Bluetooth is convenient for peripherals that are always connected to your Mac and those you use only occasionally. However, Bluetooth connectivity can cause problems when things stop working as expected. These fixes can help.

Causes of Bluetooth Connection Issues

You know you have a Bluetooth connection problem when your Bluetooth-connected peripheral stops working. Sometimes the problem occurs when you upgrade macOS or OS X or change the batteries in the peripheral. Sometimes, it happens for no apparent reason. The cause is likely to be a corrupt Bluetooth preference list (.plist file) used by the Mac. The corruption prevents the Mac from updating the data within the file or from correctly reading data from the file. Either of these can lead to problems. However, other causes exist, and these can almost all be fixed easily.

How to Fix OS X Bluetooth Wireless Problems

Before you jump straight to removing a preference file on your Mac, try these simple fixes that may solve the problem. If none of these fixes help, contact Apple Support or take your Mac to the nearest Apple Store for help. When the Mac restarts, it creates a new Bluetooth preference file. Because the preference file is new, you may need to re-pair your Bluetooth peripherals with the Mac.