How to fix a MacBook butterfly keyboard glitch

When I press the MacBook keyboard, nothing happens.

If you press another key, the character will be entered twice. When I press another key, it feels like it sticks and doesn't come back.

You are not the only one who has such an experience. These are common problems with certain Apple keyboards.

If you have a friend who bought a MacBook Air or MacBook Pro in the last year or two, they may sympathize with your worries.

It's not much talked about these days, but Apple has mostly solved this problem and is moving on. Yet many are still annoyed.

What's wrong with Apple's butterfly keyboard?

No keyboard is perfect, but Apple's butterfly keyboard isn't particularly perfect.

In 2015, Apple installed a keyboard on its MacBook that claimed to be thin and easy to carry.

Part of that thinness is the new keyboard designed with a structure called "butterfly" with shallow keystrokes.

In other words, the depth of typing was shallower, but the feel of typing wasn't for everyone.

(Personally, I always enjoyed typing, but it's a point of controversy.)

Still, everything gets used to it. If the only problem is shallow keystrokes, I think the story ends here.

However, the new butterfly design had a fundamental flaw: dust and dirt underneath the switch, which not only frustrated the sticky feel, but also caused typing errors.

Some keys do not respond when pressed, and some keys are entered twice. You can imagine how frustrating it is.

Apple has been trying to address the issue with modern butterfly keyboards by adding something like a silicone sheet inside to keep out dust.

The result was better, but as iFixit's tests showed, it couldn't be completely eliminated. This keyboard has an unintentional but problematic design.

To find out if your Mac is a butterfly keyboard

If you're familiar with the Mac, the butterfly keyboard is easy to spot, but it's still often overlooked.

Unlike the Magic Keyboard, there are different types of butterfly keyboards. You don't have to know which version your Mac is.

The easiest thing to do is to check your MacBook model.

To check, click the Apple icon at the top left of the screen and select "About this Mac." If your MacBook model name is in the list below, it's a butterfly keyboard.

How can I repair the keyboard?

Before we go any further, remember when you bought the MacBook from Apple.

Congratulations if not more than 4 years ago. You can repair the keyboard for free.

About the repair program

Apple has implemented a repair program, thanks to a number of complaints from victims of butterfly keyboards (and a lawsuit that Apple sold knowing that it was a defective keyboard).

Apple will cover the cost of repairing a MacBook, MacBook Air, or MacBook Pro with a butterfly keyboard that's been purchased for less than four years.

This is definitely good news, and if it's a free repair, you should definitely repair it, but it's not perfect.

Even if you send it for repair, it will eventually be replaced with a keyboard with the same defect, so there is no guarantee that the problem will not occur after that.

By the way, it's really the same keyboard. If your MacBook isn't a keyboard with a slightly better silicone sheet, it won't be repaired.

Also, the repair program is longer than the three-year Apple Care +, but after four years or more, you'll be responsible for all keyboard repair costs.

If not covered by the repair program

For those who bought the Butterfly Keyboard over 4 years ago, here are a number of DIY methods.

You can send the keyboard for repair and replace it yourself, but it costs a lot.

For example, the Rossman Repair Group has a keyboard repair quote of $ 350 and warns you not to say "fix this defective item."

Instead, consider some of the repair methods for this keyboard that have been tried by the Apple community.

The most popular method is to use an air duster can. Pick up an air duster can and hold it at a 75 degree angle to your MacBook (by the way, this is Apple's very specific advice).

Then blow air from left to right over the entire keyboard, or where there is a problem key.

Then rotate the MacBook to the right and spray in the same way, then rotate it to the left again and spray.

You can open the keyboard yourself, but the unique latch design of the keyboard must be carefully and accurately removed, which can damage the keyboard and the parts underneath it, which is extremely dangerous. It's expensive work.

For example, if you try to remove the spacebar in the same way you remove the "G" key, it may break.

How to prevent characters from being typed twice

Those who are not hardware savvy may want to solve it with software instead.

Lifehacker writer Pranai Parab has set up text replacement to replace double spaces with single spaces, eliminating the dreaded problem of the spacebar being pressed twice.

Some can be downloaded.

For example, "Unshaky" analyzes your typing and often prevents it if your Mac responds too fast to key touches. It should have no effect if you intentionally want to press the key twice.

Of course, you should also be careful not to get dust on your MacBook keyboard.

Clean the area around your workplace as dust-free as possible, don't eat in front of your keyboard, and above all, throw away the idea of ​​buying a computer that won't break down your keyboard.

Source: IFIXIT, ROSSMANN, Apple, Unshaky