Tip: Reconnect A Disconnected Bluetooth Mighty Mouse
Written by Kevin Fordham
Here’s a tip for anyone using a wireless Mighty Mouse. If you use a Mighty Mouse (MM), I’m sure you’ve had it disconnect from your Mac while working. Previously, the only way I could get the connection restored was to restart my Mac. After some poking around I found a way to reconnect the MM without restarting. This tip works better with a notebook, but will work with a desktop provided you have a USB mouse (or know the keyboard shortcuts). Do the following if the mouse has been disconnected:
1) Click the bluetooth icon in the menubar
2) Choose Set Up Bluetooth Device from the menu
3) Using the Bluetooth Setup Assistant, go through the process of setting up your mouse just as you did the very first time you setup the Mighty Mouse. If the Setup Assistant doesn’t see the MM during the scanning portion, slide the sensor cover closed and then reopen it. At that point the Setup Assistant should find the mouse.
4) Finish up the setup process and your MM should start to work again!
I’ve read numerous forum posts about Mighty Mouses disconnecting while in use. I haven’t been able to find out why it happens, but at least you can get it working again without rebooting.
Update (12/23/2009): See comment # 4 for a keyboard only solution
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June 13th, 2009 at 2:41 am
And how exactly do you “click” the bluetooth icon without the use of your mouse?
June 15th, 2009 at 7:58 pm
As I said in the post, “This tip works better with a notebook, but will work with a desktop provided you have a USB mouse (or know the keyboard shortcuts).” If you’re on a desktop Mac and don’t have either a USB mouse or know the keyboard shortcuts, well, it doesn’t exactly help at all. I guess in this instance it pays to have an old USB mouse hanging around somewhere.
September 13th, 2009 at 1:42 pm
I know it looks cool but, any mouse that requires a backup mouse, aswell as backup batteries, needs returning/replacing/binning.
December 23rd, 2009 at 1:05 am
Found a way w/out using a USB mouse: Hit command+space bar (to open spotlight). With the text cursor in the Spotlight field blank (it should automatically be in there anyway), type in “System preferences”. Once in the system pref type and highlight Mouse and it should be able to discover your wireless mighty mouse. Mabuhay!
January 24th, 2010 at 7:02 am
Dencio, you magician! You saved me from a restart! Perfect
I managed to search and find this page in firefox and then follow your instructions to refind my mouse all with my keyboard!