As you will agree it can be really frustrating not being able to work on your Mac, due to its keyboard being slow, getting stuck, freezing up or lagging while you are trying to get some work done.
The problem of slow or lagging keyboard on Mac is not just confined to Apple’s Magic Keyboard, it has also been reported by users of Dell, Logitech and other brand Keyboards on Mac.
Slow Keyboard Issue on Mac
In our case, the problem of the external keyboard on your Mac becoming painfully slow to operate was due to interference from USB 3.0 device.
Apart from this, the problem of a slow keyboard on a Mac could also be due to change or corruption of Bluetooth settings, the sticky keys feature being enabled and other reasons.
1. Switch Keyboard ON/OFF
Users have reported fixing slow Magic Keyboard on Mac by simply turning OFF the keyboard and turning it back ON again.
The same solution should work on Dell, Logitech and other brand keyboards.
2. Remove USB Connected Devices
As mentioned above, the problem could be due to interference from USB 3.0 devices attached to your Mac.
Hence, remove all the USB connected devices from your Mac (Except keyboard and mouse dongles) and Restart your computer.
After the computer restarts, try to use the keyboard and see if the problem is now fixed.
3. SMC Pre Reset
This method is known to fix the problem of Spacebar key and other specific keys not working on newer versions of MacBook (2018 and later).
1. Click on the Apple Logo in the top-menu bar and select Shut Down option in the drop-down menu.
2. Patiently wait for your Mac to completely shut-down.
3. Next, Unplug all the accessories from your Mac (except the keyboard and the mouse).
4. After 15 seconds, press and hold the Power button on your Mac, until Apple Logo appears on the screen and goes away.
Note: Continue holding the Power button as Apple Logo appears on the screen and release the Power button as soon as Apple Logo disappears from the screen.
5. Wait for 15 seconds and press the Power button to restart your Mac.
If this does not help, you can go for a SMC Reset using steps provided in this guide: How to Reset SMC On MacBook, Mac Mini and iMac.
4. Disable Sticky Keys
As mentioned above, the problem could be due to the Sticky keys feature being enabled on your Mac.
1. Click on the Apple Logo in the top-menu bar and select System Preferences or System Settings in the drop-down menu.
2. From the System Preference screen, go to Accessibility.
3. On the Accessibility screen, select Keyboard in the left-pane. In the right-pane, uncheck Sticky Keys and Slow Keys.
5. Reset Bluetooth Module
Another common reason for the keyboard problems is due to change or corruption of the Bluetooth settings on your computer.
1. Click on Apple Icon in top-menu bar and select System Preferences or System Settings in the drop-down.
2. On System Preferences screen, click on the Bluetooth icon.
3. On the next screen, check the little box next to show Bluetooth Icon in the top-menu bar on your Mac.
4. Next, press and hold Shift + Option keys > click on Bluetooth icon in top-menu bar > hover mouse over Debug and click on Reset the Bluetooth Module.
After this, see if the Keyboard is now working properly on your Mac.
6. Factory Reset Apple Keyboard
If Resetting the Bluetooth Module did not help, follow the steps below to Reset Bluetooth on Apple Keyboard to Factory Default settings and see if this helps in fixing the problem.
1. Hold Shift + Option keys > click on Bluetooth Icon located in top menu bar.
2. Hover mouse over Debug > and click on Factory Reset all connected Apple Devices.
3. Restart Mac and try to pair the Bluetooth device with your Mac.
Note: This fix is only applicable for Apple Devices.
7. Disable Accent Pop-up Menu
As you must have noticed, an accent pop-up menu appears, whenever the keyboard on Mac is going through problems.
Some users have reported noticing improvement in keyboard typing speed, after disabling the Accent Pop-up menu on Mac.
1. Open Launchpad on your Mac and click on the Terminal Icon.
2. On the terminal window, type defaults write NSGlobalDomain ApplePressAndHoldEnabled -bool false and press the Enter key.
3. Close the Terminal screen and Restart your Mac.
Note: If required, you can enable the Accent Pop-up menu on your Mac at any time by running defaults write NSGlobalDomain ApplePressAndHoldEnabled -bool true command on the Terminal screen.