Pairing or unpairing Apple remotes with AppleTVs or Macs

The Apple Remotes shipped with Apple TVs, iMacs and MacBooks can be used to play / pause music or skip tracks, toggle your Mac go between sleep / wake modes, control Front Row (OS X’s built-in media center software), Keynote slideshows, or non-Apple software such as Boxee.

By default any Apple Remote will work on any Apple product, but if you’d like some extra security you can pair specific Apple Remotes with your Apple TV or Mac.

Pairing or unpairing an Apple Remote with a Mac

To pair an Apple Remote with a Mac, point the Remote at the computer and hold down the Menu and Next / Fast-Forward buttons for a few seconds until a confirmation appears on-screen:

To unpair an Apple Remote from a Mac, open System Preferences, click on “Security“, then click the “Unpair” button.

To disable an Apple Remote without unpairing it, open System Preferences, click on “Security“, then check the “Disable remote control infrared receiver” checkbox.

Pairing or unpairing an Apple Remote with an Apple TV

To pair an Apple Remote with a Apple TV, point the Remote at the Apple TV and hold down the Menu and Next / Fast-Forward buttons for a few seconds until a confirmation appears on-screen.

To unpair an Apple Remote from an Apple TV, go to Settings, General, Remotes, then choose “Unpair Apple Remote“. If you lost your original remote, you can unpair it using a new Remote by holding down the Menu and Previous / Rewind buttons for 10 seconds.

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