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Guide · Bluetooth

Bluetooth not working on your Mac? How to fix AirPods, headphones, mice and keyboards

By the AI Repair team · Updated

AirPods that won’t connect, a mouse that freezes, a keyboard that drops letters: most Bluetooth trouble on a Mac comes down to a flat battery, a device still connected to something else, or a connection that needs starting again. These steps go from the quickest check to forgetting the device and pairing it again, which often helps when nothing else has, and end with a restart of your Mac.

In short

Check that Bluetooth is on in System Settings › Bluetooth (System Preferences › Bluetooth on macOS 12). Charge the device, turn it off and on, and disconnect it from your phone. Then disconnect it on your Mac and connect it again. Still not working? Turn Bluetooth off and on, then forget the device and pair it again: forgetting AirPods also removes them from your iPhone. Last, unplug USB hubs and drives, and restart your Mac.

1. Check that Bluetooth is on

  1. Choose Apple menu › System Settings, then click Bluetooth in the sidebar.
  2. Turn on the switch next to Bluetooth at the top.
  3. Wait a few seconds: your devices usually connect again by themselves.

On macOS 12 Monterey: choose Apple menu › System Preferences, click Bluetooth, then Turn Bluetooth On on the left. You can also turn Bluetooth on in Control Center, in the menu bar at the top right of the screen.

If the Bluetooth settings say Bluetooth isn’t available, restart your Mac (step 8).

2. Charge the device and switch it off and on

  • AirPods: put both in their case and close the lid. If the battery might be empty, charge the case for 15 minutes; if not, wait 30 seconds. Then open the lid next to your Mac.
  • Headphones or a speaker: charge them for 15 minutes if the battery might be empty, then turn them off and on again. Most have a power button you hold for a few seconds. If they’re connected to your phone or another computer, disconnect them there.
  • An Apple mouse, keyboard or trackpad: slide its power switch off, then on again, so you see green. A mouse has it underneath, a keyboard or trackpad on its back edge. If the battery might be empty, plug it into your Mac with its charging cable for a few minutes.
  • Another mouse or keyboard: switch it off and on, or take its batteries out and put them back. Some use a small USB receiver instead of Bluetooth: check that it’s plugged in.

Keep the device within a few steps of your Mac, and use it once to wake it, with a click or a key.

3. Disconnect it and connect again

  1. Choose Apple menu › System Settings, then click Bluetooth in the sidebar.
  2. Find your device under My Devices. If it says Connected, hold the pointer over it, click Disconnect, then wait a few seconds.
  3. Hold the pointer over it and click Connect.

On macOS 12 Monterey: in System Preferences › Bluetooth, find your device in the list. If it says Connected, hold Control, click it and choose Disconnect. Wait a few seconds, then click Connect next to it (Apple’s guide).

Don’t disconnect your only keyboard or mouse: you’d have nothing left to click with. Use your MacBook’s own keyboard and trackpad, or plug in a wired one first.

4. Connected, but the sound comes from your Mac?

Headphones can be connected without being used for sound. Click Control Center in the menu bar, click Sound, then choose your AirPods or headphones (Apple’s guide to AirPods). If they play but there’s still no sound, our guide No sound on your Mac? takes it from there.

5. Turn Bluetooth off and on

  1. In System Settings › Bluetooth, click the switch next to Bluetooth to turn it off. If your Mac asks whether you’re sure, click Turn Off.
  2. Wait 10 seconds. Meanwhile, use your Mac’s own keyboard and trackpad, or a keyboard and mouse on a cable.
  3. Click the switch again to turn Bluetooth back on. Your devices usually connect again in a few seconds.

On macOS 12 Monterey: in System Preferences › Bluetooth, click Turn Bluetooth Off on the left, wait 10 seconds, then click Turn Bluetooth On.

On a desktop Mac whose only keyboard and mouse use Bluetooth, macOS won’t let you turn Bluetooth off, because you’d lose control of your Mac (Apple’s note). Plug in a keyboard and mouse on a cable, or restart your Mac instead (step 8).

6. Forget the device and pair it again

Forgetting a device removes it from your Mac, so it starts fresh. Pairing it again takes a minute.

AirPods

Forgetting your AirPods on your Mac also removes them from your iPhone and your other Apple devices that use the same Apple Account (Apple ID), and you may need to connect them there again (Apple’s AirPods User Guide).

  1. In System Settings › Bluetooth, hold Control and click your AirPods in the list (or right-click them), click Forget, then click Forget Device. On macOS 12, in System Preferences › Bluetooth, hold Control and click your AirPods (or right-click them), choose Remove, then click Remove or Forget Device.
  2. Put both AirPods in their case and open the lid.
  3. Press and hold the button on the back of the case until the light flashes white. No button? Double-tap the front of the case instead.
  4. Under Nearby Devices, hold the pointer over your AirPods and click Connect. On macOS 12, click Connect next to them when they show in the list.

An Apple mouse, keyboard or trackpad

You need its charging cable. If you don’t have it, keep the device as it is.

  1. In System Settings › Bluetooth, hold Control and click the device (or right-click it), click Forget, then Forget Device to confirm. If your Mac says it’s your only mouse, click Remove Mouse. On macOS 12, in System Preferences › Bluetooth, hold Control and click the device (or right-click it), choose Remove, then click Remove.
  2. Right away, plug the device into your Mac with its cable, and check that its switch shows green.
  3. Wait about 10 seconds, until it shows Connected. Then unplug the cable: it keeps working without it (Apple’s steps).

Other headphones, speakers and keyboards

  1. In System Settings › Bluetooth, hold Control and click the device (or right-click it), click Forget, then Forget Device. On macOS 12, in System Preferences › Bluetooth, hold Control and click the device (or right-click it), choose Remove, then click Remove again.
  2. Put the device in pairing mode: usually you hold the power or Bluetooth button until a light flashes. Its instructions say how.
  3. Under Nearby Devices, hold the pointer over it and click Connect. If asked, click Accept. On macOS 12, click Connect next to it when it shows in the list.
  4. For a keyboard: if a code appears, type it on the keyboard you’re pairing, then press Return on that keyboard.

Never forget your only keyboard or mouse, unless it’s an Apple one you can plug in with its cable.

7. Unplug USB hubs and drives

Apple notes that USB devices and hubs can interfere with Bluetooth (Apple’s troubleshooting steps). If a drive is plugged in, eject it first: in a Finder window, click the eject button next to it in the sidebar. Then unplug any USB hubs and drives you don’t need right now, keeping your keyboard, mouse and screen plugged in, and try your device again. If it works now, keep the hub or drive a little further from your Mac.

8. Restart your Mac

Save your work and close your apps, then choose Apple menu › Restart. When your Mac is back, wait a minute: your Bluetooth devices usually connect again by themselves.

Last resort for AirPods: reset them

If your AirPods still won’t connect after a restart, Apple’s reset puts them back as they came (Apple’s steps). It starts by forgetting them, so it also removes them from your iPhone and your other Apple devices.

  1. Forget your AirPods in Bluetooth settings, as in step 6.
  2. Put both AirPods in the case, close the lid and wait 30 seconds. Then open the lid.
  3. Press and hold the button on the back of the case for about 15 seconds, until the light flashes amber, then white.
  4. No button on the case? Double-tap its front, again when the light flashes white, and once more when it flashes faster.
  5. Then pair them again, as in step 6.

When it may be the hardware

If Bluetooth still isn’t available after a restart, or a device still won’t work after all these steps, your Mac or the device may have a fault. For your Mac, or an Apple device such as AirPods or a Magic Mouse, contact Apple Support or an Apple Authorized Service Provider. For another device, its maker’s support can help.

Advice you can skip

  • Holding Shift and Option to reset the Bluetooth module. That hidden menu is gone since macOS Monterey.
  • Deleting Bluetooth settings files by hand. On current macOS they don’t hold your pairings, and the real ones are protected. Forgetting the one device is the safe way to start fresh.
  • Typing Terminal commands to restart Bluetooth. Turning it off and on, or restarting your Mac, does the same safely.
  • Resetting the SMC or NVRAM on a Mac with Apple silicon. Apple says those steps aren’t needed there.

Common questions

Why won’t my AirPods connect to my Mac?

Often they’re still connected to your iPhone, the case is flat, or your Mac connected them but kept playing through its own speakers. Charge the case, then choose them in Control Center › Sound. AirPods set up on your iPhone usually connect by themselves to a Mac signed in with the same Apple Account (Apple ID); otherwise, pair them as in step 6.

Why does my Bluetooth mouse keep disconnecting from my Mac?

Often it’s a low battery, the distance, or USB hubs and drives close to your Mac, which can interfere. Charge the mouse, switch it off and on, and move hubs and drives a little further away. If it keeps happening, forget it and pair it again.

Can I turn off Bluetooth on a Mac with a Bluetooth keyboard and mouse?

Not on a desktop Mac where they’re your only keyboard and mouse: macOS won’t let you, because you couldn’t turn it back on. Plug in a keyboard and mouse on a cable first, or restart your Mac instead, which restarts Bluetooth safely.

How do I pair a new Bluetooth device with my Mac?

Put the device in pairing mode, as its instructions say. Then open System Settings › Bluetooth, hold the pointer over the device under Nearby Devices and click Connect. On macOS 12, open System Preferences › Bluetooth and click Connect next to it.