Mac Keyboard Not Working?

Whether it's a MacBook's built-in keyboard, a Magic Keyboard, or a third-party keyboard, here's what to try in order.

1. Restart the Mac

Yes, the boring fix. Restarts clear stuck processes that can disable input. Apple menu > Restart. Don't just close the lid, do a proper restart.

2. Magic Keyboard: check battery and pairing

1. Slide the power switch on the back of the keyboard to off, wait 10 seconds, slide back on
2. Check battery: System Settings > Bluetooth > hover over keyboard to see battery level
3. If below 10%, plug in the Lightning or USB-C cable. Charge for 30 minutes
4. The cable connection also acts as a wired keyboard while charging

3. Plug it in with a cable

If wireless isn't working, the cable usually saves you. Magic Keyboards work as wired keyboards when plugged in. Same with most third-party Bluetooth keyboards.

4. Unpair and re-pair

1. System Settings > Bluetooth
2. Right click (or Control + click) the keyboard
3. Choose "Forget Device"
4. Turn the keyboard off and back on
5. It should show up again to pair. Click Connect

5. Check Keyboard settings

1. System Settings > Keyboard
2. Check that "Adjust keyboard brightness in low light" is on if you can't see keys
3. If text isn't appearing where you expect: System Settings > Keyboard > Input Sources. Make sure you're on the right input source (Apple sometimes silently switches to another language)

6. Reset NVRAM (Intel Macs only)

Apple Silicon Macs don't need NVRAM resets, but Intel ones sometimes do.

1. Shut down the Mac
2. Press power button, then immediately hold Command + Option + P + R
3. Keep holding for about 20 seconds (you may hear the startup chime twice)
4. Release. Let Mac boot normally

7. Boot into Safe Mode

If keyboard works in Safe Mode but not normally, a third-party app or login item is interfering.

Apple Silicon: shut down, hold power button until "Loading startup options," select startup disk while holding Shift, click "Continue in Safe Mode."

Intel: shut down, press power, immediately hold Shift until login screen.

8. Clean under the keys (MacBook)

For older MacBooks (especially 2015-2019 butterfly keyboards), dust can disable keys. Apple's recommended method:

1. Shut down Mac
2. Hold MacBook at a 75 degree angle
3. Spray compressed air across the keyboard in a left-to-right pattern
4. Rotate the MacBook (right side up, then left) and spray again
5. Reboot and test

Specific keys not working?

If only one or two keys don't work:

• Open Keyboard Viewer: System Settings > Keyboard > Input Sources > Edit > Show Input menu in menu bar. Then click the menu and "Show Keyboard Viewer." Press each key and watch which ones don't light up
• If one key doesn't register at all, that's almost always hardware
• If a key registers but produces the wrong character, check Input Sources for the right language

Butterfly keyboard repair program

MacBooks from 2015 to 2019 had a notoriously bad butterfly keyboard. Apple has a free repair program for these. Check eligibility at support.apple.com/keyboard-service-program-for-mac-notebooks.