If you’re using a Mac desktop with a bluetooth trackpad or mouse, you might have come across a chicken-and-egg issue: How do you enable Bluetooth when it’s turned off? Luckily, if you have keyboard access, there is a way to do it!
- Hit Command-Space to open Spotlight
- Type “Bluetooth File Exchange” to launch that application (you probably won’t have to type the whole thing before Spotlight suggests it…)
- Bluetooth File Exchange will prompt to enable Bluetooth if it’s off, so just hit Enter/Return
- Quit Bluetooth File Exchange by hitting Escape and then Command-Q
- If your mouse or trackpad isn’t detected, open the Bluetooth System Preferences Pane by typing Command-Space and then typing Bluetooth
Your mouse or trackpad should now be detected and you should be back in business!
My desktop setup includes a 2012 Retina MacBook Pro connected to a Dell P2715Q display, a USB Unicomp Spacesaver M, and a Bluetooth Apple Magic Trackpad. When I travel, I take the MacBook with me, leaving the rest of the gear. But I often turn off Bluetooth on the road and forget to turn it back on when I plug in. Rather than open the lid and disrupt my desktop, this trick helps reconnect the Magic Trackpad.