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The first generation of the Magic Mouse could have a loose battery connection, but the second is either an old battery or Bluetooth interference
There have been two generations (so far) of Apple’s Magic Mouse. The first one had replaceable batteries, while the second had a built-in battery you recharged.
Fix First-Generation Magic Mouse Bluetooth Disconnects
There can be several reasons for a Magic Mouse to drop the Bluetooth connection, but the most common reason is a loose battery terminal contact inside the Magic Mouse.
The Magic Mouse’s battery compartment has what appears to be a weak design for the battery contacts. It’s possible for a slight jolt, such as lifting the mouse to reposition it, to momentarily cause a disconnect between the battery and battery terminal in the Magic Mouse, thus breaking the electrical connection. No power means no Bluetooth connectivity.
The Batteries Aren’t Reaching the Terminals
The disconnect may result from a weak spring in the contacts or a poor contact design. Either way, this low-tech fix can help:
- Turn off the mouse, push down the battery cover tab, and pull the cover off the mouse. Remove the batteries from the Magic Mouse.
- Cut two small pieces of aluminum foil about a half-inch square in size.
- Wrap one aluminum square around each battery’s negative terminal (the flat end).
- Reinsert the batteries into the Magic Mouse and replace the cover.
- The extra thickness of the aluminum foil produces additional force wedged between the battery and the contact. This makes the battery less likely to be jarred away from the contact when you move the Magic Mouse around.
The Battery Cover Doesn’t Fit Tightly Enough
This may be enough to fix most Bluetooth disconnect problems, but if your Magic Mouse still experiences an occasional disconnect, you can try one more modification.
- Turn off the Magic Mouse and remove the battery cover.
- Cut a piece of paper into a rectangle about 1 inch by 1.5 inches.
- Place the paper on top of the batteries, roughly centered. Tuck any excess paper around the edge of the batteries.
- Replace the Magic Mouse battery cover.
- The extra paper acts as a wedge between the batteries and the battery cover to help hold the batteries in place.
Fix Either Generation Magic Mouse Bluetooth Disconnects
While the first-generation Magic Mouse had a strange battery-related Bluetooth issue, both the first- and second-generation Magic Mouse can suffer from conventional Bluetooth problems on macOS that require troubleshooting, including having the connection suddenly stop working or be intermittent or having the Magic Mouse show up in the Bluetooth device list but not connect. Fixes usually involve one (or more) of the following:
- Go to System Preferences > Bluetooth or the Bluetooth icon in the menu bar and turn off Bluetooth. Please wait a few seconds and turn it back on.
- Delete the Mac’s Bluetooth Preference List (after backing up your data).
- Re-pair the Bluetooth device with your Mac.
First-Generation Magic Mouse Battery Issues
The first-generation Magic Mouse made use of good old-fashioned AA alkaline batteries. This conventional power source soon earned the scorn of some users, who complained of short battery life. Some users saw less than 30 days of life from a fresh set of AA batteries.
If you’re experiencing shorter than expected battery life, there are ways to extend battery life and reduce battery costs, including:
Turn off the mouse overnight or on weekends when it isn’t in use.
Switch the traditional AAs with rechargeable AA batteries.
Consider cleaning the battery terminals. While it is unlikely anything got in there, the batteries might not be making a solid connection to the terminals if something did.
How to Change a Mac Mouse Battery
Magic Mouse 2 Recharging Issues
Because the charging port of the Magic Mouse 2 is on the underside of the mouse, the most common complaint about the mouse battery is that you can’t charge the mouse while using it. While that’s true, it isn’t a reason to avoid the Magic Mouse 2. It could be a welcomed feature for anyone looking for a quick coffee break.
Yes, the lightning port on the mouse is on its belly, but it takes only 60 seconds to recharge enough power for the Magic Mouse 2 to operate for one hour. Double the recharge time to two minutes; the mouse can go nine hours before recharging. So, plug it in and take a brief break.
Apple contends that the Magic Mouse 2 can run for about a month on a full charge, so even if you forget to charge it, a two-minute charging coffee break is all that’s needed to get you through a typical workday, allowing you to recharge the mouse in the evening to a full one-month charge.
How to Fix a Lost Mouse on a Mac
FAQ
How do I fix Magic Mouse tracking problems?
To fix Magic Mouse tracking problems, reseat the battery, recharge the built-in battery, and clean the optical sensor. You can also try adjusting the mouse sensitivity.
How do you right-click a Magic Mouse?
Hold down CTRL on the keyboard and click with the Magic Mouse. To change how you right-click on a Magic Mouse, go to the Apple menu > System Preferences > Mouse > Secondary Click.
How do you unfreeze the Magic Mouse cursor on a Mac?
To fix a frozen mouse cursor on a Mac, force quit and restart the active app. Then, update the device firmware and restart your Mac.
