Keyboard Repair: From Sticky Key to Smooth Typing
Nothing disrupts your workflow more than a spacebar that refuses to cooperate or an "E" that appears twice with every keystroke. A defective keyboard turns your powerful laptop into a source of frustration. From cookie crumbs to spilled coffee: your keyboard endures a lot.
Which products does this apply to?
While you can buy a new external keyboard for €10, this article covers integrated keyboards.
Applicable: Laptops (MacBook, Windows, Chromebooks), detachable tablet keyboards (like Microsoft Surface Type Cover or iPad Magic Keyboard), and sometimes physical keyboards of BlackBerry phones (if anyone still has one!).
Not applicable: External USB or Bluetooth keyboards (often cheaper to replace than to repair), virtual touch screen keyboards.
What is the definition of a keyboard repair?
This depends heavily on the model of your laptop.
Single Key (Keycap) Replacement: If only the plastic "cap" or the scissor mechanism underneath is broken, you can sometimes replace just that one key.
Full Keyboard Replacement: This is the most common. The entire keyboard module is replaced.
Topcase Replacement: (Especially with modern MacBooks). The keyboard is riveted into the aluminum housing. To replace the keyboard, the entire upper housing (Topcase), often including the glued battery and trackpad, must be replaced. This is a pricey repair.
What could be the reasons a keyboard repair is needed?
Liquid Damage (Number 1): A cup of coffee, a glass of wine, or water over the keyboard. The liquid seeps into the conductive membranes and causes short circuits or sticky keys (literally, due to sugar).
Dirt and crumbs: Eating over your laptop is risky. Crumbs fall under the keys and block the mechanism.
Wear: Letters fade or the spring mechanism wears out after millions of keystrokes.
Design Issues (Butterfly Keyboard): MacBooks from 2015-2019 had the infamous "butterfly keyboard" that failed with the slightest speck of dust.
In which case can a keyboard repair help?
Dead keys: You press, but nothing appears on the screen.
Sticky keys: The key stays down and doesn't bounce back ("spongy").
Chattering: You press 'T' 1x and get 'TTT' on the screen.
Wrong characters: You press 'A' and get 'Z' or a strange symbol (sign of liquid damage or short circuit).
When is a keyboard repair unnecessary?
Language Settings: Is your keyboard suddenly typing QWERTY instead of AZERTY? Check your Windows/macOS settings (Language bar). This is not a hardware defect.
Loose Connector: Sometimes (rarely) the keyboard cable has come loose from the motherboard after a drop.
Do you need a keyboard repair yourself?
Is your schoolwork or report delayed because you can no longer type the letter 'S'? Don't struggle with an on-screen keyboard or a bulky USB keyboard.
Check and compare our independent repairers in our marketplace. They can often replace your keyboard, so you can type worry-free at full speed again.