A MacBook login field that stays empty isn't accepting typing, so connect power and a wired keyboard first. If password dots appear but the password is rejected, check the keyboard language and Caps Lock before resetting it.
The next checks depend on whether the keyboard works after login or stays dead everywhere. Use the working keyboard to get in, then check the setting or startup condition that matches what happened.
In this guide
1. Connect power and a wired keyboard
Plug the MacBook into its charger and click the password field using the trackpad. Press a few keys and watch for password dots. An empty field after typing tells you this isn't yet a wrong-password problem.
Apple's keyboard troubleshooting notes that an unseen low-battery alert can make the built-in keyboard appear unresponsive. Connecting power is the quick first check, even when the login screen is visible.
Connect a wired USB keyboard, using an adapter if needed. Click the field and try typing. A Windows keyboard can enter ordinary letters and numbers; different labels on its modifier keys don't prevent password entry.
If the external keyboard types, use it to sign in. Keep it connected until the built-in keyboard is reliable. If neither keyboard works and the pointer also won't move, the whole Mac may be frozen, so continue with the restart check.
An external Bluetooth keyboard failing only before login is a separate case. The macOS Bluetooth login guide covers that fault. Don't turn off FileVault to address unresponsive built-in keys.
2. Fix password rejection without changing the password
When password dots appear, the Mac is receiving keystrokes. Check for the Caps Lock symbol in the password field. Turn Caps Lock off if your password doesn't need it, then enter the password again carefully.
Look for the Input menu in a corner of the login screen and select the layout used when you created the password. A different layout can change punctuation and some letters even though the keyboard itself works.
Use your Mac user account password. Your Apple Account credentials aren't necessarily the password that unlocks this Mac. Touch ID being unavailable after a restart also doesn't mean the keyboard has failed.
The login password instructions explain these checks before password recovery. Use the reset choices offered by the login window only when typing works and the correct account password still isn't accepted.
Stop repeated guesses if the screen asks you to wait. Follow the displayed waiting period or recovery instructions. A password reset won't restore keys that never produce input, so return to the input checks if the field remains empty.
3. Turn off accessibility settings that change typing
A key that appears only after a long hold suggests Slow Keys, a setting that delays key recognition. Letters moving the pointer instead of entering text suggest Mouse Keys. Both can make a functioning keyboard seem broken.
At the normal login window, press Option + Command + F5 to open Accessibility Shortcuts. On MacBooks with Touch ID, press that button three times quickly as an alternative shortcut.
Clear Slow Keys if long presses were needed, or clear Mouse Keys if letters moved the pointer. Retry password entry. The options shown depend on how the panel is set up. Use the wired keyboard if the built-in keys won't open it.
Once signed in, open System Settings > Accessibility > Keyboard to check Slow Keys. Check Mouse Keys through Accessibility > Pointer Control. Change only the option that matches the behavior.
For future access, open System Settings > Lock Screen > Accessibility Options and enable Accessibility Keyboard if useful. This provides an onscreen typing option in the login window when configured.
Those login options apply to the macOS login window. Don't assume a setting made inside macOS will supply the same onscreen keyboard on the earlier FileVault startup unlock screen. A wired keyboard remains the practical fallback there.
4. Restart and test with safe mode
If the Mac responds, restart it normally using the available onscreen controls. If it's completely frozen, hold the power or Touch ID button until it turns off, then start it again. Forcing it off risks losing unsaved changes.
Check the built-in keyboard at the first login screen. If it works there and fails only after the desktop loads, check software that starts with your account rather than the login password settings.
If the problem keeps returning, try safe mode. On Apple silicon, shut down, then keep holding power until the startup choices appear. Select the startup volume. Press Shift while choosing Continue in Safe Mode.
On an Intel MacBook, start or restart while holding Shift until the login window appears. A second login prompt can appear in safe mode. Use the wired keyboard if the built-in keys won't handle the startup shortcut.
Test typing, then restart normally. If the fault disappears in safe mode but returns during normal startup, review recently added keyboard remapping or login software. Remove or update the relevant utility through its own instructions.
For typing that stops in apps while the pointer still works, use the Mac keyboard input checks. That's a different pattern from a keyboard that cannot enter the first login password.
5. Get the built-in keyboard checked
If wired input works but the built-in keyboard stays unresponsive across restarts, arrange a service assessment. Save a backup once you can sign in. Tell the technician whether the trackpad also fails and whether power changes anything.
You can run Apple Diagnostics before service. On Apple silicon, shut down, keep holding power until you see the startup choices, then hold Command + D. On Intel, start with D held; try Option + D if needed.
Use the external keyboard if needed and keep any reference code. On macOS Tahoe 26 or newer, Diagnostics offers a choice of specific tests, including keyboard and trackpad tests; earlier versions select tests automatically.
Ask Apple Support for a built-in keyboard assessment. Include the model, macOS version, whether input works before and after login, and the wired-keyboard result. Those details help the technician work out which part needs repair.
The Short Version
For no password dots, try power, wired input and accessibility checks. For rejected typing, check Caps Lock, layout and the Mac password. Compare safe mode for recurring trouble; seek service if the built-in keyboard stays dead.
Checked November 12, 2026.
