How to Use the Apple Magic Keyboard

Written by Nicole Levine, MFA

Last Updated: September 15, 2022 References

To connect a Magic Keyboard to your Mac, iPhone, iPad, or Apple TV, enable Bluetooth and then press the power button on the keyboard. Once the devices pair, the keyboard will be ready to use.

Method 1

Method 1 of 3:

Using the Magic Keyboard with an iPhone or iPad

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1
Turn on the Magic Keyboard. The power button is on the back edge of the keyboard on the left side. When you press it, the green light will turn on.^{[1]
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- The Magic Keyboard has an internal battery that must be charged. If the keyboard doesn’t turn on, use the Lightning-to-USB cable to charge it now.
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When Bluetooth is turned on, your phone or tablet will scan for Bluetooth devices and display the results.
The keyboard is now connected and ready to use.
The Notification Center will appear.^{[2]
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The battery charge level for the Magic Keyboard is listed next to “Bluetooth UPS.”
9
Press and hold a modifier key. This will show all shortcuts in the app that use this key. Try it with the following keys:
- ⇧ Shift
- ⌥ Option
- ⌘ Command
- Control
10
Use ⌘ Command and Tab ↹ to switch between apps. Here’s how:^{[3]
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- Press and hold ⌘ Command and Tab ↹ together.
- Continue holding ⌘ Command as you tap the Tab ↹.
- Each time you tap Tab ↹, the device will cycle through open apps.
This will turn off the keyboard. Though the keyboard goes into sleep mode on its own, you’ll probably want to turn it off if you won’t be using it for a while.

Method 2

Method 2 of 3:

Using the Magic Keyboard with a Mac

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1
Enable Bluetooth on your Mac.^{[4]
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- Click the Apple menu.
- Click System Preferences.
- Click Bluetooth.
- Make sure “Show Bluetooth in menu bar” is checked.
- If you see “Bluetooth: On” beneath the blue Bluetooth symbol on the right, no change is necessary. Otherwise, click Turn Bluetooth On.
This is the smaller end of the Lightning-to-USB cable that came with your keyboard. The port is on the back edge of the keyboard near the center.
You’ll find the USB port on the front or side of your notebook, or the back of a monitor.^{[5]
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4
Press the power button on the keyboard. It’s on the back of the keyboard on the left side. The devices will pair.
- A pop-up window will appear once the pair is successful.^{[6]
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The keyboard is now ready to use.
6
Try some keyboard shortcuts. macOS has many keyboard shortcuts to help you navigate the operating system:^{[7]
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- ⌘ Command+Q: Quits an app.
- ⌘ Command+T: Opens a new tab in your web browser.
- ⌘ Command+Tab ↹: Switches between apps.
- ⌘ Command+⌥ Option+H: Hides all open apps.
- ⌘ Command+C: Copies selected data.
- ⌘ Command+V: Pastes selected data.
- ⌘ Command+spacebar: Opens Spotlight.
- See https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT201236 for a list of all macOS keyboard shortcuts.
It’s at the top right area of the screen and looks like a bowtie flipped on its side.
8
Hover the mouse over “Magic Keyboard”. Now you’ll see the keyboard’s current battery level. Leave the cable connected until the charge reaches 100%.
- The battery should last about a month on a single charge.^{[8]
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9
Press and hold the keyboard power button. This will turn off the Magic Keyboard.
- If you don’t turn the keyboard off when you’re not using it, it’ll eventually go into low-power mode to preserve its battery charge.
- Turning it back on will automatically pair it the Bluetooth-enabled iOS device.

Method 3

Method 3 of 3:

Using the Magic Keyboard with Apple TV

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If you have a 4th generation Apple TV, you can pair it with your Magic Keyboard to make it easier to find things to watch.
2
Update to the latest version of tvOS. To use a Magic Keyboard with Apple TV (4th generation), you’ll need to have tvOS 9.2 or later. Follow these steps using your Apple TV remote:^{[9]
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- Open Settings
- Select System
- Select Software Updates
- Select Update Software
- If an update is available, select it to start the update. Otherwise, return to the home screen.
3
Press the power button on the keyboard. It’s on the back on the left. When you press it, the green LED will illuminate.^{[10]
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- The Magic Keyboard has an internal battery that must be charged. If the keyboard doesn’t turn on, use the Lightning-to-USB cable to charge it now.
The Apple TV will scan for available Bluetooth devices and list them in the results.
7
Select your keyboard from the results. The Magic Keyboard should pair instantly.
- You will also notice a battery gauge next to the keyboard. This shows how much charge is left in the keyboard. Be sure to charge the keyboard when this gauge is low.
8
Use Apple TV keyboard shortcuts. Now that your keyboard is all set up, you can use these keyboard commands while you watch or listen to content:^{[11]
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- F3: Switch between apps
- F4: Go to the Home screen
- F7: Rewind
- F9: Fast forward
- F8 or spacebar: Pause/play
- F11: Decrease volume
- F12: Increase volume
- Use ↑ ↓ ← → to navigate.
- Press ⏎ Return to select.
9
Press and hold the keyboard power button. This will turn off the Magic Keyboard.
- If you don’t turn the keyboard off when you’re not using it, it’ll eventually go into low-power mode to preserve its battery charge.

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Tips

Before cleaning your Magic Keyboard, make sure it’s unplugged and powered off.

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You should be able to move the Magic Keyboard between Apple devices without pairing. If you run into problems, disable Bluetooth on the device that’s no longer using the keyboard.

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