Get Magic Keyboard (2021) Running on Unsupported MBA?

[LinusR]

I'm temporarily using a mid-2014 MBA and would like to use the new 2021 Magic Keyboard (without touch ID) with it. The 2014 MBA doesn't have a USB-C port, and the Apple support page only mentions connecting the keyboard via a USB-C cable in order to pair it with the device (in my case, the 2014 MBA). Is there any chance I could still make this work?

I don't have the keyboard here yet, so I can't try anything, but if anyone has ideas whether it will be possible I'd be very grateful!

 

[AZhappyjack]

I'm temporarily using a mid-2014 MBA and would like to use the new 2021 Magic Keyboard (without touch ID) with it. The 2014 MBA doesn't have a USB-C port, and the Apple support page only mentions connecting the keyboard via a USB-C cable in order to pair it with the device (in my case, the 2014 MBA). Is there any chance I could still make this work?

I don't have the keyboard here yet, so I can't try anything, but if anyone has ideas whether it will be possible I'd be very grateful!

You can use any lightning cable to connect the keyboard and force the pairing. I just did that today with a 2017 iMac... just to test the keyboard out. Obviously, the Touch ID won't work, but otherwise the keyboard works perfectly.

 

[LinusR]

Perfect, thank you!! I’ll report back once I’ve tried!

 

[LinusR]

I plugged the keyboard into the 2014 MBA and it types beautifully — thank you for the advice, @dwfaust! For anyone who’s trying this, too: the MBA doesn’t recognise that the keyboard is a bluetooth device, so it needs to remain plugged in in order to work.