MX Keys S keyboard brightness keys don’t work after pairing (Bolt + Bluetooth)

[Hafiyyan_Naufal]

MX Keys S keyboard brightness keys don’t work after pairing (Bolt + Bluetooth)

Environment:

• Mac mini, macOS 26.3
• Logitech MX Keys S
• BetterTouchTool 6.193 (SetApp)

Issue:
Keyboard brightness up/down keys do nothing after successful pairing. Reproducible on both Logitech Bolt receiver and Bluetooth. Battery is full.

Steps to reproduce:

1. Pair MX Keys S (Bolt or Bluetooth)
2. Press keyboard brightness +/- keys

Expected:
Keyboard brightness turns on / adjusts.

Actual:
All LEDs light during pairing mode, but turn off immediately after pairing and cannot be turned back on via keyboard brightness keys.

[Andreas_Hegenberg]

do you have the Logitech Configuration in BTT set to make all special keys available to BTT? in that case the default functions for the keys will be gone and you need to configure them in BTT

[Hafiyyan_Naufal]

Yes, I have re-paired via Bluetooth, reset the logi config and selected MX keys S, ensured check all keys remap, applied settings. I also changed the shortcut several times to increase keyboard brightness ⇧ +⌥ + Up (not using Fn or F4) but it still doesn't work.

[Andreas_Hegenberg]

if you want tghe keys to maintain their standard behavior you need to UNcheck the"make all keys available dor remapping in BTT"

Alternatively you can record them in the BTT keyboard shortcut section and assign the logitech brightness change actions

[Hafiyyan_Naufal]

You know what, it suddenly started working again after I turned it off, turned it on, restarted my Mac, and everything is back to normal
I already have a lot of settings in BTT, and somehow today my keyboard backlight turned off because the battery ran out, and I panicked when it didn’t turn back on
OMG, I spent hours on this, I thought my keyboard was broken.

I want to ask, could this be the cause of my issue? There are many device names with the same name. Basically it’s the same device, but because of errors or not responding, I’ve had to re-pair it many times, using Logi Bolt or Bluetooth.
Thank you for your support, Andreas

This one:

[rebdeg]

Something must be wrong with the Logitech keyboard logic in BTT. I have the same problem, but persistent. Clicking ‘RESET keyboard to factory…” makes BTT crash. Start paring does not find my MX Keys Mini, I factory reset my keyboard (Esc+ O, esc + O, esc+B) and have F1 blinking in pairing mode, but BTT does not see my Logitech dongle. Pairing Bluetooth is no problem. So, how do I get my keyboard connect to my Logitech Bolt dongle and then how do I get brightness up and down working again. I tried adding this action to all kind of key combos, but was not able to get it working.

Reinier.

[Andreas_Hegenberg]

@rebdeg you can always reset the keyboard by turning it off and on again (BTT does not write any persistent stuff to these MX Keys keyboards)

Does your BTT not recognize anything here?

(If it doesn't show your bolt receiver nor your keyboard it might be a permission issue)

[rebdeg]

My Logitech MX Keys Mini is in pairing mode (F1 blinking fast) and whatever I do in BTT Logitech Keyboard Configuration (Choose Connected Keyboard, Scan for Devices, Start Pairing now) nothings happens and keyboard is not recognized or added to the bolt dongle. So what to do next?

After removing and reinserting the dongle and having my keyboard in pairing mode I get the ‘no supported keyboard found’

[Andreas_Hegenberg]

if for whatever reason pairing fails you can use the official Logitech pairing website (requires Chrome or similar Browsers)

Logi Web Connect

[rebdeg]

Hi Andreas,

Thanks for the swift support. I re-added my keyboard with Logi Web Connect and when trying to add it to BTT I got an error (see screenshot) Though the keyboard is fully functional it is not recognized as a Logitech keyboard (null)

[Andreas_Hegenberg]

that error can mean either that BTT does not have the correct permissions, or that some other app is still blocking access to the device. Can you think of any other app that might still be installed that could conflict? (e.g. Logitech Options, Steermouse, Better Mouse, USB Overdrive)

[rebdeg]

None of the apps are active, I removed Logitech keyboard from BTT and tried again and suddenly it is recognized and usable. Now back to the original problem. All keys are functional, when adding a keyboard shortcut, F1 and F2 are recognized in BTT as F1 and F2, the action is brightness up/down on my Apple Studio Display, but nothing happens. Connecting brightness up/down to any other key on the keyboard is also nog recognized. So it is the action brightness up/down that is not working. Any suggestions?

[Andreas_Hegenberg]

Which of the Brightness actions have you tried? (There are the "Brightness Up/Down" actions and the "Brightness Up/Down (External Display)" actions. If your Studio Display is connected to a Macbook you will probably need to use the "External Display" versions. If it is the only display the standard "Brightness Up/Down" should work.

Basically these actions just simulate the brightness keys from the Apple Keyboards.

[rebdeg]

I have the studio display connected to my Mac mini. I tried both, external display up/down and Brightness up/down. Nothing happens.