Is the K65 PLUS compatible with Mac PCs and iPads?

The K65 PLUS WIRELESS 75% RGB Mechanical Gaming Keyboard is CORSAIR’s first keyboard that natively supports macOS as well as iPadOS devices. Aside from the usual Windows OS centric keys, you will find modifier keys important to macOS and iPadOS on the bottom row of the keyboard itself which are in the same places as you would find with a keyboard made for Apple devices. This eliminates the need to re-bind keys and can be activated with a simple switch on the back of the keyboard.

Before setting up the keyboard with your macOS computer, you must set the switch on the back of the keyboard to the Mac position. This will make sure that the modifier keys (Control, Command, Option) are correctly configured for use with macOS. Once you have done so, you can connect the keyboard to your Apple device.

The K65 PLUS WIRELESS has multiple ways to connect to your Apple device. There is the possibility of a USB Type-C to USB Type-A connection via the supplied cable or you can use the wireless receiver that is included as well. Bluetooth is another option, but if you are using a desktop device like a Mac mini, Mac Studio, Mac Pro, or iMac for the first time with a keyboard, you must connect the K65 PLUS WIRELESS via a cable or with the wireless receiver first.

When using a cable connection, it is important to leave the power switch in the middle position. When you are using the wireless receiver, you need to select the wireless position of the switch. When setting up a Bluetooth connection, the switch needs to be in the Bluetooth position.

Once you have connected your K65 PLUS WIRELESS keyboard to a PC running macOS, you will be greeted by the Keyboard Setup Assistant. This assistant will determine the keyboard’s language layout and help you set it correctly. Finish this setup and you are all set to use the basic functions of the keyboard with macOS.

To enable all the features of your K65 PLUS WIRELESS keyboard, you need to install CORSAIR iCUE Software, which you can find on our website. Navigate the browser of your choice to https://www.corsair.com/icue to download the macOS version of iCUE.

On the top right of the page, click the DOWNLOAD iCUE button.

This will lead you to the downloads page for the CORSAIR iCUE Software. Here you need to download the installer for macOS.

Depending on how you have set up macOS, the downloaded ZIP archive should unpack by itself within the Downloads folder of macOS. The easiest way to open your Downloads folder is to click anywhere on the desktop so the menu of macOS shows the options for Finder. Then you click on Go and then on Downloads. If the ZIP file didn’t unpack by itself, just double click on it to unpack it.

Double click the file called iCUEInitialInstaller to start installing iCUE.

Depending on the Apple machine you are using, especially if it is one with an Apple silicon M-series processor, you will be asked to install Rosetta to allow Intel-based features to run on Apple silicon Macs. This is a one-time installation and is necessary for the CORSAIR iCUE Software to function on Apple silicon Macs. If you had any other application installed prior that required Rosetta to be installed, this prompt will not show up again.

You may need to double click the iCUEInitialInstaller file again after you installed Rosetta to start the actual installation process of the CORSAIR iCUE Software and then follow the instructions of the installer.

During the installation process, you will be asked to enable accessibility features that allow CORSAIR iCUE to control your computer. This is to make sure that features like Macros and Lighting work as intended. Follow the prompts to ensure that all is set up correctly.

Once everything is installed and permissions for accessibility features have been granted, the installation of the CORSAIR iCUE Software is finished and you should see all your iCUE compatible devices listed. There are tutorial prompts within iCUE to explain all the features in detail for each device you have connected. We do have Tutorials for using iCUE here for you too and as these are very much the same between Windows and macOS, you can follow those to learn more about what you can do with iCUE and your devices.

The K65 PLUS WIRELESS keyboard can be paired with three different devices via Bluetooth and you can conveniently switch between them by pushing the Fn + Bluetooth keys on the keyboard. Keep in mind that when the keyboard is connected via Bluetooth, you will not be able to use the features of the CORSAIR iCUE Software.

Holding the Fn + one of the Bluetooth keys will enable the pairing mode of the keyboard. This is indicated by the LED light on the top left as well as the corresponding Bluetooth key blinking blue. Open the Bluetooth Settings in macOS or iPadOS to pair the keyboard to the device. Once paired it is ready to use right away. The keyboards Bluetooth name is K65 PLUS BLE1 / K65 PLUS BLE2 / K65 PLUS BLE3 depending on which of the three pairing spots you are using.