Table of Contents
Logitech devices need a dongle to connect to a laptop
This applies to Logitech keyboards, mice and headsets that are not Bluetooth compatible.
If the dongle is lost, in most situations, a new dongle is required to connect. We cover the general cases first and the exceptions at the end of this post.
🛒 Found Your Receiver? Here’s What to Buy
If you’ve identified which receiver your Logitech device uses, these are the correct replacement options.
🟧 Logitech Unifying Receiver
For mice and keyboards displaying the orange Unifying logo. One receiver can pair with up to six compatible Logitech devices.
🟩 Logitech Logi Bolt Receiver
For newer Logitech MX, Signature and Business devices using the green Logi Bolt logo.
⌨️ Logitech MK270 Wireless Combo
If your device uses an older Nano receiver, replacing the keyboard and mouse combo is often the easiest and most affordable solution.
Tip: Look for the orange Unifying or green Logi Bolt logo on the underside of your mouse or keyboard. If neither logo is present, your device likely uses an older Nano receiver that cannot be paired with a replacement receiver.
Can I use a Bluetooth dongle to connect?
Most Logitech keyboard and mouse are not based on Bluetooth. Rather they are based on proprietary Logitech protocols and technology.
Can I use any Logitech dongle if I lose the original receiver?
No, you cannot use any Logitech dongle. Let’s take a closer look at why.
Many different USB dongles
Over the years, Logitech has developed four different USB receiver dongles
- Nano
- Unifying
- Lightspeed
- Bolt
These receivers provide a convenient way for a wireless connection between mouse or keyboard and laptop/PC.
The dongles cannot be mixed and matched. A keyboard or mouse designed for the Unifying receiver system cannot be used with the Bolt system for instance.
Which dongle to use?
Flip your keyboard or mouse upside down.
If you see an orange logo like the one under a K400r keyboard, then it’s a Unifying receiver product.
In this case you will need a Unifying Receiver.
🏆 Logitech Unifying Receiver
If your mouse or keyboard has the orange Unifying logo, this genuine Logitech receiver is the easiest and least expensive replacement. One receiver can pair with up to six compatible Logitech devices using Logitech’s free pairing software.
- ✔ Genuine Logitech accessory
- ✔ Connects up to six devices
- ✔ Tiny USB footprint
- ✔ Easy pairing with Logitech software
If your keyboard or mouse has a green or grayscale version of the logo that looks like the picture below,
then you will need a Bolt USB receiver.
💼 Logitech Logi Bolt Receiver
Many newer Logitech MX and Signature products use Logi Bolt instead of Unifying. If your device has the green Bolt logo, this is the correct replacement receiver.
- ✔ Compatible with Logi Bolt devices
- ✔ Secure enterprise-grade wireless
- ✔ Supports multiple Bolt peripherals
- ✔ Genuine Logitech replacement
💰 Logitech MK270 Wireless Combo
Older Logitech Nano receivers generally can’t be re-paired with a new receiver. In many cases, replacing the entire keyboard and mouse combo costs only slightly more than buying a replacement receiver, making it the better value.
- ✔ Includes new receiver
- ✔ Reliable wireless connection
- ✔ Excellent value
- ✔ Great replacement for older Logitech combos
Finally Lightspeed products have a “G” before the part number such as G Pro for instance and/or a Blue logo as shown below. These products need a Lightspeed receiver.
Lightspeed receivers can be purchased here.
If your device has no logo, it needs an older Nano (or non-unifying) receiver. Here for instance is what the underside of a M185 mouse looks like.
These receivers were designed for specific Logitech part numbers and you can find a replacement here.
As you can see, all of Logitech’s USB receivers are USB-A. Here’s why you will never see a Logitech USB-C Receiver
Notable Exceptions
The Logi Bolt series of products support both
- the proprietary Bolt standard and
- Bluetooth
If you lose a Bolt receiver, you can still work with the mouse or keyboard as long as your laptop has Bluetooth capability. The reason you can do this is because Bolt is based on Bluetooth. As we have explained in this post there are differences between Bolt and Bluetooth. The main differences are in the areas of Security and Speed/Latency.
For this reason you might want to consider buying a replacement receiver.
Alternatively, if you have a Bluetooth dongle you might be able to use that as well. These products show both Bolt and Bluetooth logos.
Summary
In this post we have written about the different Logitech products and their associated USB receivers. If you lose the USB dongle that shipped with your mouse or keyboard, you have to be careful in picking the correct replacement dongle. As we have explained, keyboards from one family of products (Unifying for instance) are not compatible with others (like Lightspeed or Nano).
