Difficulty

Difficult

Steps

6

Time Required

                          15 minutes

Sections

1

  • Spacebar Key
  • 6 steps

Flags

2

In Progress

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Introduction

It is much harder to reattach than other previous mac keyboards. Including the AA-powered previous gen wireless keyboard.

What you need

Step 1

              Remove Spacebar
  • This is a challenging procedure. The space bar is very hard to reattach. It is far more difficult than previous mac keyboards. There is the risk of permanent damage if replacement is attempted.
  • To remove the spacebar, slide a long fingernail under the front of the key and gently pry it up

This is a challenging procedure. The space bar is very hard to reattach. It is far more difficult than previous mac keyboards. There is the risk of permanent damage if replacement is attempted.

To remove the spacebar, slide a long fingernail under the front of the key and gently pry it up

1024

Step 2

              Identify orientation
  • Identify top and bottom of the Spacebar.
  • The bottom side, (the side that will be closer to the lower edge of the keyboard), has two plastic notches on either side. These notches will grab on the lower portion of the two scissor mechanisms’ small holes, as indicated.

Identify top and bottom of the Spacebar.

The bottom side, (the side that will be closer to the lower edge of the keyboard), has two plastic notches on either side. These notches will grab on the lower portion of the two scissor mechanisms’ small holes, as indicated.

Step 3

              Inspect for Damage
  • Locate the small metal hooks that hold the bracket arms and hook inward to grip the bracket arms.
  • If the metal bracket holders are bent your key may be harder or impossible to replace.
  • These should come up straight out of the keyboard and not look bent. If you’ve tried repeatedly to replace the key, you may want some pliers or to gently use a fingernail to straighten these out.

Locate the small metal hooks that hold the bracket arms and hook inward to grip the bracket arms.

If the metal bracket holders are bent your key may be harder or impossible to replace.

These should come up straight out of the keyboard and not look bent. If you’ve tried repeatedly to replace the key, you may want some pliers or to gently use a fingernail to straighten these out.

Step 4

              Remove Lower Stabilizer Bracket
  • Remove the lower metal bracket by prying it off carefully with your fingernail.
  • Don’t worry too much about breaking anything. They snap out and back in fairly safely.

Remove the lower metal bracket by prying it off carefully with your fingernail.

Don’t worry too much about breaking anything. They snap out and back in fairly safely.

Step 5

  • Position the bottom of the key in the opening with the top tilted up and away from the keyboard.
  • You may want to take the top bracket off the key and put it into its spot in the hole first. I’ve done this with it on and off.
  • Apply pressure starting from the bottom and slide your fingers up toward the top of the key.
  • You should hear and feel the two lower connections to the scissors. The top bracket should naturally be in the correct space.
  • You should be able to tap the key and feel normal action from the top part of it. No matter where you tap it on the top half.
  • Do not apply excess pressure. Previous Mac Keyboards you just pushed down hard and it worked. Apply only enough to seat the key.

Position the bottom of the key in the opening with the top tilted up and away from the keyboard.

You may want to take the top bracket off the key and put it into its spot in the hole first. I’ve done this with it on and off.

Apply pressure starting from the bottom and slide your fingers up toward the top of the key.

You should hear and feel the two lower connections to the scissors. The top bracket should naturally be in the correct space.

You should be able to tap the key and feel normal action from the top part of it. No matter where you tap it on the top half.

Do not apply excess pressure. Previous Mac Keyboards you just pushed down hard and it worked. Apply only enough to seat the key.

Step 6

              Add Lower Bracket
  • Carefully pry up the bottom part of the Space key at one corner, without pulling it away from the the scissor connection points.
  • Carefully slide the bracket into the space below the spacebar. Nudge the bracket in until it is in its home.
  • Gently tap the key around the bottom side of the keyboard. Do not apply excessive force as shown on previous mac keyboard spacebar repair videos.
  • You’ll know you’ve been successful when you can press down on any of the four corners of the Space key and it will type a space.

Carefully pry up the bottom part of the Space key at one corner, without pulling it away from the the scissor connection points.

Carefully slide the bracket into the space below the spacebar. Nudge the bracket in until it is in its home.

Gently tap the key around the bottom side of the keyboard. Do not apply excessive force as shown on previous mac keyboard spacebar repair videos.

You’ll know you’ve been successful when you can press down on any of the four corners of the Space key and it will type a space.

To reassemble your device, follow these instructions in reverse order.

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                    rb

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Xavier Decuyper - Jun 9, 2017

Reply

Great tutorial, thanks a lot!

However I found it easier to attach the metal bracket to the holding clips and just popping the key back on top of it.

Gerard L - Nov 22, 2017

Reply

Same as Xavier. First both metal brackets in the keyboard in place and then gently pushing the spacebar down on them. The key got stuck in its lower position at first, but after pulling it up, it works like a charm.

ElectricFeet - Jan 13, 2018

Reply

Thanks! I spilled beer on my Enter and Caps Lock keys—two of the most complex :(

Your advice helped me for Caps Lock.

The Enter key is different.

For an Enter key, you need to remove the butterfly hinges and attach them to the key cap first. Then add the metal bar, then slide the butterfly hinges back into place. The other edge of the hinge and the metal bar then click back into place when you press down.

This is because under the Enter key there are two hinges that are not aligned, so you can’t slide the key in — whichever way I tried, I only ever caught one hinge and not the other.

By removing them from the keyboard you can check they are properly in their slots on the key cap. You need to look carefully at how they attach to the keyboard, so you can slide them back in later.

I really don’t recommend this repair for the Enter key unless you are really, really precise and have a real eye for detail and a magnifier. Trickiest is getting a <1mm piece of nylon into a <1mm piece of plastic.

Amazing design.

Joshua M - Dec 27, 2019

Reply

This is awesome and helped a lot — once I realized that Apple reversed the scissors on my space grey magic keyboard, so up is down and down is up. So if you are following this guide, fine the little square notches on the scissor and that side is “bottom”. In my case that was actually towards the top of the keyboard.

Bee - May 4, 2020

Reply