Apple has lot of accessories for their devices and Magic Keyboard is one among them. Obviously, it comes as part of the package with iMac desktop along with and Magic Mouse and you need to purchase separately for laptop models. If you have purchased a new iMac or a Magic Keyboard for your laptop, it needs some understanding before started using it effectively. Here are some basic Magic Keyboard tips for beginners to get started.
Magic Keyboard Device
Here are some basics about the device:
- The smallest model comes with 78 keys using QWERT layout which is referred in this article.
- It comes in different colors to match with iMac desktop color.
- It costs $119 in Apple Store and comes with a USB-C to lightning cable.
- You should have macOS 11.3 or later versions to use the device.
You can also purchase a long keyboard with a separate numeric keypad for your Mac. It supports all the stuffs mentioned below.
1. Magic Keyboard Needs Charging
Do we need to charge? – is the first question coming to mind when looking into the keyboard. The answer is YES, you need to charge the device using the lightening cable. But not frequently – it has an internal battery to support the power for almost a month. All you need is to connect the device (input is there in on top center) to your desktop or laptop using the lightning cable for a while.
2. Keyboard Battery Percentage
By default, you will not see the keyboard battery percentage on the top bar. There are multiple ways to check as explained in this article. The simple option is to click the Control Center icon on the top bar and then select “Bluetooth” option. You will the battery percentage of all connected Bluetooth devices like Magic Keyboard and Magic Mouse.
3. Not Connecting Quickly?
Mac will automatically detect the keyboard and connect whenever you boot the device. However, if the connection delays you will not even able to enter the password (on desktop). It’s a wireless keyboard connects using in-built Bluetooth and has a switch on top right corner to disconnect the Bluetooth. Make sure the switch is not turned off mistakenly and wait few seconds for your Mac to detect the device. Also, you should have enabled Bluetooth in your Mac and keep the keyboard within a range to work properly. If the keyboard disconnects intermittently, disconnect and reconnect the Bluetooth connection to check if that resolves your problem.
You can click the information icon showing next to the connected device and change its name.
4. Use Globe or Function Key for Emoji
By default, you can press the globe (function) key available in bottom left corner of the layout to toggle the input language without going to top bar icon. This is because the key also acts as a language switcher. If you are annoyed with this, you can choose the action for function key in the settings.
- Click Apple logo menu and select “System Settings” option.
- Go to “Keyboard” section and click the dropdown against “Press key to”.
- Select alternate action to show emoji panel, start dictation or do nothing.
If you are frequently using social platforms and instant messaging on your Mac, then select “Show Emoji & Symbols” option. This will help to quickly insert emoji symbols from Character Map without going toe “Edit > Emoji & Symbols” menu or using “Control + Command + Space” shortcut.
5. Language Switch with Caps Lock
As mentioned above, you can use the function (or globe) key to change the input source in English language keyboard layout. However, you can also use the Caps Lock for switching language when you purchased the Magic Keyboard or desktop from certain countries. For example, below is how the layout will look for the Chinese keyboard layout. You can see the Caps Locks key having an option to switch input source between Chinese and English. It will be super annoying to use Caps Lock when you have language specific Magic Keyboard.
- You need to press the Caps Lock one time to toggle the input source.
- Press and hold the Caps Lock key to turn on key and you will see the green light is on.
If you want to disable this feature, go to “Apple logo menu > System Settings… > keyboard” and click “Edit” button showing against “Input Sources” option. On the pop-up that appears, turn off “Use the 中/英 key to switch to and from ABC” (you may see a different language instead of Chinese).
Note: Multiple language keyboard also show three or four characters on a single key. The additional characters will work when you switch the input source.
6. Setup Touch ID
This is one of the most useful functions of Magic Keyboard to avoid repeatedly typing the admin password. You can wake up the system from sleep and unlock system settings using Touch ID. Go to “Apple logo menu > System Settings… > Touch ID” and setup your fingerprint for using this feature.
You can setup up to three fingerprints and choose the items that you want to unlock with Touch ID.
7. Function Keys Not Working?
By default, F1 to F12 function keys will trigger the corresponding action printed on the keys. For example, pressing F1 or F2 will increase or decrease the brightness level of the display. You can toggle to use the keys together with the globe (function) key or independently.
- Go to “Keyboard” section in “Apple logo menu > System Settings…”.
- Click the “Keyboard Shortcuts…” button below “Keyboard navigation” heading.
- This will show a pop-up and select “Function Keys” from the sidebar list.
- Disable “Use F1, F2, etc. keys as standard keys” option to make all the functions key to work independently and enable the option to use with the globe (function) key.
8. Change Modifier Key Functions
Magic Keyboard allows you to remap the modifier key function with another modifier key. For example, you can use Control key as Command and vice versa. When you are in the “Keyboard Shortcuts…” section, go to “Modifier Keys” from the sidebar and change the mapping as required.
Final Words
The Magic Keyboard in Mac has the default trackpad features and includes some additional customization options. Hope the above Magic Keyboard tips helped to use the device effectively.
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