macOS Tahoe Bluetooth Keyboard or Mouse Not Working at the Login Screen: How to Fix It

You update to macOS Tahoe, restart, and your Bluetooth keyboard or mouse sits there doing nothing at the login screen. The mouse cursor won't move. Key presses don't register. But once you find a way to log in, Bluetooth works fine everywhere else, including with the same keyboard and mouse. This is a known Tahoe regression, not a sign your hardware died.

Why Does Bluetooth Stop Working at the macOS Tahoe Login Screen?

macOS Tahoe changed how the system loads Bluetooth drivers before you log in, and on many Macs this pre-login hardware access breaks for third-party Bluetooth devices. Apple's own trackpad and keyboard on built-in Mac hardware are less affected than external Bluetooth accessories like a Magic Mouse, third-party keyboard, or AirPods used for audio at login.

The pattern reported most often:

• Bluetooth devices pair and work normally after you're logged into your account
• The same devices show no response at all on the login screen, before authentication
• The issue appears right after upgrading to macOS Tahoe (macOS 26) and persists across restarts
• FileVault-enabled Macs report the problem more frequently than Macs with FileVault off

None of this means your keyboard or mouse is broken. It means macOS Tahoe isn't loading the Bluetooth stack early enough in the boot process to recognize your device before you authenticate.

How Do I Get Past the Login Screen Right Now?

Plug in a wired USB keyboard or mouse, or use a wireless 2.4GHz USB dongle if your accessory has one, since those bypass Bluetooth completely and work at login every time. This gets you logged in immediately while you work on the real fix.

• Connect any USB keyboard, even a cheap spare, directly to a USB-C port (use a USB-C to USB-A adapter if needed)
• If your mouse or keyboard came with a small 2.4GHz USB receiver instead of Bluetooth, plug it in and it works at login without any Bluetooth involvement
• Type your password or use Touch ID if your Mac has it, since Touch ID isn't affected by this Bluetooth issue

Once you're logged in, your Bluetooth keyboard and mouse should reconnect automatically within a few seconds.

How Do I Fix Bluetooth So It Works at Login Again?

Reset the Bluetooth module first, since this clears out corrupted pairing data commonly responsible for exactly this symptom after a macOS update. It takes under a minute and doesn't require a restart.

• Click the Bluetooth icon in the menu bar while holding Shift and Option
• Choose Reset the Bluetooth module from the menu shown
• Wait about 10 seconds, then re-pair your keyboard or mouse: open System Settings > Bluetooth, remove the device if it is still listed, then put the device in pairing mode and connect it again

If your keyboard or mouse doesn't show a Bluetooth menu bar icon, click the Control Center icon in the menu bar instead and look for Bluetooth there.

For AirPods specifically, forget them in System Settings > Bluetooth, then put them back in the case, hold the button on the back of the case until the light flashes amber, then keep holding until it flashes white. This fully resets the pairing instead of a plain reconnect, and clears out whatever cached state carried over from before the Tahoe update.

If the reset doesn't carry over to the login screen, the device will still work fine once you're logged in, but the pre-login failure is a separate issue tied to how Tahoe loads Bluetooth before authentication, and a menu bar reset doesn't touch the boot-time process responsible for it.

Does Disabling FileVault Fix the Login Screen Bluetooth Problem?

Some users report turning off FileVault restores Bluetooth access at the login screen, because FileVault's disk encryption appears to interfere with how early macOS Tahoe loads Bluetooth drivers before your disk is unlocked. This is a workaround people have found on their own, not something Apple has confirmed or documented as the cause.

If you want to test it:

• Go to System Settings > Privacy & Security > FileVault
• Click Turn Off, enter your password, and wait for decryption to finish (this often takes an hour or more depending on how much data is on your drive)
• Restart and check whether Bluetooth responds at the login screen

Turning off FileVault removes disk encryption, which means anyone who gets physical access to your Mac pulls data straight off the drive without your password. Treat this only as a short test, and turn FileVault back on once you confirm whether it's the cause. If you rely on your Mac holding sensitive files, a USB keyboard at login is the safer choice while you wait for Apple's fix.

Should I Reinstall macOS Tahoe or Wait for an Update?

Wait for a point update instead of reinstalling, since this is a software regression Apple typically resolves within one or two Tahoe point releases, and reinstalling won't change how the current build handles Bluetooth. Apple already patched some Bluetooth issues in earlier Tahoe releases like 26.0.1, and further Bluetooth fixes are a reasonable expectation in upcoming updates.

Check for updates regularly:

• Go to System Settings > General > Software Update
• Install any update offered, even a minor one, since Apple has bundled Bluetooth stack fixes into small point releases before
• Restart after installing, since Bluetooth driver changes usually need a full restart to take effect, not a simple login/logout cycle

In the meantime, keep a USB keyboard within reach near your Mac. It costs nothing, takes five seconds to plug in, and saves you from being locked out if Bluetooth doesn't respond one morning.

Quick Fix Checklist

• Plug in a USB keyboard or 2.4GHz dongle to get past the login screen right now
• Reset the Bluetooth module (Shift + Option + click the Bluetooth menu bar icon)
• Forget and re-pair your Bluetooth keyboard, mouse, or AirPods
• Check System Settings > General > Software Update for a Tahoe point release
• Only disable FileVault as a short, temporary test, and turn it back on right after

Most people fix this with the USB workaround plus a Bluetooth module reset. The FileVault interaction only comes into play if the module reset doesn't restore access at the login screen specifically, and even then, it's worth treating as a stopgap rather than a permanent setting change.