MacOS 27 & 1st Gen Magic Trackpad Compatibility

Yes, you can still connect your 1st Gen Magic Trackpad to your Mac, though major operating system upgrades can sometimes wipe out older Bluetooth handshakes and require a manual re-pairing process. Because the 1st Generation Magic Trackpad relies entirely on AA batteries and lacks a physical Lightning or USB-C port, you cannot simply plug it in to force an automatic pairing like you can with newer models.

To force your Mac to re-recognize the legacy hardware, follow these pairing steps:

Clear the Old Connection

• On your Mac, navigate to the Apple menu > System Settings > Bluetooth.
• Look for your trackpad in the list under My Devices.
• Click the info button (i) next to it and select Forget This Device. (Note: If it isn't listed at all, skip to the next step).

Put the Trackpad into Pairing Mode

• Power off the trackpad: Press and hold the power button on the right side of the cylindrical battery compartment until the green LED indicator light turns off completely.
• Trigger discoverability: Press and hold the power button down again. Do not let go when the light turns on. Keep holding the button down until the green LED begins blinking continuously, indicating it is in pairing mode.

Reconnect to your Mac

• While keeping the trackpad close to your computer, check the Mac's Bluetooth settings menu.
• The trackpad should appear under the Nearby Devices or Other Devices section.
• Click Connect next to its name. If it fails on the first try, keep holding down the physical power button on the trackpad while you click "Connect" on the screen until the status changes to connected.

If the trackpad still refuses to show up, pop the battery cap open and install a fresh set of AA batteries, as low voltage frequently prevents older Apple wireless peripherals from completing a modern Bluetooth handshake.

More info from Apple: If you can't connect your Magic Keyboard, Magic Mouse, or Magic Trackpad to your Mac - Apple Support

WOW! Thank you, neuroanatomist

for your kind effort with a detailed step-by-step reply with screen shots!

So I cleared the old connection,

put the 1st gen trackpad into pairing mode,

and attempted to reconnect.

The 1st gen trackpad indeed shows up as a near by device.

I then click connect and a processing windmill spins...

and it spins, and spins, and spins and then...

...the 1st Gen Trackpad disappears from "Nearby Devices"

I've put brand new Duracell AA's and get the same results.

I'll go with just my mouse for a few days and check back here and on the web to see what's happening

with others trying the same thing. Could be MacOS 27 or could be the combo of an M4 Pro MacMini and MacOS 27. Hopefully, there's a fix.

If not, this 1st Gen Magic Track Pad has had good run and I may give or sell it to someone else and get new trackpad --though I'll get a skin for it as I don't care for a white one. I miss the Space Gray days.

Well, inexplicably, this morning my 1st gen Magic Trackpad paired normally with my M4 Pro Mac Mini in

MacOS 27.0.1

This is good, yet nothing I did this morning wasn't anything I hadn't tried in exactly the same way about eight other times or more

I'm 🤔 if I could have had one less other BlueTooth device connected to my M4 Pro Mini when it finally paired.?

OR

if it was pairing and repairing with my old 2018 MBP in my bag until it the MBP's battery died.

I only use that Intel chip MBP away from home.

The battery WAS dead yesterday when I went to a bistro.

I can tell you one thing for sure, I ain't unpairing it just to find out!

THAT gift horse may keep it's lips sealed!

Weird, but there’s a saying about not looking a gift horse in the mouth. Glad it’s working!