Apple’s MacBooks are thin, light, and portable, but they are also powerful systems that can provide a great computing experience at home. Thanks to features like and accessories like, many users connect their MacBooks to a large external display and a mouse or trackpad. When connected to a mouse or wireless trackpad, a MacBook’s built-in trackpad will still work, providing a second method of cursor input. Depending on how you have your MacBook positioned, however, this may be troublesome, as a misplaced hand or the paw of your friendly household pet may trigger unwanted cursor movement.
Thankfully, you can configure OS X to automatically turn off your MacBook’s built-in trackpad when a mouse or wireless trackpad is connected, and then turn the built-in trackpad back on when you disconnect your mouse or trackpad and head out the door. Disable a MacBook Trackpad in OS X Lion and Above In all versions of OS X from 10.7 Lion and up (including OS X Yosemite), head to System Preferences Accessibility Mouse & Trackpad. There, find and check the box labeled Ignore built-in trackpad when mouse or wireless trackpad is present.
There’s no need to save or reboot; the new option will take effect immediately. With this box checked, your MacBook’s built-in trackpad will be automatically turned off when you connect a mouse (USB or wireless) or a wireless trackpad to your Mac. The built-in trackpad will automatically start working again once the mouse or external trackpad is disconnected. Disable a MacBook Trackpad in OS X Snow Leopard Although the outcome is the same, the process to enable this option is a little bit different for Snow Leopard. Head to System Preferences Universal Access Mouse & Trackpad.
There, find and check Ignore built-in trackpad when mouse or wireless trackpad is present. Want news and tips from TekRevue delivered directly to your inbox?
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The Magic Mouse and Magic Mouse 2 have a slide switch on the bottom of the device. Slide the switch to turn on the device. On the Magic Mouse, the green LED briefly lights up. On the Magic Mouse 2, green coloring is visible beneath the switch. The Magic Keyboard, Magic Keyboard with Numeric Keypad, and Magic Trackpad 2 have a slide switch on the back edge of the device. Slide the switch to turn on the device (green coloring becomes visible).
Mouse Pad For Mac
Earlier Apple Wireless Keyboard models have a power button on the right side of the device. Press the button and you see a green LED on the top of the device, near the button. When you turn these devices on, they appear as Connected in the Bluetooth section of System Preferences and in the Bluetooth menu in your menu bar. If a device doesn't appear there, make sure it's charged or replace it batteries, and make sure it's been. Use your Mac notebook's built-in trackpad or a USB mouse to choose Apple () menu System Preferences.
Then select Bluetooth and make sure that Bluetooth is turned on. Refer to the table below for more information on determining the Bluetooth status. If the Bluetooth icon doesn't appear, or if the menu bar status continues to indicate that Bluetooth is off, restart your computer and then try to turn Bluetooth on again. Bluetooth menu icon Bluetooth status Bluetooth turned on, but there are no devices connected to the Mac. See the section of this article. Bluetooth turned on and at least one wireless device is connected.
When this icon flashes, at least one wireless device has a low battery. Click the Bluetooth icon to identify the affected device, then recharge the device. Bluetooth is off. Click the Bluetooth icon using a USB mouse or built-in trackpad and select Turn Bluetooth On. Bluetooth is offline or unavailable.
Restart your Mac. If the Bluetooth status doesn’t change, disconnect all USB devices and restart your Mac again. Magic Mouse 2, Magic Keyboard, Magic Keyboard with Numeric Keypad, and Magic Trackpad 2 have built-in rechargeable batteries.
You can charge these devices by connecting them to a Mac or a USB power adapter using a Lightning to USB Cable. For the fastest battery charging performance, be sure your device is switched on when connected to the Lightning to USB Cable. To check the battery level of these devices, click the Bluetooth icon in your Mac's menu bar, then select your device by name. If the battery level of any device is low, recharge the device. If the device isn’t showing, make sure the device is turned using the steps outlined above.
Apple Wireless Mouse, Magic Mouse, and Magic Mouse 2 can be used on most smooth surfaces. If tracking issues occur, try these options:. Choose Apple menu System Preferences, then select Mouse. Set the Tracking slider to adjust how fast the pointer moves as you move the mouse. Try using a different surface to see if the tracking improves. Turn the mouse over and inspect the sensor window. Use compressed air to gently clean the sensor window if dust or debris is present.
If multiple Bluetooth wireless devices are in use nearby, try turning them off one at a time to see if the issue improves. Bandwidth intensive devices can affect tracking. Learn more about what to do if your. Use the Keyboard Viewer to test whether the keyboard keys are responding correctly when they are pressed.
Choose Apple menu System Preferences, then select Language & Region. Click the Keyboard Preferences button. Click on the Input Sources tab. Make sure that the keyboard language that you use is listed on the left side. If it's not, click and choose from the languages that appear.
Select the checkbox next to Show Input menu in menu bar. Click on the Keyboard tab, then select the checkbox next to Show keyboard and emoji viewers in menu bar. Choose Show Keyboard Viewer from the Input menu in the menu bar. The Keyboard Viewer showing the keyboard layout appears on your display. Type the key on the keyboard that doesn’t respond and see if the corresponding key highlights on the Keyboard Viewer. If it does, that key is functioning correctly.
If you enable the Mouse Keys feature, many keys might not respond as you expect. Here's how to turn off Mouse Keys:.
In OS X 10.8 or later, choose Apple menu System Preferences. Click on Accessibility, then choose Mouse & Trackpad from the list on the left side. Then deselect the Enable Mouse Keys checkbox. In OS X 10.7.5 or earlier, choose Apple menu System Preferences.
Click on Universal Access, then select the Mouse & Trackpad tab. Then select the Off button next to Mouse Keys. If issues with keys persist, try starting up your Mac in to see whether a software issue is causing the problem.