can I set up mac mini m4 without apple mouse??

Third-party Bluetooth devices may not always reliably connect to a brand new Mac at set up.

You will very likely need a USB-A to USB-C adapter to connect your PC mouse to your Mac.

Find them on Amazon or other retailers for about $8. They look like this:

By the way, do yourself a favor and make sure you always have a wired USB mouse and USB keyboard set handy – for those times when something goes wrong and requires one or the other.

i having the same issue, i am a window user and have decided to go into Apple, but the major issue for the m4 mini, it has now removed usb-A. Apple marketing need to educate beginner how to prepare themselves with a new m4 mini what to do bluetooth keyboard or non-usbC wired keyboard to setup the first boot-up. if Apple want to go green, they should look into educational communications how to re-use existing peripherals without buying more to advance with their new products.

jason_how wrote:

i having the same issue, i am a window user and have decided to go into Apple, but the major issue for the m4 mini, it has now removed usb-A. Apple marketing need to educate beginner how to prepare themselves with a new m4 mini what to do bluetooth keyboard or non-usbC wired keyboard to setup the first boot-up. if Apple want to go green, they should look into educational communications how to re-use existing peripherals without buying more to advance with their new products.

You mean communication like this?

Set up your Mac mini for new Mac users - Apple Support

If by any chance you have a wired mouse and keyboard at setup, that makes things much smoother. You can get a cheap combo for about $20 (not branded one) and it may serve you in the future for similar tasks.

Once set, you can use any Apple or non-Apple (in this case, opt for a reliable brand). If you aim to switch between a Win computer and the mac, a very practical solution (that also solve real estate on your desk) is multidevice keyboard and mouse (i personnally use Logitech models - thriathlon mouse, and a keyboard which i switch between a windows computer, my mac mini and Apple TV.

Please see my post above regarding USB-A to USB-C adapters. They are readily available and inexpensive.

Apple has been steadily moving to USB-C as their peripheral port for years now. It's been no secret.

Princeberlin_10 wrote:

I am a Windows user buying the Mac mini for the first time. I don't have an Apple mouse. I have a mouse that connects with a USB cable, but that mouse will not work as Apple removed USB-A from the Mac mini m4. Apart from that, I have a mouse that connects with Bluetooth. Can I do the setup of the Mac mini using that mouse? Will I get the option to pair my mouse through Bluetooth before the setup of the Mac mini? And should I go for Apple Mouse? I heard a lot of people criticizing it

You should ideally use a wired keyboard & mouse when you initially set up your Mac ... and if/when you may need to do a reinstall or an upgrade to a new version of macOS. They do not need to be Apple products.

If your existing kbd and/or mouse have USB-A connectors, you can get a simple and inexpensive USB-A to USB-C adapter ... either a plug adapter or a cable adapter ... to connect to the Mac mini USB-C ports. There is no certainty that a non-Apple bluetooth mouse would connect during the initial setup.

Regarding the Apple bluetooth mouse, I don't know what criticism you are referring to but in my experience the Apple mouse is fine. I have never had trouble with any of them.

thanks varjak, that link u shared is to describe how to connect the Bluetooth device after the 1st time setup is completed. I have provided a link below, showing how a user attempt to connect a Bluetooth keyboard when he 1st power up the M4 mini without a wired keyboard, which i am in the same situation. There should be an instruction to inform m4 mini users, how to properly pair the Bluetooth devices at startup, or , have a prerequsit of having a usb-C keyboard/mouse.

https://youtu.be/K6OOUYL_IoM?si=4looQSmF6Pw1eDUb

I ordered a four-pack USB-C to USB-A adapters which are one-piece design. I’m not sure if there is enough clearance between the ports on the Mac Mini M4 for multiple adapters. Apple itself also sells USB-C to USB-A adapters with the ends separated by a short cord, but they’re more expensive.

At the same time I ordered some Thunderbolt to DVI and Thunderbolt to VGA adapters so that I can use my older monitors with the Mac Mini M4. From the product comments section, it appears many users were connecting successfully to apple computers using the video adapters.

I am surprised that the USB adapters, even the ones for video, are inexpensive. I am planning to use the crystal/white Apple USB keyboard from ~2006 and a Microsoft mouse which are my favorites for tactile feel. I have some nice Dell monitors and a Bose Soundlink Mini for Bluetooth speaker system.

+1