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I have a brand new MacBook Pro and Magic Trackpad 2. When I turn the Trackpad on it's not 'seen' when I open Bluetooth preferences on my MacBook.

I've read one solution is to connect the Trackpad to the laptop via the cable, but it came with a Lightning to USB cable, not USB-C, so I can't do this.

Should it be discoverable with Bluetooth? I've charged it for a few hours in case it was a battery issue, but it's still not working.

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  • Strange, I had no issue connecting Magic Keyboard, Trackpad, or Mouse to my Mac ... are you having issues with any other BlueTooth devices, or can you connect those? Wondering if it is a general issue with your trackpad or your computer.
    – dr.nixon
    Mar 19 '19 at 13:39
  • No all other bluetooth devices worked fine. As soon as I plugged the Trackpad in (someone lent me a cable) it worked straight away. Maybe this is part of Apples business model to make you buy as many cables from them as possible!
    – Evanss
    Mar 20 '19 at 9:33
  • Weird. I didn’t need any cables for my three accessories - they showed in Bluetooth menu and were able to connect as soon as I powered them on.
    – dr.nixon
    Mar 21 '19 at 1:40
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Make sure the power is on to your trackpad. You should have a BlueTooth icon on your menu bar. Click on this icon and it should list all Bluetooth devices seen by your computer. Click on the Trackpad and then click on the connect button.

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  • I didnt have this option.
    – Evanss
    Mar 20 '19 at 9:32
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I had the same issue, what worked for me was checking the "Show Bluetooth in menu bar" in system preferences -> bluetooth. Once I checked that the magic trackpad showed up

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I just tested my iMac on Catalina and a Magic Trackpad 2 that has never been connected to it. After turning on the trackpad, it automatically appeared in System preferences with an option to connect.

enter image description here

I realise that these are steps for an iPad, but this is Apple's documentation on how to pair the Magic Trackpad anyway

https://support.apple.com/kb/HT211009

How to connect a Bluetooth mouse or trackpad to your iPad

  1. Turn on your Bluetooth accessory and place it near your iPad.
  2. Make sure that your accessory is in pairing or discovery mode.
  • Apple Magic Mouse and Magic Trackpad should be ready to pair at this point.
  • If you're pairing a third-party accessory that you've used with another device, follow the pairing-mode steps from its manufacturer.
  1. Open the Settings app on your iPad.
  2. Tap Bluetooth.
  3. Look under Other Devices for your Bluetooth accessory, then tap its name to pair it with your iPad.

Depending on the accessory that you're connecting, you might need to take extra steps. Follow any onscreen instructions that appear. If you're pairing with Apple Magic Mouse or Magic Trackpad and you're asked to provide a code, use 0000 (four zeros).

I would suggest the following troubleshooting:

  • Open System Preferences > Bluetooth. Power off the trackpad and back on again.
  • Make sure the power switch is on when charging.
  • Disconnect the cable when attempting to pair wirelessly.
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After pairing a Magic Keyboard 2 and Trackpad 2 to an older Mac, to pair them again to a new Mac (MBP '19 with Catalina) without a cable, I just opened Bluetooth preferenceso on the Mac, then turned off and on each device (via the hardware switch at the back) and they became visible in the list of devices, then I clicked "Connect" on each and that was it.

Please note, they had been previously paired via a cable to the new Mac, I'm not sure whether that had an impact.

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