One for every type of user
If you’re a new Mac owner, you’ve probably noticed that Mac keyboards look a little different than those used on Windows PCs. Even worse, your options for native Mac keyboards are pretty limited compared to the almost infinite keyboard selections everyone else has.
If you’re looking for the best wireless keyboard for your Mac or MacBook, one of these excellent give choices might just do the trick
1. An In-House Upgrade: Apple Magic Keyboard
The first keyboard in our list is the only first-party device here. If you have a MacBook or one of the desktop Macs that ship with a wired keyboard, the latest wireless Apple Magic Keyboard offers an excellent wireless experience. We loved the original Magic Keyboard, but it did have some problems.
The major issue was the reliance on AA batteries, which always seemed to die just when you wanted to get down to work. The new generation of Magic Keyboard has a built-in rechargeable battery, so at worst you’ll have to plug it in before getting on with things.
The Magic Keyboard is also excellent for iPad and iPhone users, letting you get real work done. Sadly Apple doesn’t provide an easy way to quickly switch between devices. Other than that, this is an excellent general-purpose wireless Mac keyboard that feels great to type on and takes up almost no space. Sadly that svelte form does come at the expense of a numpad and full-size cursor keys.
This is by far the safest choice. We think most people will be thrilled with the Apple original, but if you’re looking for something a little more special, read on!
2. The Creative’s Choice: Logitech Craft Advanced Wireless Keyboard
Historically Macs have been the tool of choice for creative professionals. From video editing to sound production and everything in between, Macs are reliable professional workhorses. This is where the Craft Advanced’s party trick sets itself apart from the competition. At the top left of the wireless keyboard, you’ll find a circular knob called the “crown”.
This can be used to finely adjust things in the software you’re using. For example, you could use it to scrub through a video timeline or to finely adjust color channels. It depends on specific software support for the control surface, but if you do use apps that are officially compatible with the Craft, it can be a real boon to productivity.
Of course, if you’re a super-serious creative pro, you might want to look at dedicated control devices. But for those who don’t need high-end creative hardware controls, the Craft is an interesting half-step.
3. The Wrist-saver: Logitech Ergo K860
Apple’s own keyboards are pretty comfortable to type on, but that doesn’t mean they have good long-term ergonomics. If you’re spending hours and hours typing on your Mac, you owe it to your health and comfort to get something a little more wrist-friendly.
The Logitech Ergo K860 is a proper, curved, split-keyboard model that has native Mac support. Like other Mac-compatible keyboards from Logitech, the keys are double-labeled with both Windows and Mac commands, so you can switch between macOS and Windows via Boot Camp with ease.
Apart from the radical curve of this keyboard, it also comes with a rather innovative palm lift. Which is the opposite of how keyboard lifts usually work. The shape and design is the result of research that showed where the main stress points are while typing. According to Logitech, the K860 should minimize wear and tear on your weary joints.
4. The Keyboard Expander: HoRiMe Wireless Numeric Keyboard
If you’re a MacBook user or have an Apple Magic keyboard, you might be very happy with your setup in general. That is, until you have to start doing your taxes or the boss needs a spreadsheet yesterday. Then the general lack of a numeric keypad can be a huge productivity issue. It’s no joke to do data entry using the row of numbers at the top of your keyboard.
The good news is that you don’t have to buy an entire full keyboard to get access to a numpad. HoRiMe makes this wonderful wireless numpad, which also has full-sized cursor keys as well. While it’s easy to find many numpads like this that use a wired connection, this is one of the few that use Bluetooth. That’s a big deal for a few reasons. On modern MacBooks that only have a small number of Thunderbolt ports, you’d need a clunky dongle to hook up a wired numpad. Which makes this wireless numpad a far more elegant solution.
If you’re already using a wireless keyboard, this helps you maintain a wire-free workspace as well. We like that this matches the aesthetic of Apple’s own peripherals as well, so it won’t look out of place next to your Mac.
The only real issue is the use of micro USB for charging. USB C would have been a more sensible choice these days. In the greater scheme of things, this is a minor issue.
5. The “Everything Apple” Wireless Choice: Logitech K380
Yes, the last keyboard on our list of best wireless keyboards for Mac is once again a Logitech, but that just goes to show how the peripheral giant keeps coming up with the goods! This K380, which is also available in colors other than rose, offers an interesting alternative to the standard Magic Keyboard.
We particularly like the round keys, using scissor switches. So it should feel pretty close to the traditional laptop typing experience. Which is of course also the case on the Magic Keyboard. However, apart from price, why not simply get the Apple keyboard? It all comes down to the easy multi-device switching. You can register three different devices and then simply press one of the three device buttons on the keyboard to seamlessly switch between them.
For example, if you have a Mac, Macbook and iPad, you can register all three and use one keyboard for text entry for all of them. This could also be useful for Apple TV owners who want to do some quick text entry. We weren’t able to confirm Apple TV compatibility, but in practice just about any iOS-compatible keyboard should work.
Touch Typing
While the Mac accessory market is relatively small compared to the PC market, that doesn’t mean you have to be happy with whatever Apple shipped with your computer. While these five choices are, in our opinion, some of the best wireless keyboards for Mac in their respective categories, there are still many more choices for Mac lovers out there.
While you wait for your shiny new keyboard to arrive, why not check out the Best macOS Keyboard shortcuts? If you’re struggling with your old keyboard, you should also swing by Certain Keys On Your Mac Not Working Properly? Just in case you think your current keyboard is broken when it might not be!
Which is the best Mac keyboard you’ve ever used? Share your experiences in the comments and give us your own wireless Mac keyboard recommendations.