How to Fix Wireless Keyboard Lagging When Typing on Mac

Bluetooth devices and peripherals make our lives much easier, but sometimes they can cause problems, especially with interrupted connections.

This is a bigger issue for Mac desktop users who don’t have a built-in keyboard like MacBook users.

We’ve got some simple fixes for you to solve keyboard lag and get you back to great typing or gaming.

Let’s get started.

1. Reconnect the Keyboard

Since wireless keyboards are connected via Bluetooth, consider refreshing this connection as your initial fix. A weak or unstable connection between the keyboard and the Mac could be responsible for the lagging problem.

Additionally, glitches can occur within the Bluetooth connection, and reconnecting the devices can effectively resolve this. Here’s how to do it:

1. To get started, click on the Bluetooth icon at the top right corner of the menu bar.
2. From the drop-down menu, go to Bluetooth Settings.
3. Locate your keyboard device and click on the info icon next to it.
4. Finally, click on Forget This Device.

Now put your wireless keyboard in pairing mode and follow similar steps to reconnect the two devices.

2. Check the Keyboard’s Battery

Continuous lagging is usually a sign of low battery, and it’s only a matter of time before your keyboard goes dead.

Typically, a fully charged wireless keyboard can sustain up to a month’s usage, although this duration can fluctuate depending on individual usage patterns. These keyboards are also designed to enter low-power mode automatically when inactive, aiding in battery conservation.

There are quite a few ways to check the battery level of your wireless keyboard. Follow along:

1. On your Mac, look for a light indicator beside the charging indicator. If it flashes red, you must charge your keyboard to fix the lag issue.
2. You can also click on the Bluetooth icon on your Mac’s menu bar and check the battery percentage by hovering over the connected keyboard.

The wireless keyboards usually go into low power mode automatically when not in use. So you don’t need to manually turn the keyboard on and off to save your battery.

3. Force Restart Application

At times, the wireless keyboard may only lag for particular applications.

If you’re in a similar situation, the problem may lie within that application instead of the keyboard or your computer. This could be a temporary bug or glitch which can be easily removed upon refreshing the program.

Follow the steps below to do so: 

1. Begin by pressing the Command + Space key to access Spotlight Search.
2. Type Activity Monitor and press the Enter key.
3. When the window opens, scroll through the list to locate the problematic app.
4. Select it and click on the x icon at the top to force-close it.

Now, relaunch the application and check if the problem remains. In that case, you need to update the application from the App Store to get rid of the issue.

4. Remove Other Connected Devices

For many users, the lag issue was linked to having multiple devices connected to their Mac, either through ports or Bluetooth.

They found success in resolving the problem by solely connecting the wireless keyboard and disconnecting other peripherals.

You may try the same method to fix the issue.

4. Check Keyboard Settings

The latency issue you’re experiencing while typing might stem from your wireless keyboard’s current settings. Adjusting these settings could effectively resolve the problem.

To do this, follow these steps:

1. Start by going to the Apple menu from the top-left corner of the screen. 
2. Then, click on System Settings. 
3. From the left pane, click on Bluetooth. 
4. Look for the info icon next to your keyboard and click on it. 
5. Afterward, click on the Keyboard Settings button. 
6. Drag the Key repeat rate to the right to Fast. 
7. Also, drag the Delay until repeat to the left to Long.

Finally, close the settings and see if the keyboard is still lagging. 

5. Reset Mac’s Bluetooth

At times, glitches or bugs may find their way into your computer’s network connections and affect their functionality. Since wireless keyboards are connected via a Bluetooth connection, this could be why the peripheral is lagging when typing. 

To resolve this, you can reset the Mac’s Bluetooth module. Below are the steps you need to follow:

1. Launch Spotlight Search by pressing the Command + Space keys from your Mac’s keyboard. 
2. Type in ‘Terminal’ in the search bar and press the Enter key. 

3. Once in the Terminal app window, paste the following command and hit the Enter key:

sudo pkill bluetoothd

Afterward, restart your Mac and use your wireless keyboard without any lag. 

6. Update macOS Version

Outdated macOS versions can lead to all sorts of issues within the software and even affect some externally connected devices. This could be why you are experiencing a lag issue when typing with your wireless keyboard.

For this reason, you need to ensure that your computer always stays up-to-date. Remember that updating macOS requires sufficient battery and storage space. So, plug your Mac into its charger and free up some space before installing the update. 

Here’s how:

1. Click on the Apple menu from the top bar and select System Settings. 
2. Next, choose General from the left pane. 
3. Click on Software Update and wait for Apple to fetch an update. 
4. If there’s an update available, click on Upgrade Now to begin.

Your Mac will take around 30 minutes to update. Once you have the latest macOS version, the wireless keyboard lagging when typing on Mac issue should be resolved. 

8. Use a Wired Keyboard Instead

Identifying and hence resolving the cause behind the wireless keyboard lagging issue may take some time.

Meanwhile, you can go back to the old ways of typing on Mac, i.e., via a wired keyboard. Who knows, you may even find it better and switch to this option permanently.

This sums up our guide on how to fix Wireless keyboard lagging when typing on Mac. If you have further queries, use the comments section below. We’ll get back to you as soon as possible. 

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