MacBook troubleshooting guide · Singapore
MacBook keyboard not working? Sort the software from the hardware first
Dead keys, sticky keys, keys that repeat themselves, or a whole keyboard that has gone silent — it is one of the most common and most maddening MacBook faults. But it is far more often a frozen system, a stray setting or a bit of dust than a broken machine, and on the 2015–2019 models there is a specific, well-documented cause. This guide walks Singapore MacBook owners through the safe checks and the point at which it is worth a workshop.
Plug in an external USB or Bluetooth keyboard to confirm it is the built-in one, then restart the Mac, check the input source in the menu bar, and turn off Slow Keys and Mouse Keys in Accessibility. For a single sticky key on an older MacBook, blow compressed air across it at a 75-degree angle. If keys are still dead, repeating, or the whole keyboard is unresponsive after that, it is most likely the butterfly mechanism, a spill or a physical fault — and on most MacBooks the keyboard is riveted into the top case, so that means a proper replacement we can diagnose before you commit. If it stopped after a spill, power off now and read the spill note below.
On this page
Why a MacBook keyboard stops working
"Keyboard not working" covers a surprisingly wide range of symptoms, and the cause depends heavily on which one you have. A keyboard where nothing at all responds is a different problem from one or two dead keys, which is different again from keys that stick, keys that repeat a character when you press them once, or the wrong letters appearing when you type. The single most useful thing you can do before anything else is plug in an external USB or Bluetooth keyboard. If that one types normally, the Mac, its ports and macOS are all fine, and the fault is isolated to the built-in keyboard or a setting. If the external keyboard also misbehaves, the problem is software or the logic board, not the keys.
When the whole keyboard has gone quiet, the cause is very often software rather than hardware. The system may have simply frozen, so nothing you type registers until you force a restart. A macOS glitch, a stuck app that has grabbed keyboard focus, or an update that went in half-finished can all do the same. Two settings catch people out more than any other: the input source or layout may have quietly switched — if the menu bar shows a different language or a different keyboard layout, the keys will produce the wrong characters even though every key works. And in Accessibility, two features called Slow Keys and Mouse Keys can make a perfectly healthy keyboard feel broken: Slow Keys forces you to hold a key down before it registers, and Mouse Keys turns part of the keyboard into a pointer controller so those keys stop typing entirely. Both can be switched on by accident, and both are a two-second fix once you know to look.
Then there is the hardware side, and here Apple has one very specific piece of history worth knowing. Between roughly 2015 and 2019, Apple fitted a butterfly-mechanism keyboard to the 12-inch MacBook and to many MacBook Pro and MacBook Air models of that era. The butterfly design was thinner than the older scissor mechanism, but it was also notoriously fragile: because the key travel was so shallow, even a tiny amount of dust or grit getting under a keycap could stop that key registering, make it stick, or make it repeat the character several times from a single press. This became widespread enough that Apple launched a Keyboard Service Programme to replace affected keyboards free of charge — though that programme has now largely expired. From 2020 onward, Apple moved back to a redesigned Magic Keyboard with a scissor mechanism, which is far more reliable and does not suffer the same dust sensitivity. So if your MacBook is from the 2015–2019 window and a handful of keys have started sticking or repeating, the butterfly mechanism is very likely the culprit.
The other hardware causes are more general. Debris under a key — crumbs, pet hair, pocket lint — can jam any keyboard, not only butterfly ones. A liquid spill is one of the most common and most serious causes: even a small splash of coffee or a soft drink can seep under the keys and corrode the contacts and the logic board, and unlike a dry fault it gets worse with time. A loose or damaged keyboard flex cable — the ribbon that connects the keyboard to the board — can make the whole keyboard cut out. And on most modern MacBooks the keyboard is not a serviceable part on its own: it is riveted into the aluminium top case together with the battery and trackpad, which means a genuine keyboard fault is repaired by replacing the whole top-case assembly rather than swapping a single key. That is why it pays to confirm the cause before assuming the worst.
Match your symptom to the cause
Use this quick reference to see where your MacBook's keyboard symptom is likely to sit, and whether it is something you can safely check yourself or something for a workshop.
Quick diagnosis
MacBook keyboard symptom-to-cause reference
A guide, not a guarantee — the only way to be certain is to test the keyboard and read the top case on a bench, which is exactly what our free diagnosis does.
Not sure which one it is? Send us a photo.
Tell us the MacBook model and exactly which keys are affected and how — dead, sticky, repeating or all of them. A technician replies with a probable cause and an honest price band before you travel — diagnosis is free on walk-ins.
Safe fixes you can try yourself
Work through these in order. They are all safe, none involves opening the MacBook, and between them they clear a large share of keyboard problems that are not actually hardware failures. Stop at the first one that fixes it.
- Plug in an external keyboard first. Connect any USB or Bluetooth keyboard. If it types normally, you have confirmed the fault is in the built-in keyboard or a setting — and you can keep working while you sort it out. If the external keyboard is also wrong, the problem is software or the board, not the keys.
- Restart the Mac. A frozen system is the single most common reason a whole keyboard appears dead. Restart from the Apple menu with the trackpad, or if nothing responds, hold the power button until the Mac shuts down, then start it again. A clean reboot clears most one-off glitches.
- Check the input source and layout. Look at the menu bar for the input-source flag or name. If it has switched to another language or layout, your keys will produce the wrong characters even though every key works. Switch it back to the correct one — for most users in Singapore that is Australian, British or U.S. English.
- Turn off Slow Keys and Mouse Keys. Open System Settings, go to Accessibility, then Keyboard, and make sure Slow Keys is off — it forces you to hold each key before it registers. Then under Pointer Control or Mouse, make sure Mouse Keys is off — it turns part of the keyboard into a pointer controller, so those keys stop typing. Both are switched on by accident more often than you would think.
- Clean a sticky key the way Apple recommends. For a single sticky or unresponsive key — especially on a 2015–2019 butterfly keyboard — hold the MacBook at about a 75-degree angle, not quite vertical, and spray a straw-fitted can of compressed air across the key in a left-to-right pattern. Rotate the Mac to the right and repeat left-to-right, then to the left and repeat once more. This is Apple's own published method for dislodging debris. Never use liquid.
- Boot into Safe Mode. Starting the Mac in Safe Mode loads only the essentials and can tell you whether a piece of software is interfering with the keyboard. If the keyboard behaves in Safe Mode but not normally, a login item or driver is the cause rather than the hardware.
- Install any macOS updates. A pending or half-finished update can leave input behaving oddly. Once the keyboard is usable — via the external keyboard if needed — install any waiting updates and restart.
If the keyboard stopped after a spill, stop troubleshooting and power the MacBook off immediately, unplug the charger, and do not keep pressing keys — that spreads the liquid and speeds up corrosion. Do not use a hairdryer or put it in rice; heat and trapped moisture make things worse. Liquid keeps corroding the contacts and the logic board long after the surface feels dry, so this is genuinely time-sensitive: bring it in the same day for a liquid-damage assessment. Our MacBook water damage guide covers exactly what to do in the first hour.
When to get professional repair
If you have confirmed with an external keyboard that the built-in one is at fault, checked the input source, turned off Slow Keys and Mouse Keys, cleaned any sticky key with compressed air and the keys are still dead, repeating or unresponsive, the fault has moved beyond a safe home fix. At that point the cause is usually one of these, and each needs a workshop:
- A butterfly-keyboard fault. On a 2015–2019 MacBook where cleaning does not restore the keys, the butterfly mechanism itself has failed and no cleaning will bring it back. Because the keyboard is riveted into the top case, the reliable fix is a keyboard or top-case replacement. With the Apple Keyboard Service Programme now largely expired, this is an independent-repair job for most owners.
- A physical keyboard or flex fault. Dead keys that never worked after a knock, or a keyboard that cuts in and out, point to a failed keyboard or a loose flex cable. On most MacBooks this again means a top-case replacement rather than a single-key swap, which our MacBook keyboard and top-case replacement service handles for every model.
- Liquid damage. A spill that has reached the keyboard usually reaches the logic board too, and that needs cleaning and, often, board-level repair. Our MacBook motherboard repair bench treats corrosion and repairs the affected circuits at component level, rather than writing the board off.
If the spill or damage has put your files at risk — for example the Mac no longer boots — ask about data recovery when you bring it in, because on Apple silicon and T2 MacBooks the storage is soldered to the board and recovering it is a specialist job rather than a simple drive swap. And if you are not sure whether it is the keyboard or something else, our Apple repair service works on the same bench and can test the whole machine. Whatever the cause, our diagnosis comes first and is free on walk-ins: we tell you what is wrong and what it will cost before any work begins, and if we cannot fix it you do not pay a repair fee.
Related repair services
If it turns out to be hardware
MacBook keyboard replacement
Butterfly, dead, sticky and spill-damaged keyboards replaced at top-case level.
See the service →MacBook motherboard repair
Liquid corrosion and board-level faults fixed at component level.
See the service →MacBook trackpad not working
When it is the pointer, not the keys — the same top-case story.
Read the guide →Questions we get every week
MacBook keyboard not working — frequently asked questions
Why has my MacBook keyboard suddenly stopped working?
A keyboard that stops responding all at once is usually software before it is hardware. A frozen system, a stuck app, the wrong input source or an accidental Slow Keys or Mouse Keys accessibility setting can all make a healthy keyboard appear dead. Plug in an external USB or Bluetooth keyboard first: if that one works, the Mac and its ports are fine and the fault is in the built-in keyboard or in software. Restart the Mac, check the input source in the menu bar, and turn off Slow Keys and Mouse Keys before assuming the hardware has failed.
Is the butterfly keyboard on older MacBooks a known fault?
Yes. The butterfly-mechanism keyboard fitted to MacBooks from roughly 2015 to 2019 — the 12-inch MacBook and many MacBook Pro and Air models of that era — is well known for keys that stick, fail to register or repeat characters after only a tiny amount of dust gets under them. Apple ran a Keyboard Service Programme to replace affected keyboards, though that programme has now largely expired. If your MacBook is from that era and a few keys repeat or go dead, the butterfly mechanism is the most likely cause, and the reliable fix is a keyboard or top-case replacement.
One or two keys stick or repeat on my MacBook. Can I fix that at home?
Sometimes, if the cause is debris rather than a failed mechanism. Apple's own advice for a sticky butterfly key is to hold the MacBook at about a 75-degree angle, not quite vertical, and spray compressed air across the affected key in a left-to-right pattern, then rotate the Mac and repeat. Use a straw-fitted can of compressed air and do not tip liquid into it. If a good clean does not restore the key, the mechanism itself has likely failed and no amount of cleaning will fix it — that becomes a workshop repair.
My MacBook keyboard stopped after a drink was spilled on it. What should I do?
Power the MacBook off immediately, unplug the charger, do not press keys repeatedly, and do not try to dry it with heat. Liquid spreads under the keys and onto the logic board, where it keeps corroding long after the surface feels dry, so time matters far more than with a simple dead key. Bring it in the same day for a liquid-damage assessment rather than waiting to see if it dries out. Sugary or salty drinks are the most corrosive. See our MacBook water damage guide for what to do in the first hour.
Why can't Apple just replace the keys on my MacBook keyboard?
On most modern MacBooks the keyboard is not a separate part. It is riveted into the aluminium top case along with the battery and trackpad, so a single failed key or a failed keyboard means replacing the whole top-case assembly rather than swapping one key. That is why a keyboard fault is a bigger job than it sounds, and why it is worth having the fault confirmed before committing. We diagnose exactly which part has failed and quote the top-case or keyboard replacement before any work begins.
Is it worth repairing a MacBook keyboard in Singapore, or should I use an external one?
An external USB or Bluetooth keyboard is a perfectly good stop-gap and lets you keep working while you decide, especially on a desktop setup. But if you use the MacBook on the move, a built-in keyboard that does not work makes the machine awkward to carry, and a repair restores its resale value. We diagnose the fault first and free on walk-ins, tell you whether it is software, debris, a butterfly mechanism or a spill, and give you the repair figure and an honest read on the machine's value so you can decide with both numbers in front of you.
Bring your MacBook in for a free diagnosis
Walk-ins welcome from the CBD, Orchard, Novena, Toa Payoh, Bishan, Ang Mo Kio, Jurong East, Clementi, Tampines, Bedok, Woodlands, Yishun, Hougang and Punggol. We tell you what is wrong and what it costs before any work begins.