Mac mini with missing keyboard If you've got a new Mac mini and you've already got a keyboard that works with it, you're sorted. Plug that in and use it forever - or until you start to miss some features that you can get in alternatives like backlighting or a numeric keypad.

Or until you wear yours out. Or until you just want a change. Don't underestimate the difference that swapping keyboards makes And definitely don't underestimate the value of a keyboard that you like. Maybe you spend all your time staring at a screen but if you skimp on the keyboard, you'll forever find typing a chore. So given that there are about three issues to consider and then an impossible number of different keyboards to choose from, here's what you need to think about - plus some of our favorites as recommendations.

Start with where you'll be typing If you were getting an iMac then you'd be putting the keyboard right in front of the screen. If you were getting a MacBook then, well, you'd have a keyboard built in but there are still reasons to buy alternatives. MacBooks can work with the lid closed, like a flatter Mad mini, for instance. If you want to do that or maybe want to elevate your MacBook on a stand, you're still going to position that external keyboard in front of the machine.

In comparison, people can and many do use their Mac mini on their desk or on a shelf somewhere else. This makes two differences. One is that if your Mac mini is halfway across your office then you're not going to be using a wired keyboard. The odds are, though, that you also just won't be typing on anything all that much. That distant Mac mini is going to be a server more than a machine for general, everyday working. So if that's you, get a cheap wireless keyboard for occasional use.

Many of the same would do you for this too. Microsoft Universal Foldable Keyboard When you're going to be doing a lot of typing work on your Mac mini, however, keep that Mac close and the keyboard closer. Keep it close enough that it doesn't make a difference whether you go for wired or wireless. Wired or wireless Wired keyboards where you directly connect them to your Mac mini have the obvious advantage that they get their power from the machine so you never have to think about recharging them. Plus you never find that the Bluetooth connection has mysteriously dropped. They should also be faster that wireless ever can be yet we defy anyone but a gamer to tell the difference in typing between the two sorts.

Also, battery power is sufficiently good now that having to recharge every month, every three months or sometimes just every year is a burden we can live with. Consequently our recommendation is that there's nothing in it - unless you're going to be travelling. It's not the most practical thing to take your desktop Mac's keyboard with you wherever you go but you can do it and wireless keyboards will typically work with iOS just as well as they do Mac. Apple Magic Keyboard ($99) is good for travelling because it's small, flat and has an off-switch to stop the battery being run down through accidental jostling in your bag. That off switch doesn't matter on your Mac mini but being flat can be good because arguably it gives a good typing experience.

And the smallness is definitely useful on a crowded or messy desk. This keyboard would be the one all others are measured against simply because It's what Apple bundles with the iMac but it's also just very good.

We were partial to the which is just a little bigger than Apple's but this is now discontinued and only available at inflated prices by secondhand sellers. Logitech's current closest equivalent is the which is a very good $22 or so. Where you can only pair Apple's keyboard with one device at a time, the K380 can be paired to three. Which means from the same keyboard you can tap a button and be writing on your Mac mini, the iPhone or your iPad. These are both wireless keyboards that come without numeric keypads but you can get similar models that have them.

Such as which like a combination of the old Logitech K811 and Apple's latest space gray Magic Keyboards with numeric keypads. Numeric keypads It used to be easy: you got a keyboard with a numeric keypad because there was no other choice. The numeric keypad was always on the right, too, which was a pain if you're left-handed. Now, though, you need to choose between having a numeric keypad or not.

Clearly, though, the chief consideration is whether you need one or not: if you don't enter a lot of numbers, you don't need one. Only, it's not that clear-cut.

For as well as the numbers, a keyboard that has a numeric keypad also has arrow keys that aren't squeezed in around the space bar. They also have a block of six or nine keys that include the useful Page Up and Page Down ones. They tend to also include Print Screen which does something on Windows but you'll never press it on a Mac.

Then there's often a Forward Delete key which you either rely on hourly or you've never been heard of. Even if it were only for the better position of the arrow keys, a keyboard with numeric keypad would appear to always be the best choice because it gives you options. You can choose to ignore a numeric keypad if you have one, you can't pretend one's there if it isn't. Take a look at, which costs around $120 in silver from Amazon.

Apple Magic Keyboard with Numeric Keypad Except those options take up space on your desk and in the most significant part of it, too. If you place your trackpad to the right or if you use a mouse with your right hand, then the numeric keypad gets in the way. It's significant enough a difference that when you're used to using a keyboard without keypad it will be difficult to adjust. Chiclet keys In theory, you also need to decide between two types of keys on a keyboard. There's the older sort where you have to press down quite far and they make a lot of noise. Or there's the more modern ones known as Chiclet-style which a much shallower depth of travel and tend to be quieter.

In practice, you're going to buy a Chiclet keyboard. The older ones, known as mechanical keyboards are very good and you may well enjoy the feel and the sound. However, they're so outnumbered by the modern style that they're practically a niche product.

CODE mechanical keyboard If you want a mechanical keyboard, look at the $160 one from WASD. This is a niche product within a niche product range, though. Even though we all use keyboards, the giant majority of us stick with whichever one comes with our computer and never change them. You, too, may well never change your Mac mini keyboard but you've got to get one first. And there is still one more decision to make.

Backlit or not backlit Easy. You don't need a backlit keyboard for your Mac mini.

Cut Rate Wireless 19 Keys Numeric Keypad Mini Keyboard For Mac Download

Where are you planning to work on it? In a basement with no lighting?

Backlighting is no aid to typing: if you want to speed up the work you do on your Mac then learn to touch type and you'll never look at the backlit keys again. However, backlit keys do have one thing in their favor. They look tremendous. Expense It does look great having a backlit keyboard.

And wireless is appealing too: there is also a certain neatness in having a keyboard without a great big wire stretching out across your desk. Aesthetics matter: you may spend more time at your Mac than you do sleeping at night so it's worth getting something that is comfortable and looks good to you too. Which is a quick way of saying if you want a gold keyboard, you go for it. Satechi keyboard in gold You'll for one of these and that's not money you'd casually throw away on a whim. Yet for the difference a good keyboard makes to your Mac mini, it's a steal. We've spent much more over the years, trying out different keyboards and we still think that was worth it because finding the right keyboard is worth money, time and effort. If it weren't worth it, if keyboards weren't so important, it would be possible to pick out a single recommendation for absolutely everyone and we can't.

However, if you think about wired or wireless, if you think about the numeric keypad plus the feel and color of the keys, you're on your way to finding the single best one for you. Keep up with AppleInsider by downloading the for iOS, and, Twitter and for live, late-breaking coverage. You can also check out our official account for exclusive photos. This topic is so subjective but I wanna give a shout-out to this mechanical keyboard that I bought last weekend. It's so freaking nice to type on that I almost want to just work from home all day. The Havit KB395-L is a compact mechanical keyboard with an unusually shallow key depth. It's basically a mechanical keyboard for people who prefer laptop keyboards, the best of both worlds.

My fingers feel like they're dancing across the damn thing. Slim, short height, but solid — feels like it's going to last a decade. (oh yeah, removable/replaceable cable! No bluetooth, but I loathe wireless keyboards) It does have the goofy gaudy backlights of your typical 'gamer' keyboard, can be turned off by holding fn-minus for a few seconds. And you have to go into System Settings to remap the command keys to Mac-like but no drivers are necessary.

The precision sensor responds to even the slightest movements, and the touch surface registers seven different touch gestures. Perfectly sized for a fingertip grip At just over 3 inches long and 2 inches wide, T631 relies on only your fingertips to operate. Touch your way around Take full advantage of the Multi-Touch navigation in OS X.The Ultrathin Touch Mouse T631 simplifies the Multi-Touch experience with natural, intuitive gestures and makes you look good-and feel good-doing it. Your favorite mouse can go everywhere you do. An ultra-portable pair Super thin and feather light, the Ultrathin Touch Mouse T631 for Mac slips nearly invisibly into a computer sleeve or even the pocket of your skinniest jeans. Ultrathin touch mouse t631 for mac.

My goodness this thing makes me happy. Edited November 19. Yesterday I did a little test and compared the keyboards on the 2018 MacBook Air to the 2017 version: I found the 2017 version tolerable but far inferior to that on my Lenovo - I was making errors than I do not make on my Lenovo keyboard. The 2018 version was, in my opinion, garbage: I could not care less about the technology underneath the keys. I do care about how well it does its job - and the 2018 keyboard sucked at that - in addition to being awkward my error rate was far too high.

The keyboard, to me, seems to be made for a hunt & peck typist. The wife uses this Logitech K750 Wireless Solar Keyboard for Mac and absolutely loves it. She's had it for over two years, it never needs charging and has been flawless. It's full-sized for desktops (with numerical keypad) so not for travel. The only downside is that it uses one USB port for Logitech's unifying receiver rather than Bluetooth.

Keystrokes are nice and smooth, very similar to my Apple Magic Keyboard. I had that previously, but after some years it fell apart. Keys got stuck, and when I removed the key caps to clean the plastic mechanism underneath was flimsy and broke on multiple keys. Also the charging was sub-optimal in my study which can be dim during parts of the year, went dead on occasions. This topic is so subjective but I wanna give a shout-out to this mechanical keyboard that I bought last weekend. It's so freaking nice to type on that I almost want to just work from home all day.

The Havit KB395-L is a compact mechanical keyboard with an unusually shallow key depth. It's basically a mechanical keyboard for people who prefer laptop keyboards, the best of both worlds. My fingers feel like they're dancing across the damn thing. Slim, short height, but solid — feels like it's going to last a decade.

(oh yeah, removable/replaceable cable! No bluetooth, but I loathe wireless keyboards) It does have the goofy gaudy backlights of your typical 'gamer' keyboard, can be turned off by holding fn-minus for a few seconds. And you have to go into System Settings to remap the command keys to Mac-like but no drivers are necessary.

My goodness this thing makes me happy. That Havit keyboard looks great and appears to be worth the money. However, I don't want to use a Windows keyboard on a Mac Mini. It may not be a big deal to many, but it's something that I, personally, choose not to do. So I have two questions:.

Does the software allow remapping of keys?. Can the physical keys, themselves, be removed and repositioned - namely, can the 'ALT' and 'Windows' keys be swapped with each other after remapping via software? The wife uses this Logitech K750 Wireless Solar Keyboard for Mac and absolutely loves it. She's had it for over two years, it never needs charging and has been flawless. It's full-sized for desktops (with numerical keypad) so not for travel. The only downside is that it uses one USB port for Logitech's unifying receiver rather than Bluetooth. Keystrokes are nice and smooth, very similar to my Apple Magic Keyboard.

I had that previously, but after some years it fell apart. Keys got stuck, and when I removed the key caps to clean the plastic mechanism underneath was flimsy and broke on multiple keys.

Also the charging was sub-optimal in my study which can be dim during parts of the year, went dead on occasions. I've used a K750 daily on my iMac for the last four years and found it to be trouper. It seems strange that it keeps itself charged to 100% on ambient light, but it certainly does. Tactile feel is a personal choice, but to me it's pretty good. It's flat, ergo, ergonomic, as opposed to so very many keyboards, including the original Apple wireless keyboards that are actually anti-ergonomic inasmuch as they're raised at the back like an old-fashioned mechanical typewriter. It's been very reliable for me - no key sticking that you mention.

I don't see how you can fault a solar keyboard for not charging well in the dark. In addition, this K750 is aesthetically pleasing. With white keys on an aluminum frame, it matches the Apple keyboards in design and blends in very well. The keyboard is one of the parts of a computer that you physically touch most often, so getting a good one that you like will go a long way. I highly recommend the Cherry MX switch sampler from ($15) so that you can see what kind of keyswitch you like: the clicky Blue (which is very similar to the old ALPS switches), the gaming-friendly Black or Red, or the Brown which compromises by offering a little bit of resistance halfway down so that touch-typists can know when the keyboard senses the keypress? Once you choose a switch, you can build a custom keyboard at wasdkeyboards.com with the exact key arrangement, printing, and colors you'd like. They also offer tenkeyless keyboards, which omit the numeric keypad which I never use - this makes it much easier for a keyboard to share my desk with my mouse.

Of course, if you want to go really old-school, get a buckling-spring keyboard from. These are modern USB replicas of the old IBM Model M keyboard. They are a joy to type on, and they are LOUD. (I have no connection with either company. I just like good keyboards.) edited November 19.The Havit KB395-L That Havit keyboard looks great and appears to be worth the money. However, I don't want to use a Windows keyboard on a Mac Mini.

It may not be a big deal to many, but it's something that I, personally, choose not to do. So I have two questions:. Does the software allow remapping of keys?. Can the physical keys, themselves, be removed and repositioned - namely, can the 'ALT' and 'Windows' keys be swapped with each other after remapping via software? OS X does it natively, no drivers necessary. System Preferences / Keyboard / Modifier Keys.

Pick the USB keyboard, then remap Option to Command and Command to Option. Yes, they pop right off. This is also useful for remapping Caps Lock to Escape on Touchbar Macbooks, btw. Oh, that reminds me of one ding against this keyboard, none of the F keys work as media keys out of the box. Easy to set up via BetterTouchTool, as well as any personalized shortcuts like 'show desktop' and 'terminal' etc.

I would definitely recommend this keyboard to anyone who fetishizes the early 2000's Thinkpad keyboards. I was looking at those externals with built in Trackpoints, but the reports on quality are iffy, and I don't trust bluetooth input devices. Edited November 19. I have the Logitech K811 keyboard for a few reasons, and none of them are quality.

Having used Logictech keyboards for years, it's because they've been cheap and or have features I want. But none feel particularly good. I like the Apple chiclet keyboards ok, but they work with only one device at a time and aren't illuminated.

And I prefer more key travel. I put up with the Apple keyboards with their included. The Matais Tactile Pro is an excellent keyboard, but not illuminated, and noisy.

It sounds cool with all the clicky-clacky, but that gets old quick. I like Micro-Soft ergo keyboards and my old Adesso ergo was very comfortable. They no longer make Mac specific versions, but I may still try one out. There's a version with a trackball and one with a track pad, if your a savage. But— not illuminated. A BT, ergo, Mac keyboard with illumination and a pointing device, switchable between 2 or better, 3 devices, and mechanical keys would be my perfect trackpad. Said:.

I don't see how you can fault a solar keyboard for not charging well in the dark. He wasn't faulting it, he was pointing out a purchase decision consideration people may not think of. I was going to mention it if he didn't. It worked well in our dimly lit control room, but did occasionally need to be left under a lamp for an hour or two.

As someone else mentioned it also ties up a USB port on the computer because it uses Logitech's Universal Receiver instead of Bluetooth, which is a bit of a nuisance, especially if you plan to use it with a late model Apple laptop that has only USB-C ports. For typing and control it seemed just fine to me too. Similar to Apple's wired keyboard.