Will A Microsoft Mouse Work On A Mac

Posted : admin On
Will A Microsoft Mouse Work On A Mac 4,0/5 1501 reviews

If it’s a keyboard or mouse, your Mac can start using it straight away - just connect it. This means that pretty much any keyboard or mouse on the market can be used. Prefer using a gaming keyboard or mouse? The mouse is one of the main ways for interacting with your Mac, and if the mouse you're using isn't right for you, then you can quickly find working on your Mac or MacBook becomes very uncomfortable. 2008-1-26  A Dell mouse will work on a Mac as long as it is a USB type mouse. I have replaced Mac mice with Dell mice several times. Almost all accessories will work with the new Macs if they are USB or Firewire or wifi or bluetooth. I've got a joystick on my iMac that didn't say it would work on a Mac.

Your device isn't recognized by your Mac

Follow these steps if your mouse, keyboard, or trackpad isn't recognized by your Mac.

Make sure that your wireless mouse, keyboard, or trackpad is turned on

The Magic Mouse and Magic Mouse 2 have a slide switch on the bottom of the device. Slide the switch to turn on the device. On the Magic Mouse, the green LED briefly lights up. On the Magic Mouse 2, green coloring is visible beneath the switch.

The Magic Keyboard, Magic Keyboard with Numeric Keypad, and Magic Trackpad 2 have a slide switch on the back edge of the device. Slide the switch to turn on the device (green coloring becomes visible). Earlier Apple Wireless Keyboard models have a power button on the right side of the device. Press the button and you see a green LED on the top of the device, near the button.

When you turn these devices on, they appear as Connected in the Bluetooth section of System Preferences and in the Bluetooth menu in your menu bar. If a device doesn't appear there, make sure it's charged or replace it batteries, and make sure it's been paired with your Mac.

Make sure that your device has been set up to work with your Mac

Learn how to pair your Magic Mouse 2, Magic Keyboard, Magic Keyboard with Numeric Keypad, Magic Trackpad 2—and earlier models of Apple wireless devices—with your Mac.

Make sure that Bluetooth is turned on

Use your Mac notebook's built-in trackpad or a USB mouse to choose Apple () menu > System Preferences. Then select Bluetooth and make sure that Bluetooth is turned on.

Refer to the table below for more information on determining the Bluetooth status. If the Bluetooth icon doesn't appear, or if the menu bar status continues to indicate that Bluetooth is off, restart your computer and then try to turn Bluetooth on again.

Bluetooth menu iconBluetooth status
Bluetooth turned on, but there are no devices connected to the Mac. See the Make sure that your wireless mouse, keyboard, or trackpad is turned on section of this article.
Bluetooth turned on and at least one wireless device is connected.
When this icon flashes, at least one wireless device has a low battery. Click the Bluetooth icon to identify the affected device, then recharge the device or replace its batteries.
Bluetooth is off. Click the Bluetooth icon using a USB mouse or built-in trackpad and select Turn Bluetooth On.
Bluetooth is offline or unavailable. Restart your Mac. If the Bluetooth status doesn’t change, disconnect all USB devices and restart your Mac again.

Make sure that your devices are charged

Magic Mouse 2, Magic Keyboard, Magic Keyboard with Numeric Keypad, and Magic Trackpad 2 have built-in rechargeable batteries. You can charge these devices by connecting them to a Mac or a USB power adapter using a Lightning to USB Cable. For the fastest battery charging performance, be sure your device is switched on when connected to the Lightning to USB Cable.

To check the battery level of these devices, click the Bluetooth icon in your Mac's menu bar, then select your device by name. If the battery level of any device is low, recharge the device. If the device isn’t showing, make sure the device is turned using the steps outlined above.

Turn the device off and on

If your Apple wireless mouse, keyboard, or trackpad isn't recognized by your Mac after following the tips above, try turning the wireless device off, waiting a few seconds, and then turning it back on.

Will A Microsoft Mouse Work On A Mac Download

Your mouse or keyboard intermittently stops responding

Follow these steps if your mouse or keyboard sometimes stops responding temporarily. Xbox 1 console.

Click or press a key

  • Click the mouse or trackpad or press a key on the keyboard to reconnect the device to the computer. It might take a moment for the device to respond.

Check for signal interference

  • Wireless networks that operate on 2.4GHz may cause interference. Move cordless phone base stations, microwave ovens, and other 2.4GHz electrical devices away from your Mac if you suspect interference.
  • Keep wireless devices within 10 meters (approximately 30 feet) of your Mac.
  • Avoid putting metal objects between your wireless device and your Mac.

Your mouse doesn't scroll up or down or side to side

If you can't use your mouse to scroll through a web page or document, see Mac Basics: Multi-Touch gestures to make sure your Gestures are configured correctly. You can also try adjusting your scrolling speed preferences.

Your mouse or trackpad doesn't track as expected

Apple Wireless Mouse, Magic Mouse, and Magic Mouse 2 can be used on most smooth surfaces. If tracking issues occur, try these options:

  • Choose Apple menu > System Preferences, then select Mouse. Set the Tracking slider to adjust how fast the pointer moves as you move the mouse.
  • Try using a different surface to see if the tracking improves.
  • Turn the mouse over and inspect the sensor window. Use compressed air to gently clean the sensor window if dust or debris is present.
  • If multiple Bluetooth wireless devices are in use nearby, try turning them off one at a time to see if the issue improves. Bandwidth intensive devices can affect tracking.

Will A Microsoft Mouse Work On A Mac Computer

Learn more about what to do if your trackpad isn't tracking correctly.

Does A Microsoft Mouse Work On Mac

Your keyboard has one or more keys that don't respond

Use the Keyboard Viewer to test whether the keyboard keys are responding correctly when they are pressed.

  1. Choose Apple menu > System Preferences, then select Language & Region.
  2. Click the Keyboard Preferences button.
  3. Click on the Input Sources tab.
  4. Make sure that the keyboard language that you use is listed on the left side. If it's not, click and choose from the languages that appear.
  5. Select the checkbox next to Show Input menu in menu bar.
  6. Click on the Keyboard tab, then select the checkbox next to Show keyboard and emoji viewers in menu bar.
  7. Choose Show Keyboard Viewer from the Input menu in the menu bar. The Keyboard Viewer showing the keyboard layout appears on your display.
  8. Type the key on the keyboard that doesn’t respond and see if the corresponding key highlights on the Keyboard Viewer. If it does, that key is functioning correctly.

If you enable the Mouse Keys feature, many keys might not respond as you expect. Here's how to turn off Mouse Keys:

  • In OS X 10.8 or later, choose Apple menu > System Preferences. Click on Accessibility, then choose Mouse & Trackpad from the list on the left side. Then deselect the Enable Mouse Keys checkbox.
  • In OS X 10.7.5 or earlier, choose Apple menu > System Preferences. Click on Universal Access, then select the Mouse & Trackpad tab. Then select the Off button next to Mouse Keys.

If issues with keys persist, try starting up your Mac in single-user mode to see whether a software issue is causing the problem.

If you’re switching to a Mac from a PC, you don’t have to discard all your old PC equipment and buy new. In fact, you may even be able to connect your PC’s keyboard and mouse to your new Mac. When deciding whether you can use a keyboard or mouse you already have on your Mac, here’s the short version of the story:

  • A two-button scroll-wheel mouse with a wire coming out of it that has a USB connector — a flat rectangular metal plug about the size of a fingernail — at the other end is worth keeping.

  • A Windows keyboard with a USB connector will work fine, but a couple of keys are labeled differently from Mac keyboards, which may make it more trouble than it’s worth.

    Mac keyboards have two special keys in the lowest row, to the left of the spacebar. One is labeled option, and to its right is a key with an Apple logo and a fan symbol, known as the Command key in Apple-ese. On PC keyboards, these two keys are the Windows key and the Alt key, respectively. If you just plug a PC keyboard into a Mac, the Windows key works as the Command key, and the Alt key works as the Option key. Unfortunately, their positions are reversed from where they are on Mac keyboardsYou can buy a piece of software called DoubleCommand that lets you reverse these keys.

  • If you have an old keyboard, buy something new. The mice and keyboards that came with computers in the 1980s used an RS-232 serial port connection. These are useless. Old Apple USB keyboards work fine on current Macs. If you have an older Apple keyboard or mouse with a round plug (Apple Desktop Bus), you can get an ADB-to-USB converter, but it is probably not worth the bother.

Will A Microsoft Mouse Work On A Mac Laptop

You should also consider how your keyboard and mouse connect to your PC. The three most common methods are a USB cable, a PS/2 cable, and wireless:

Does Microsoft Mouse Work On Mac

  • Download update for microsoft office mac. USB cablesshould work just fine with your Mac.

  • PS/2 connectors are round and have a pastel-colored shell. PS/2 won’t work with your Mac directly, but adapters are available. Be sure that you get the kind of adapter that converts PS/2 devices to USB and not the other way around, which is much more common. Also make sure that the manufacturer supports Macs.

    These days, many manufacturers make only USB keyboards and mice and include an adapter that converts it to PS/2. So you should take a closer look at what you think is a PS/2 plug to see whether it is just one of these adapters, in which case you’re in luck — just pull the USB plug out of the adapter and plug it into your Mac.

  • Wireless devices have a built-in radio transmitter instead of a wire. The receiver is often in a finger-sized pod that plugs into the computer, or it can be built in. Some devices transmit using technology that’s proprietary to the maker; others use Bluetooth. Most Macs come with Bluetooth inside (it’s not included in the lowest-cost iMac, and it’s an option on the Mac Pro), and Bluetooth devices generally work with Bluetooth-equipped Macs, at least at some basic level. But you may need special software to take full advantage of this feature on a Mac. A wireless device that uses a USB receiver module and a proprietary transmission scheme may need special software as well. Check with the manufacturer in either case.