Fix a laggy Bluetooth mouse or keyboard on your Mac

Why it happens

Bluetooth is a weak radio signal that shares the air with Wi-Fi and other gadgets. A low battery makes the signal weaker still, so the pointer stutters or jumps and keystrokes arrive late. Distance, metal desks, Wi-Fi routers and USB 3 hubs or drives near your Mac can all get in the way.

How to fix it

1. Charge the device. A Magic Mouse, Magic Keyboard or Magic Trackpad charges with its cable, and older models take AA batteries. Even a device that still works can lag when it's low.

2. Open System Settings and click Bluetooth. Find your mouse or keyboard in the list and check the battery level shown for it.

   Bluetooth

3. While you're there, look for other connected devices you aren't using, like old headphones or a second keyboard. Control-click one, choose Forget This Device and confirm. Fewer devices means less traffic on the same signal.

   Bluetooth

4. Move the mouse or keyboard closer to your Mac, ideally within a metre or so, with nothing metal in between. Then move it around for a minute to see if the lag has gone.

Still not fixed?

1. Move USB 3 hubs, external drives and their cables away from your Mac's side, and keep your Wi-Fi router a little further off. These can drown out Bluetooth close up.

2. Turn Bluetooth off and on again. Click Control Center in the menu bar, click Bluetooth and switch it off, wait ten seconds and switch it on. Have a wired mouse or the trackpad ready first, because a Bluetooth mouse stops working while it's off.

3. If the pointer jumps only on one surface, try a mouse mat. Glass, gloss and some patterned desks confuse the mouse's sensor, which looks like lag but isn't Bluetooth at all.

4. Pair the device again. In Bluetooth settings, Control-click it, choose Forget This Device, then switch the device off and on so it shows up again and click Connect. For Apple's Magic accessories, plugging them into your Mac with their cable pairs them again too.

   Bluetooth

5. Install the latest macOS update in General, then Software Update. Lag that started right after an update is sometimes fixed in the next one.

   General›Software Update

6. If the lag stays with a full battery, the device close by and nothing else nearby, try the device with another Mac or iPad. If it lags everywhere, the device may be faulty, so contact its maker or Apple Support for a Magic accessory. If every Bluetooth device lags on this Mac only, Apple Support or a repair shop can check its Bluetooth hardware.