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iMac High Sierra Upgrade - USB Keyboard not recognized

I updated my Late 2013 27" iMac to High Sierra (from Sierra) last night. When the install finished, My Apple USB wired keyboard (with number pad) didn't appear to be recognized. I tried unplugging the device and plugging it into a different USB port with no success. The keyboard had been working just fine under Sierra. I rebooted the machine with the same results. The keyboard does work on another iMac of the same vintage (but running Sierra). Can anyone point me to a fix for this situation? I have no other devices plugged into the USB ports. My Bluetooth Magic Mouse works fine, but I prefer the wired keyboard with the number pad.

iMac (27-inch, Late 2013), OS X El Capitan (10.11.1)

Posted on Sep 26, 2017 7:32 AM

Top-ranking reply

BMcRaeC

Level 1

24 points

Posted on Oct 12, 2017 9:33 PM

I have also been experiencing this issue (that's 22 of us so far…). It's intermittent, with the keyboard freezing after ~ 24 hours of uptime, and not showing on the System Information > USB > USB 2.0 Bus > Keyboard Hub > Apple Keyboard.

Feels like a software/firmware glitch, as this was stable AF under Mavericks, El Capitan & Sierra. No hardware changes AT ALL.

Come on, Apple, Disk Utilities is not going to fix something like this. Are you seriously going to ignore the failure of MILLIONS of full-size Apple USB keyboards due to a major OS upgrade?

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53 replies

Jez DK

Level 1

10 points

Nov 22, 2017 10:04 PM in response to Colin Mccannel

Unplug your wired keyboard (leave your Mac turned on) and leave the keyboard unplugged for a couple of hours. Then re-attach and hey presto - it works again.

Nov 24, 2017 12:12 PM in response to Scott Watters1

Also happens here since updating to Sierra on 3.5GHz 6 core. I have to plug in an out now to use my keyboard.

Nov 26, 2017 6:43 PM in response to Scott Watters1

this is crazy. i tried your Command R fix but it won't see my wireless keyboard. i have to get to the log in prompt each time to reconnect it? is there some other fix?

Jez DK

Level 1

10 points

Nov 29, 2017 10:15 PM in response to Scott Watters1

Simply unplug the usb-keyboard for 3-4 hours (leave the Mac on) - then re-insert and it will be recognized again. Don't bother resetting PRAM etc. etc.