here are the instructions for both:

Reset the System Management Controller (SMC) on your Mac

How to Reset NVRAM on your Mac

To isolate the issue, it would be very helpful to create a test user account and see if you run into the same problem with the Trackpad. If the issue occurs within the test user, that would indicate a system-wide issue, and you should consider reinstalling a fresh copy of OS X. Here's a resource that details the test user process:

How to test an issue in another user account on your Mac

All the best!

Reply