Apple Mouse Not Connecting

Just because a device turns on, does not mean it has enough surplus power to establish a connection to another device.

• If you have a first generation Magic Mouse, it is powered by two AA batteries. The battery door will pop out if you push the switch near the bottom of the door panel.
  • The batteries themselves may need replacing. Be sure to verify there is no corrosion or other debris which may be preventing the batteries from making good contact.
  • If corrosion is present, remove the batteries. You may want to use gloves for this to prevent skin irritation.
  • Use a cotton swab and white vinegar, to neutralize the corrosion and scrub the contacts clean. An old toothbrush can also be used for greater abrasive power. Don't brush teeth with the toothbrush afterwards.
  • Be sure everything is completely dry before installing new batteries.
• If you have a second generation Magic Mouse, the battery is built in and rechargeable. Plug it into your Mac to give it a charge. This should also pair the device if it is not already connected to the Mac in use.
  • Apple strangely put the charge port on the bottom of the mouse so be aware that it cannot be used while charging takes place.
  • If the mouse has been in use for some time, the battery may need replacing.

The Apple Magic Mouse uses Bluetooth connectivity to avoid needing a USB dongle for wireless connectivity. Bluetooth in the mouse or its paired device may be harboring bunk settings.

• If you did not already during the First Steps portion of the page, turn off your Bluetooth and then turn it back on again.
• Forget the mouse in your Bluetooth settings and then pair it again by connecting it with a USB cable.
• Reset your Bluetooth module. On most versions of macOS, pressing OPTION+SHIFT while selecting the Bluetooth icon in the menu bar will prompt an addition menu including a Debugging option. Within the Debugging menu will be a “reset the Bluetooth Module” option.
• However, macOS Monterey has done away with this menu. In order to reset Bluetooth in Monterey you have two options.
  • Open the terminal app. Type sudo pkill bluetoothd and press enter. It will prompt for your user password. This does precisely what it sounds like. It kills the Bluetooth process and relaunches it.
  • Force your Mac to reconstruct the Bluetooth properties list. To do this Open Finder. In the menu bar select Go > Go To Folder. In the field that pops up enter /Library/Preferences/com.apple.Bluetooth.plist and then press return. Drag the Bluetooth.plist file into the trash and restart your Mac. It will recreate a clean copy of this file during the reboot.

In addition to Bluetooth settings, the physical components responsible for connectivity could be faulty. This is more unusual, but not unheard of.

• To isolate which end of the connection is problematic, try to use the mouse with a different device. The easiest way to do this is to connect it to another Mac with a USB cable to establish pairing.
• Conversely, attempt to pair or connect a different Bluetooth device to the one your Apple Mouse won't connect to.
• If the mouse is unable to connect to other devices as well, more than likely the mouse is at fault. If this is the case, consider replacing the mouse. It would need a replacement board to fix the issue, which can be difficult to source.
• If the device the mouse is paired to is unable to connect to other devices as well, that would require further device specific Bluetooth troubleshooting. Have a look at the list of Guides or pay a visit to the Answers forum for more information on the device in question.

Bluetooth functions in the same radio frequency band as some types of WiFi, older cordless phones, and other Bluetooth devices. Although it is exceptionally good at functioning despite this, other stronger or conflicting signals may be the cause of your woes.

• Relocate to see if the change in locale makes a difference, especially if you are in close proximity to a microwave. Microwaves are notorious interference makers when in use.
• If you're also using peripherals connected via USB, or have lots of nearby power cables, the cables in use could have poor shielding. Disconnect any other hardware to see if your connectivity improves.
• If you find a device which seems to be interfering, try replacing the cable with one of better quality.
• As a last resort, using an RF choke on the problematic cable may help reduce the interference.