The Mac mini is the most affordable Mac that you can get with your money. However, it's also the most affordable because you need to bring in your own accessories, including a display, mouse, and a keyboard! It's not an all-in-one solution, but for some people, that works out better.
If it's a keyboard you're specifically hunting for, you've come to the right place. We've rounded up our favorite keyboards to use with the Mac mini, taking into consideration keyboards of all shapes and sizes, membrane and mechanical, to help you decide which best suits your needs. As with all our buying guides, you'll find a Quick List at the top, with more detailed reviews of each selected board further down.
Quick List
Best overall
The NuPhy Halo75 has everything, even more impressive given its low asking price. It offers great key switches and keycaps, the option to use it wired or wirelessly via two different methods, and one of the most satisfying space bars we’ve ever had the pleasure of typing on. If you like mechanical keyboards it’s a no-brainer for your Mac mini.
Best for Apple loyalists
For some, only the first-party offering will cut it, and with Apple’s Magic Keyboard Mac mini users can expect instant wireless pairing with a full-size, slim keyboard that doesn’t take up too much room. The scissor keys feel better than ever and the typing experience is similar to that of a MacBook that anyone who just wants something familiar can’t really go wrong.
Best for tinkerers
Provided you’re willing to add your own switches and keycaps (the Zoom75 doesn’t come with any), this keyboard is a DIY enthusiast’s dream, beautifully made and brilliant to type on. It’s endlessly customizable and comes in a range of great colors. The only issue is that the Zoom75 is often out of stock.
Best low-profile keyboard
This super compact low-profile keyboard is extremely well made and delightful to type on. Despite being very slim, there’s no unnerving bend in the deck to report and the keycaps are top notch. Customization through VIA is fully supported on Mac without any other software, while built-in RGB lighting gives it a nice glow when you don’t have any light.
Best premium keyboard
The Keychron Q1 Pro is the perfect option for anyone looking to dip their toes in the world of premium custom mechanical keyboards. You can buy it pre-assembled, but tinkerers will no doubt be looking to make use of the various customization tools included in the box. The Q1 Pro comes with additional keycaps for Mac users and can be used wirelessly or plugged in.
Best Magic Keyboard alternative
A compact Magic Keyboard alternative that is decidedly Apple-y in everything but name, sporting the shortcuts and key legend Mac users will be accustomed to, and is just as satisfying to type on as Apple’s own board. It has a built-in battery for Bluetooth LE connectivity and multi-device pairing, and is both light and small enough to easily move between workspaces.
The best keyboard for Mac mini: in depth
You can always trust iMore. Our team of Apple experts have years of experience testing all kinds of tech and gadgets, so you can be sure our recommendations and criticisms are accurate and helpful. Find out more about how we test.
The best keyboard for Mac mini overall
The NuPhy Halo75 is the kind of keyboard that’ll make you wonder why you put up with plain old membrane boards for so long. It sells the mechanical dream better than any keyboard we’ve used, and comes prebuilt so you don’t have to nervously assemble it yourself. You know there’s a lot going on in there, though, due to the sheer weight of the thing.
The star attraction is what NuPhy calls the ghost bar, a spacebar with a silicon dampening pad in the middle, just above the key switch, which lends a satisfying ‘clonk’ to each press. The rest of the PBT plastic keys are great too, though note that they’re taller than what you might be used to, while the RGB lighting is really well implemented and controllable with key combinations outlined in the manual.
As for Mac compatibility, it’s very good, with a little switch on the back of the keyboard that lets you switch between Windows and Mac. The function keys have the correct Mac icons, and you can use it wired or wirelessly via Bluetooth or with the included dongle.
There are more customizable keyboards out there, but they’ll cost you more, and very few offer a better typing experience.
The best keyboard for Apple loyalists
We sing the praises of mechanical keyboards in this guide and would fully encourage anyone seeking a more personalized typing experience to look into them, but there’s a lot to be said for the reliability and aesthetic uniformity of the official Apple Magic Keyboard, which is a breeze to use with all Mac devices thanks to its instant wireless connection.
This is a sleek, slim keyboard with no interest in deep mechanical switches or number pads. You get minimal travel from the scissor mechanism keys, which some people prefer when typing, especially if they’re used to MacBook keyboards. There are subtle differences, but on the whole the Magic Keyboard will feel familiar. We also appreciate the full size function keys on the most recent model, especially as they don’t mean the keyboard had to become larger to accommodate them.
If you purchase a Mac that comes with the Magic Keyboard, it’ll already be pre-paired (not the case with the Mac mini), but the USB/Lightning wired connection also couldn’t be easier. This is also how you charge the keyboard. You don’t get Touch ID on the cheaper board, with that functionality (as well as a number pad) reserved for the more expensive model.
Battery life is very strong, but that probably has a lot to do with the absence of backlighting, which we would definitely trade for a hit on the battery. You do miss it when typing in the dark or late at night.
The best keyboard for tinkerers
If you already know that you’re sold on mechanical keyboards, then you might be thinking about taking things to the next level. That is, a premium mechanical keyboard that you build from scratch to use with your Mac mini, and that’s exactly what the Meletrix Zoom75 is. You pick from a wide range of colors and add the keycaps and switches yourself. There’s even a miniature LCD display you can add to the top right-hand corner of the board, which is a fun extra that makes the Zoom75 feel more personal.
Building the keyboard is easier than you might think, with all the required tools and components included in the box, and the finished thing looks superb, with truly excellent build quality. Switches can be swapped out with ease, and you have the option of flex cuts if you’re a bouncy typing enthusiast.
The Zoom75 works with your Mac mini using a 2.4GHz connection, Bluetooth 5.0 or (our reviewer’s preferred option) wired straight to the device. You can expect 6-8 weeks of usage before charging.
Typing feel will depend a lot on your preferred setup, but the variety of switches on offer mean you’ll quickly be able to find a combination that works for you, as long as you’re willing to pay a bit more than you might with other mechanical keyboards.
The best low-profile keyboard
This second generation take on what was already one of the best boards around is easy to recommend if you prefer a low profile typing experience, as many do. The Nuphy Air75 V2 is super slim but manages to feel reassuringly sturdy at the same time, while the silicon and foam inside make it heavier than you might expect. And we love the cold-to-the-touch feel of the aluminum shell.
The keycaps are uniform owing to the low profile nature of the keyboard but feel great under your fingers, and the lettering is clear and easy to read, which is essential for frustration-free typing. And the GhostBar we love on the Halo75 (above) is just as great here.
The V2 can be customized through VIA software, a feature that wasn’t available on its predecessor. This allows you to changing lighting modes, modify keys and more on your Mac mini without needing to shell out for additional software. You can connect using Bluetooth wireless or with the included dongle.
Whether low profile keyboards are superior to a full-size and height deck is a matter of preference, but if you’re looking for a space-saving keyboard that’s a delight to type on and lets Mac users customize the experience to their heart’s content, then you won’t find much better out there than the Nuphy Air75 V2.
The best premium keyboard
This high-end mechanical keyboard can be purchased fully assembled or as a cheaper option that requires you to add your own switches and keycaps. Unlike the non-Pro Q1, it offers Bluetooth wireless connectivity, which isn’t always a given in the premium board market, and it’s a hefty bit of kit, even as a 75% keyboard without a number pad.
We reviewed the keyboard with Keychron linear switches that feel wonderfully smooth and offer tactile or audible feedback when pressed, with double shot PBT keycaps that promise long-term durability. Mac users get a set of dedicated keycaps so the keyboard functions as they expect it to.
As mentioned, the Q1 Pro can ship pre-assembled so you never have to touch anything, but customization is very much encouraged, with everything you need in the box. That’s physical customization, where you can open the keyboard up and change the switches and keycaps according to your taste, and software customization using VIA that lets you program button inputs and set shortcuts that, for example, can switch off your Mac mini or boot a specific app. It’s a lot of fun to mess around with this stuff once you’re dipped your toe in.
The Q1 Pro has a built-in battery that lasts around 300 hours without RGB lighting and 100 hours with. If you want to use RGB, you may want to consider using the keyboard wired more often than not, but luckily that is an option here. You don’t get a 2.4Ghz dongle, so for a completely lag-free experience you’ll need the wired connection anyway.
The best Apple Magic Keyboard alternative
Some people like to keep things traditional, and if you’re looking for a rock solid low-profile keyboard for your Mac mini that isn’t made by Apple, Logitech’s MX Keys Mini is one of the standout candidates, thanks to its very Apple-friendly aesthetic and all the shortcuts and keys a Mac user expects. It offers Bluetooth connectivity LE connectivity and multi-device pairing.
Logitech calls the MX Keys Mini’s keys “Perfect Stroke” keys, and while we’re not sure we’d go that far, they are satisfyingly tactile and close in shape and size to the Magic Keyboard’s keys. It’s also backlit, which the Magic Keyboard isn’t. There’s no full number pad here, so the keyboard is very compact and portable, weighing just 506g.
The MX Keys Mini connects to your Mac mini via Bluetooth LE and has a built-in battery, which Logitech quotes at 10 days with the backlight on and up to five months with it disabled. Though when reviewing the keyboard we managed with more than 10 days with the backlight on.
Issues? The keyboard can only sit at one quite shallow angle as its feet aren’t adjustable, but most people are probably going to be fine with it. It also can’t be used with a cabled connection, so if the keyboard does suddenly go flat, it’ll disconnect from your Mac. These are gripes rather than deal-breakers though.
