Questions
A presentation clicker on a Mac: setup, and what to do when it does nothing
Most presentation clickers show up on a Mac as a small keyboard. Each button sends a key, usually Right arrow or Page Down for next, Left arrow or Page Up for back, and something for start and black screen. That is why they need no driver: the Mac already knows keyboards. It is also why almost every problem is one of three things: the slideshow is not the app in front, the button sends a key your app does not use, or the receiver is not getting through.
Set one up
- Plug the USB receiver straight into the Mac, or into a plain USB-C to USB-A adapter. For a Bluetooth clicker, pair it in System Settings, Bluetooth.
- If a Keyboard Setup Assistant window opens, that is macOS meeting a new keyboard. Close it, or follow it; either is fine.
- Start the slideshow and click the Keynote, PowerPoint, or browser window once so it is the app in front. Then press next.
The maker's own app, where there is one, adds extras such as an on-screen highlight. Next and back work without it.
When it will not advance
- The show is not in front. Keys go to the front app. If a notification, a second screen, or your notes window has focus, the slideshow never sees the press. Click the slide once.
- The show is not playing. The arrow keys only change slides while the slideshow is running. Start it first: Option Command P in Keynote, Command Shift Return in PowerPoint.
- The receiver is not getting through. Try another port, take it off a hub or dock, and replace the battery. A receiver behind the laptop and a wall of people is a weak link.
- The button sends a key the app ignores. See what it actually sends, below.
See exactly what each button sends
Open TextEdit and press the buttons: arrows move the cursor, Page Down scrolls, B types a b. For the key's name, InputConfig's Scan does it directly: add a keyboard row, press Scan, press the clicker button, and the row shows the key it sent. Then compare with the app's own shortcut list.
InputConfig is free on the Mac App Store. macOS 14 or later, no account, no tracking, open source.
The start button does nothing in PowerPoint
Many clickers send F5 from the start button, sometimes alternating with Escape. F5 starts a show in PowerPoint on Windows. Microsoft's shortcut list for PowerPoint on a Mac uses Command Shift Return instead, and Keynote uses Option Command P.
To fix it without new hardware, make a row in InputConfig with F5 as the input and Command Shift Return as the output, and add PowerPoint to the preset's auto-switch list so it only runs there. Two honest limits: the app listens alongside macOS, so F5 itself still arrives too, and it cannot tell the clicker from your Mac's keyboard, so fn F5 on the laptop will start the show as well.
When a clicker is not the right tool
Two buttons are not enough for some talks, and some hands cannot work a small remote. A game controller over Bluetooth gives you next and back under every finger, a stick for the pointer, and room for black screen and jump to a slide; the presentation remote layout sets that up. A USB MIDI keyboard's sustain pedal can turn slides with a foot, and a double knock on a MacBook's palm rest can too, with Tap the Mac.
Questions
Do presentation clickers work with a Mac?
Most do, with no driver. A clicker that acts as a keyboard works in Keynote, PowerPoint, and Google Slides as soon as the slideshow is playing and in front.
Why does my clicker work in one app but not another?
Each app listens for its own keys. Find out what the button sends (TextEdit, or Scan in InputConfig) and check that app's shortcut list. If the key is missing there, a row in InputConfig can send the key the app wants whenever that button is pressed.
Can I remap the buttons on my clicker?
Partly. InputConfig can add an action to any key a clicker sends, but it cannot stop the original key, and it cannot tell the clicker apart from the Mac's own keyboard. For a clicker that sends ordinary keys like the arrows, that is usually fine.
Can I use a PS5 or Xbox controller as a clicker instead?
Yes. Pair it over Bluetooth and activate the Presentation Remote layout in InputConfig; it works in Keynote, PowerPoint, and Google Slides.
Related
Free. macOS 14 or later. No account, nothing leaves your Mac. Open source on GitHub.