Sidebar Sidebar
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.

iMac 2012 can’t find Magic Trackpad

B

baxlobs

macrumors regular
Original poster
Nov 21, 2012
238
14
Suffolk UK
I have a late 2012 iMac with the Magic Trackpad. This week it can’t ”find” the Trackpad. It has happened once or twice in the past, but was always fixed with a restart. This time it just doesn’t connect in spite of repeated restarts. I have replaced the batteries to make sure it wasn’t just low battery. Anything else I can try?
If I press the button opposite the battery door the little green light comes on which usually restores the connection after a battery change.
 
Have you tried actually REMOVING the Magic Trackpad from the list of Bluetooth devices (i.e. making the computer to "forget" the device) and then try repairing it?
 
Fundamental problem, I cannot login without a working trackpad to select a user!!
The keyboard seems only able to select from the 3 options below the User logos, Sleep, Restart and ShutDown. I can select using the tab key and operate with the space bar. Is there a key press that would enable me to select my login so that I can get the Mac started up and then try and sort out the trackpad problem?
 
I have somehow by random key presses managed to login. However I cannot see how I can get into the system administration bit in order to remove the trackpad and set it up again. Grrrrrrrrrrrr.
 
A 2012 iMac, like my 2011 MacBook Pro, an ancient relic as far as the modern computer world goes. Fantastic machines, and mine still works, sort of. Yet after 10 years of use and abuse, I too was having Bluetooth and Wifi problems, among other things. So as much as it pained me, I called it and sprang for a M1 Air.

A thought just occurred to me; if you have one lying around, can you maybe plug in a USB-A mouse, just to get to the track pad settings? If you don't have one, you should be able to get one on Amazon for 5 bucks.
 
I have managed to navigate to the Bluetooth settings bit. The Trackpad eventually shows up but not connected, thee is a “Connect” button, but it is white not blue and I don’t know how to get it to connect.
Perhaps the Bluetooth connection in the trackpad is dodgy?
Unfortunately we moved house six months ago and had a massive clear out of all sorts of stuff. I probably did have an old usb mouse kicking around but that would have gone with a load of other stuff.
 
baxlobs said:
I have managed to navigate to the Bluetooth settings bit. The Trackpad eventually shows up but not connected, thee is a “Connect” button, but it is white not blue and I don’t know how to get it to connect.
Perhaps the Bluetooth connection in the trackpad is dodgy?
Unfortunately we moved house six months ago and had a massive clear out of all sorts of stuff. I probably did have an old usb mouse kicking around but that would have gone with a load of other stuff.
Click to expand...

Do you maybe have access to another Mac somewhere? Try connecting the trackpad to that. We have 4 laptops now, 2x 2011 MBP and 2x M1 Air. Through process of elimination, I figured out that my 8 year old Bose Soundlink speaker is still fine, it was the old laptops Bluetooth. Maybe it's the trackpad itself? It can also be intermittent interference. I live in an apartment block where at any given time I can see over 20 WiFi networks. I named mine: 'FBI Surveillance'...because I know the neighbours can see it yet they won't know it's mine ;-)
 
EuroChilli said:
Do you maybe have access to another Mac somewhere? Try connecting the trackpad to that. We have 4 laptops now, 2x 2011 MBP and 2x M1 Air. Through process of elimination, I figured out that my 8 year old Bose Soundlink speaker is still fine, it was the old laptops Bluetooth. Maybe it's the trackpad itself? It can also be intermittent interference. I live in an apartment block where at any given time I can see over 20 WiFi networks. I named mine: 'FBI Surveillance'...because I know the neighbours can see it yet they won't know it's mine ;-)
Click to expand...
Thanks,
I do have a friend with a MacBook, would it be worth seeing if I can connect to that, it does have a built in mousepad though so might not be able to recognise an external device?
 
baxlobs said:
Thanks,
I do have a friend with a MacBook, would it be worth seeing if I can connect to that, it does have a built in mousepad though so might not be able to recognise an external device?
Click to expand...

That should work, unless there's something wrong with your Trackpad. I have connected the same Magic Mouse to both my M1 Air and 2011 MBP. Before we got a second mouse, my wife and I shared the same mouse. Being left handed, when connected to her computer, the click buttons were reversed accordingly. The settings for a mouse/trackpad are saved in the computer, not the peripheral device. We also each have a Magic Keyboard for when any of the 4 computers are connected to external monitors, the latest keyboards with built in batteries that are connected to BT by simply plugging in the USB cable for a few seconds. Same goes for the latest Magic Mouse/Pad.

When you have a mouse/pad or keyboard connected to a laptop you can keep using the built in pad or keyboard. Yes, you will confuse your machine if you go left with the mouse and right with built in pad at the same time. No, you won't break it if you do that, the cursor just freezes.
 
Last edited:
iMacs of that generation seemed to have had a lot of Bluetooth antenna failures. I had one that didn't outright fail as much as become unreliable. It was the Magic Trackpad that had trouble connecting, seldom the BT keyboard. It's worth keeping a cheap USB keyboard and mouse around for those troublesome times. The iMac got donated with wired keyboard and mouse. The Trackpad still works, but it eats batteries.
 
I have had exactly that issue the past fortnight or seems to have fixed itself lately though.
 
kpeex said:
iMacs of that generation seemed to have had a lot of Bluetooth antenna failures. I had one that didn't outright fail as much as become unreliable. It was the Magic Trackpad that had trouble connecting, seldom the BT keyboard. It's worth keeping a cheap USB keyboard and mouse around for those troublesome times. The iMac got donated with wired keyboard and mouse. The Trackpad still works, but it eats batteries.
Click to expand...
Thanks,
lt is curious in that the magic keyboard works just fine, just the trackpad that can’t connect, and has done so a few times before. I will try connecting it to my friend’s MacBook, and if it works there it maybe the iMac that is dodgy? It is getting on a bit in years - like it’s owner - 😀, I suppose so perhaps time to replace?
 
Just as an experiment I thought I would see if would connect to the iPad. It did connect quickly and moves a cursor around the screen just fine and can click to select things. This seems to suggest that the problem may be with the iMac itself, unfortunately.
I will try it again in a day or so, but if it still can’t connect I will have to think of replacing it.
I use the iPad a lot, but for somethings I just want a bigger screen and a proper keyboard.
 
baxlobs said:
Fundamental problem, I cannot login without a working trackpad to select a user!!
The keyboard seems only able to select from the 3 options below the User logos, Sleep, Restart and ShutDown. I can select using the tab key and operate with the space bar. Is there a key press that would enable me to select my login so that I can get the Mac started up and then try and sort out the trackpad problem?
Click to expand...

Hey, you didn't use the reply button, so I wasn't notified you had replied. Just happened to see the thread again and clicked on it. Everyone really should buy a wired (USB) mouse for when their wireless mouse/trackpad has issues. I'd suggest running to the store and getting a cheap wired mouse.
 
usagora said:
Hey, you didn't use the reply button, so I wasn't notified you had replied. Just happened to see the thread again and clicked on it. Everyone really should buy a wired (USB) mouse for when their wireless mouse/trackpad has issues. I'd suggest running to the store and getting a cheap wired mouse.
Click to expand...
Apologies,
You've probably read the rest of the thread. Anyway I am back on the iMac. After my test with the iPad I gave it one more try. It did not connect immediately on startup but I did manage to get it connected quite quickly. I will now wait and see if it does this each time or reverts to automatically connecting.
Thanks for all the replies.
Yes I will get a cheap USB mouse for future use.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Register on MacRumors! This sidebar will go away, and you'll see fewer ads.
Top Bottom
Back