MacBook butterfly keyboard problems: sticking keys and your repair options

Keys that stick, double-type or stop working altogether are one of the most common faults we see on MacBooks made between 2015 and 2019. The cause is usually the “butterfly” keyboard Apple used in those years. If your MacBook is typing “thhe” instead of “the”, or a key has gone dead, here is what is going on, which models are affected, and what your repair options are now.

What makes the butterfly keyboard different

To make its laptops thinner, Apple replaced the traditional scissor mechanism under each key with a much flatter “butterfly” hinge. It gave a crisp, very shallow key feel, but left almost no room for debris. A single crumb or speck of dust under a key can stop it travelling properly, so it sticks, fails to register, or registers twice.

Apple revised the design several times, adding a thin membrane in later versions to keep dirt out, before moving back to a scissor-style “Magic Keyboard” from late 2019 onwards.

Which MacBooks have a butterfly keyboard?

• MacBook 12-inch (2015, 2016 and 2017)
• MacBook Air (2018 and 2019 Retina models)
• MacBook Pro 13-inch (2016 to 2019, with and without Touch Bar)
• MacBook Pro 15-inch (2016 to 2019)

The 16-inch MacBook Pro from late 2019, the 13-inch MacBook Pro from 2020 and the 2020 MacBook Air all went back to the Magic Keyboard, as did every Apple silicon MacBook since. If you’re not sure which model you have, choose About This Mac from the Apple menu, or look up the model number printed on the underside of the case. Our Mac repair by model pages list the common faults for each one.

Typical symptoms

• A key feels gritty or sticks down, then pops up slowly.
• Letters appear twice (“hhello”) or not at all.
• The space bar only works if you press one end of it.
• Several keys in one area stop working at once.
• A keycap has come off and won’t clip back on.

Repeated letters can sometimes be a software setting, so it’s worth ruling that out first, but a key that physically feels wrong is almost always the mechanism.

What you can safely try yourself

Apple’s own advice for these keyboards is to use compressed air: hold the MacBook at about a 75-degree angle, so it’s tilted rather than upright, and spray in short bursts from left to right across the keyboard, then rotate it and repeat from the other sides. This dislodges loose debris and sometimes brings a key back to life.

What we’d advise against:

• Prising keycaps off. Butterfly keycaps and their tiny plastic clips break very easily, and a broken clip turns a cleaning job into a parts job.
• Liquids or sprays of any kind on the keyboard.
• Carrying on with a sticky key that is getting worse. Repeated pressing can damage the switch underneath.

Apple’s keyboard programme has ended

Apple ran a Keyboard Service Program for these models, which covered free repairs for four years after each Mac was first sold. Even the last 2019 models are now well outside that window, so a butterfly keyboard repair today is a paid repair, whether through Apple or an independent shop.

How a butterfly keyboard is repaired

On these MacBooks the keyboard is riveted into the top case, the aluminium shell that also holds the battery and trackpad on most models. Apple’s standard repair is to replace that whole assembly, which is why quotes can be higher than people expect for a keyboard.

An independent repair can be more targeted. Depending on what has failed, the options are:

• Cleaning under the affected keys, if debris is the only problem.
• Replacing individual keycaps or switch mechanisms, if only one or two keys are damaged.
• Replacing the keyboard or top case, if many keys are failing or the keyboard has had liquid on it.

A spill is a different situation: liquid that reaches the keyboard often gets onto the logic board too, so the Mac should be switched off and checked rather than left to dry.

Is it worth repairing?

Often, yes. A 2017 to 2019 MacBook Pro or 2018 to 2019 MacBook Air can still be a useful machine, and a keyboard fault doesn’t affect anything else. It is worth weighing up the whole picture, though: if the battery is also worn out, the screen coating is damaged, or the model no longer gets the macOS version you need, the total cost may point towards a replacement. We’ll tell you honestly before any work starts.

Book a MacBook keyboard repair in Beckenham

We repair butterfly keyboards on all affected models at our workshop at 21 Village Way, Beckenham BR3 3NA. Repairs are by appointment, Monday to Saturday, 9am–6pm: please call 020 8658 4366 before you come, or use our mail-in service if you can’t get to Beckenham. See our MacBook Pro repair and MacBook Air repair pages, or contact us for a price.