The Basics
- Make sure the Keyboard is on/charged: If you are using a wireless keyboard, make sure that the keyboard itself is on, charged, or if your keyboard uses standard batteries, make sure fresh batteries are in your keyboard.
- Make sure Bluetooth is turned on/Wireless dongle is connected: If your keyboard uses a wireless dongle, make sure that the dongle is plugged into a functional USB port. Alternatively, make sure your device's Bluetooth is on if your keyboard connects through Bluetooth.
- Ensure your keyboard is in range of the receiver: Wireless keyboards have a maximum effective range. If you are noticing that your keyboard isn't connecting to your device, then try moving your keyboard closer and attempting to reconnect.
- Restart your Computer: It's troubleshooting 101. Restarting your device is one of the easiest ways to resolve any temporary issues that may be causing your problem.
- Try connecting your keyboard to another device: Try connecting your keyboard to another device to see if you can determine if the keyboard is experiencing an issue, or if it is the device you are attempting to connect to.
Driver Issue
Outdated or corrupted drivers can cause issues with how external peripherals work with your system.
- On Windows, open Device Manager and look under Bluetooth or Keyboards for any errors. Updating or reinstalling drivers can help a majority of the time.
- MacOS and Linux based operating systems typically uses built-in drivers for bluetooth keyboards; ensure the system is up to date.
Wireless Interference
Solution: Remove potential interference sources / Reduce the distance between your keyboard and device.
Wireless keyboards can be affected by other wireless devices. Try turning off other devices that might be causing interference.
- Remove any interference sources: Make sure that the device you are attempting to use your keyboard with isn't near any signal-generating hardware, such as wireless routers, access points, or streaming hardware, such as cable boxes, Apple TVs, Roku, Amazon Fire sticks, etc.
- Decrease Distance: Being too far from the device you are attempting to type to, or having physical barriers between you and the device, can weaken the Bluetooth signal, preventing a successful connection. Try to get as close to your audio source as possible, or at least try to be in the same room as it.
Problem with Initial Pairing
Solution: Forget and Re-Pair your Earbuds
Bluetooth devices generate keys and metadata stored on your phone for automatic connection. If the bluetooth data is for any reason lost or corrupted, repairing your keyboard is recommended.
- Go to your device’s Bluetooth settings.
- Find your Bluetooth keyboard in the list of paired devices.
- Select Forget Device and confirm.
- Put the keyboard back into pairing mode and reconnect to your audio source.
If your device supports it, then you can also try to reconnect your wireless dongle to the dongle itself.
- Most dongle-based wireless keyboards should have a "Connect" button located somewhere on the dongle and on the keyboard. Press the receiver’s button (the light should blink), then press the connect button on the keyboard.
- Some older dongle-based wireless keyboards that don't have a "Connect" button should have a specific combination of buttons you will need to hold down to enter a pairing mode. This will vary from keyboard to keyboard.
Physical Damage
Solution: Repair or Replace your Wireless Keyboard
In some rare cases, earbuds not pairing can indicate an issue with either the earbuds' internal antenna. Typically, these are intigrated into the keyboard's main board, so if you have some micro-soldering skills, consider checking out some of our incredible guides.
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