Keys · butterfly keyboards · trackpads
MacBook keyboard & trackpad repair
Keys that stick, double-type or do nothing, and trackpads that stop clicking. What is wrong depends a lot on which MacBook you have — so start by checking whether yours has a butterfly keyboard.
2015 – 2020
The butterfly-keyboard years
Between 2015 and 2019 Apple used a very thin “butterfly” key mechanism on most of its laptops. It saved space but was sensitive to dust and crumbs: a single particle could make a key stick, repeat or stop working. Apple redesigned it several times, then replaced it with the scissor-switch Magic Keyboard, starting with the 16-inch MacBook Pro in late 2019.
Apple ran a free Keyboard Service Program for these machines, covering each one for four years after its first retail sale. That window has now closed for every model, so a failing butterfly keyboard is an out-of-pocket repair.
If your model number is in this list, you have a butterfly keyboard. Not sure? Look up your model number.
| Model number | MacBook |
|---|---|
| A1932 | MacBook Air (Retina, 13-inch, 2018 and 2019) |
| A2159 | MacBook Pro (13-inch, 2019, Two Thunderbolt 3 ports) |
| A1989 | MacBook Pro (13-inch, 2018 or 2019, Four Thunderbolt 3 ports) |
| A1990 | MacBook Pro (15-inch, 2018 or 2019) |
| A1706 | MacBook Pro (13-inch, 2016 or 2017, Four Thunderbolt 3 ports) |
| A1708 | MacBook Pro (13-inch, 2016 or 2017, Two Thunderbolt 3 ports) |
| A1707 | MacBook Pro (15-inch, 2016 or 2017) |
| A1534 | MacBook (Retina, 12-inch, 2015 to 2017) |
Try these first
Three checks before you bring it in
1 · Rule out software
Connect any external keyboard. If it types normally, the built-in keyboard is at fault. Then look in System Settings → Accessibility → Keyboard for Slow Keys or Sticky Keys switched on by accident.
2 · Compressed air, the right way
Apple’s own advice for these keyboards: hold the Mac at about a 75° angle, almost upright, and spray compressed air across the keys in a left-to-right sweep, then repeat with the Mac turned on its right side and its left side. Use the straw, and keep the can upright.
3 · Think back to a spill
Keys that turned sticky or stopped working days after a drink went over are a liquid-damage problem first. Read what liquid does inside a MacBook.
Why it can be a bigger job
The keyboard is part of the case
On older MacBooks the keyboard was a separate part held in with screws. On most MacBooks of the last decade it is riveted into the top case — the aluminium shell that also holds the palm rest and, on many models, the battery. Replacing a failed keyboard can therefore mean working through, or replacing, that top-case assembly.
That is the reason keyboard quotes vary so much from model to model, and why we look at the machine before giving a price.
Trackpad not clicking?
A trackpad that suddenly feels stiff, or will not click at all, is often not a trackpad fault. On a Mac that has not been dropped or spilled on, the usual cause is a swelling battery pressing on it from underneath. That needs dealing with promptly.
Keyboard & trackpad
Questions
Can you fix a single key?
Sometimes. If only a key cap or its small mechanism is damaged, replacing that piece can be enough. If the switch underneath has failed, or several keys are affected, the keyboard itself needs replacing. We look before we quote.
Does Apple still fix butterfly keyboards for free?
No longer. Apple’s Keyboard Service Program covered eligible MacBook, MacBook Air and MacBook Pro models for four years after the first retail sale of each machine. The last butterfly-keyboard MacBooks were sold in 2019 and 2020, so the programme no longer covers any of them.
Why is my trackpad suddenly hard to click?
On a MacBook that has not been dropped or spilled on, the most common cause is a swelling battery pushing up from underneath the trackpad. Stop using it and read our battery page before anything else.
Is it the keyboard or a software setting?
Plug in any USB or Bluetooth keyboard. If that types normally, the built-in keyboard is at fault. Also check System Settings → Accessibility → Keyboard, where Slow Keys and similar options can make a healthy keyboard behave strangely.
12-07 Jackson Ave · Long Island City
Keys acting up? Bring it in
Walk in any day between 10 AM and 9 PM — no appointment needed. Call first with your model number and we can tell you whether the part is on the shelf.