You can use these methods to use your Mac if your keyboard is broken, missing, or playing up.
Getting locked out of your Mac because you’ve got a broken keyboard is frustrating. The keys aren’t working, so you can’t enter the password and log in, which means you can’t even follow any troubleshooting tips to fix your keyboard.
In this guide, we’ll look at two quick ways that can help you log in to your Mac if your keyboard isn’t working. Let’s get started.
Option 1. Log In Using a Wired Keyboard
Most likely, your standard keyboard isn’t connecting to your Mac properly, for some reason. This might be the case even if you’re using a MacBook, where the keyboard is physically attached. Here’s what you can do to solve this problem:
- Use a wired keyboard: Find a spare, wired keyboard, plug it into your computer and enter your password to log in. This applies to all Macs (including MacBooks).
- Use a wireless Magic Keyboard: If you only have Apple’s Magic Keyboard with you, plug it into your system as you would when charging it, using the USB to Lightning cable, then log in by entering your password.
For most problems, using a spare keyboard is the quickest way around.
Option 2. Log In Using the Accessibility Keyboard
The Accessibility Keyboard is a virtual, on-screen keyboard you can use to log in to your Mac. However, this works only if the Accessibility shortcut keys are working. Here’s how to try it:
- If you’re on a user login screen, click Switch User and instead go to the main login screen.
- Press the Cmd + Option + F5 keys to open Accessibility Shortcuts.
- Enable Accessibility Keyboard from the list and the keyboard will open.
- Now, click Done, drag the keyboard aside, and open the profile you want to log in to.
- Type in the password by clicking on the virtual keyboard and log in.
Fix Problems With Your Mac Keyboard
Whether the methods above helped you log in to your Mac or not, a broken keyboard must be fixed as soon as possible. Have you tried troubleshooting the problem yourself yet? There can be a variety of issues with your keyboard, diagnose and fix them to avoid future obstacles.
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