How to replace a Macbook Pro key

24 October 2008

My work provided machine is a Macbook Pro (which I use Ubuntu on). While cleaning the keys, before I noticed, I managed to push off a couple of keycaps and could not immediately get them back on properly.

The following image shows the three parts, you have a keycap and two hinges.

http://commandline.org.uk/images/posts/hardware/macbook-keys.png

Image Credit

After a little trial and error, I got the following method:

  1. Gently take all three parts away from the keyboard.
  2. Put the two hinges together so that the two little wings in the middle of one part, go in the two holes in the middle of the other part. The hinge should now be one part.
  3. Put the combined hinge under the hook at the bottom of the space in your keyboard. Push down the hinge so it is flush against the keyboard.
  4. Push the keycap back on.

Good luck!

1 Ryan says...

It's kind of a similar mechanism to one of my Dell laptops, but watch out-- you could break those little hinges. I did that with my Dell and the J key kept flying off when I typed. Uffda!

Posted at 7:41 p.m. on October 29, 2008


2 Sue says...

Wonderful. I got the key I needed from Powerbook Medics but they had a video for the instructions. This served me much more quickly than downloading a video. Thanks.

Posted at 6:47 p.m. on December 22, 2008


3 Gordon says...

Hi. Good news.

Posted at 11:49 a.m. on December 24, 2008


4 Mattnh says...

Thanks for the tip. This worked out just fine.

Posted at 11:51 p.m. on February 2, 2009


5 Rob says...

Thank you so much, you saved me.

Posted at 6:48 a.m. on February 11, 2009


6 Casey says...

This helped me SO MUCH! Thank you! My L key was sticky and I had to press really hard to get it to type. All I needed to do was clean underneath the key!

Posted at 5:20 p.m. on April 8, 2009


7 martin hlavacek says...

thanks, helped me much

Posted at 5:58 p.m. on April 21, 2009


8 James says...

Thanks, thought that I'd broken that little hinge thing, so fiddly. Easily the worst apple keyboard design ever, such a step back from the Powerbook Titanium one.

Posted at 9:50 a.m. on June 1, 2009


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