HT201171: Using a Bluetooth mouse, keyboard, or trackpad with your Mac

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mvheim
Level 1 (6 points)
Peripherals

Q: How can I remove Bluetooth devices from the Bluetooth menu that are no longer available to be paired?

Under MacOS 10.11.5 El Capitan, I want to remove old devices from the Bluetooth menu. Following the instructions to click on the "x" does not remove the device -- it only makes the Mac try to pair with it, which of course no longer is possible because the device is no longer available. How can I get these useless items out of the menu?

iMac with Retina 5K display, OS X El Capitan (10.11.5)

Posted on Jul 12, 2016 2:54 PM

by seventy one,Solvedanswer
seventy one seventy one
Level 6 (15,140 points)
Peripherals
A:

Hello mvheim,

 

Try this.

 

Hold down the alt button and click on the bluetooth menu.   From the dropdown menu > select the item you want to remove > click, and the option to remove or disconnect should appear. Make your choice.

Posted on Jul 13, 2016 10:25 AM

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mvheim

Q: How can I remove Bluetooth devices from the Bluetooth menu that are no longer available to be paired?

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  • Helpful answers

  • by seventy one,Solvedanswer

    seventy one seventy one Jul 13, 2016 10:25 AM in response to mvheim
    Level 6 (15,140 points)
    Peripherals
    Jul 13, 2016 10:25 AM in response to mvheim

    Hello mvheim,

     

    Try this.

     

    Hold down the alt button and click on the bluetooth menu.   From the dropdown menu > select the item you want to remove > click, and the option to remove or disconnect should appear. Make your choice.

  • by appreciate,Helpful

    appreciate Jul 13, 2016 10:24 AM in response to mvheim
    Level 4 (1,276 points)
    Mac OS X
    Jul 13, 2016 10:24 AM in response to mvheim

    Open system preferences > bluetooth > turn off .

  • by seventy one,

    seventy one seventy one Jul 12, 2016 11:03 PM in response to appreciate
    Level 6 (15,140 points)
    Peripherals
    Jul 12, 2016 11:03 PM in response to appreciate

    I believe that simply turning off bluetooth will not differentiate between wanted and unwanted items.   But if you click on the item concerned and on the x that appears when it is highlighted, that will do it.

  • by mvheim,

    mvheim mvheim Jul 13, 2016 10:23 AM in response to seventy one
    Level 1 (6 points)
    Peripherals
    Jul 13, 2016 10:23 AM in response to seventy one

    Thank you, that worked. I had tried using the option key in the list in the Bluetooth preferences pane, but that did not work. Interesting that it works in the menubar menu.

  • by mvheim,

    mvheim mvheim Jul 13, 2016 10:26 AM in response to appreciate
    Level 1 (6 points)
    Peripherals
    Jul 13, 2016 10:26 AM in response to appreciate

    Sorry, this was not helpful -- I clicked that by accident. I need Bluetooth for my existing devices -- I just wanted to delete obsolete devices.

  • by D1maddog,

    D1maddog D1maddog Jul 31, 2016 10:25 PM in response to seventy one
    Level 1 (4 points)
    Peripherals
    Jul 31, 2016 10:25 PM in response to seventy one

    YOU are awesome.  I got a new 27", 3.3GHz, 2TB Fusion Drive iMac about 3 weeks ago, that I set up from one of my redundant external Time Machine drives.  My old iPhone and iPad Air were still appearing in the Bluetooth dropdown.  Obviously, everything was working fine, but it TOTALLY annoyed me.  I had never heard of this!  Thank You SO much!!

     

    <Edited by Host>

  • by seventy one,

    seventy one seventy one Jul 31, 2016 10:36 PM in response to D1maddog
    Level 6 (15,140 points)
    Peripherals
    Jul 31, 2016 10:36 PM in response to D1maddog

    Welcome to the forums.   Here's what to do.

     

    1 Hold down the option key on your Mac's keyboard.

    2 Click on the Bluetooth menu. Notice that the Bluetooth menu looks different. ...

    3 Select the device you wish to remove from the Bluetooth menu. ...

    4 The Mac will ask you if you're sure you want to remove the device.