Macbook Air Down Arrow Key

In this guide I explain how to repair damaged keys on a MacBook Pro keyboard (unibody style).

• Macbook Air Down Arrow Key
• Macbook Air Key Replacement
• Macbook Air Down Arrow Key Not Working On Keyboard

In this particular case I'm fixing a MacBook Pro 13-inch laptop keyboard with two damaged keys but same steps will apply to MacBook Pro 15-inch and MacBook Pro 17-inch models.

I'll take spare parts for repair from a damaged keyboard I have laying around. You can buy spare keys here: https://ebay.to/2vkvcTS

So I decided to use my old MacBook Air 2012 as a Windows laptop. I installed Windows 10 Anniversary using boot camp. Everything went well and I've installed a bunch of programs, Visual Studio, etc. It builds perfectly and everything works great. Except for one thing: the down arrow key does not work!

If you have a few keys missing or damaged, it might take sense to buy the entire new keyboard instead of individual keys and use it as a donor.

So I decided to use my old MacBook Air 2012 as a Windows laptop. I installed Windows 10 Anniversary using boot camp. Everything went well and I've installed a bunch of programs, Visual Studio, etc. It builds perfectly and everything works great. Except for one thing: the down arrow key does not work! Amazon.com: macbook air 13 keyboard replacement. Dolphin.dyl(TM) Replacement Individual Key Keyboard for US Retina Display Pro A1425 A1502 A1398 A1466 Replacement Key Keyboard (Old Version, up/Down Arrow) 3.8 out of 5 stars 59. Odyson - Keyboard Backlight (US English) Replacement for MacBook Air 13' A1466.

By the way, in one of the following posts I will show how to replace the entire keyboard on a MacBook Pro 13″, 15″, 17″ unibody.

As you see, I have two damaged keys on the MacBook Pro keyboard.

The left arrow key missing just the cap.

Macbook Air Down Arrow Key

The bottom arrow key missing the cap, key retainer (hinge) and silicone plunger.

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Let's fix them!

STEP 1.

Remove the key cap from the damaged (donor) keyboard.

In order to do that insert a sharp object between the key cap and key retainer and lift it up.

The key will unsnap from the retainer.

STEP 2.

The left arrow key cap removed.

STEP 3.

Turn the key cap over and inspect small plastic key holders on the bottom side of the key. Make sure they are not damaged.

These holders secure the key cap to the retainer (hinge).

When you install the key cap on the retainer, make sure to seat the side with holders on the edges of the key fist.

In my case the left side of the key cap should be seated properly. Link download software pc.

STEP 4.

Seat the side with holders on the edges of the key fist. Make sure the holders engage with the retainer.

STEP 5.

Push on the button until it snaps on the retainer.

STEP 6.

The left arrow key has been repaired.

Make sure it moves freely.

Now let's fix the bottom arrow key.

STEP 7.

Remove the bottom key from the donor keyboard.

Inspect the bottom side of the key, make sure that holders are not damaged.

STEP 8.

Carefully remove the key retainer from the donor keyboard.

STEP 9.

Inspect the retainer. Make sure it's not damaged.

STEP 10.

Here's the tricky part.

Very carefully separate the silicone plunger from the donor keyboard.

Try to remove it from the keyboard as clean as possible, so the bottom side of the plunger remains as flat as possible.

Macbook Air Key Replacement

You can use a very small knife to separate the plunger from the keyboard.

STEP 11.

On my target MacBook Pro one of the metal hooks was bent so I corrected the problem.

STEP 12.

Turn the silicon plunger upside down.

Apply a small amount of super glue on the plunger edges. You need the glue just on the edges.

The first time I wasn't careful enough and the glue filled up the plunger. I had to use another one.

STEP 13.

Seat the plunger in the right position on the target keyboard and let the glue dry. Adobe photoshop is a software.

At first, I tried applying some pressure on the plunger but it didn't work, because the plunger just kept moving around.

Finally, I just reapplied the glue and let the plunger to seat by itself for about 10 minutes without applying any pressure on it.

STEP 14.

Install the key retainer on the target keyboard.

STEP 15.

Install the bottom arrow key as we did in steps 3-5.

Make sure the key moves freely.

Macbook Air Down Arrow Key Not Working On Keyboard

The keyboard has been fixed!

If you have multiple damaged keys, it might sense to replace the entire top case assembly with the keyboard. Replacement top cases available here: https://ebay.to/37cRuEg

What is your current keyboard layout set to? You can see this by going to the Language & Text system preferences and checking the box to show input menu in the menu bar, which is located at the bottom of the 'Input Sources' tab. In this menu, you should see the current layout checked. If this is not 'US' or your desired layout, then ensure this layout is checked in the Input Sources tab, and then select it from the menu.

Additionally, in the Input Sources tab check the 'Keyboard & Character Viewer' option at the top of the input sources list, and then select the 'Keyboard Viewer' from the input menu. Does the onscreen keyboard resemble that of your MacBook Air's built-in keyboard, or does it look different?

May 29, 2013 10:41 PM

Hello there, fredrik-inaco.

Great job on troubleshooting your issue so far. The following Knowledge Base article provides some great, in-depth steps for troubleshooting keyboard performance on your Macbook:

Particularly useful will be the following section:

Some keys don't work as expected

1. From the Apple menu, choose System Preferences.
2. From the View menu, choose Speech.
3. Click the Text to Speech tab.
4. If 'Speak selected text when the key is pressed' is enabled, the key or key combination set to speak text cannot be used for other purposes or used to type text--click Set Key and change it to a less-commonly used key combination (try to use modifier keys such as Shift, Command, Option, and Control). Or, disable the 'Speak selected text when the key is pressed' option.
5. Click the Accessibilty or Universal Access pane in System Preferences, then click the Keyboard tab.
6. Make sure that Slow Keys is turned off. With Slow Keys on, you need to press a key for a longer period of time for it to be recognized.
7. In the Accessibilty or Universal Access pane, click the Mouse tab, and make sure Mouse Keys is turned off. With Mouse Keys enabled, you cannot use the Numeric Keypad to enter numbers--instead the keypad moves the pointer (cursor). (There is an option to enable Mouse Keys with five presses of the Option key; you may want to turn that option off to avoid accidentally enabling it.) If Mouse Keys is enabled and you are using a keyboard with no numeric keypad or Num Lock function, see Unable to type while Mouse Keys is enabled in Mac OS X.
8. If the function keys on the top row of the keyboard are not working as expected, see Mac OS X: How to change the behavior of function keys.
9. If the issue persists, use Keyboard Viewer to help isolate the issue:
   1. Click the Language & Text pane (Mac OS X v10.6) or International pane (Mac OS X v10.5.8 or earlier) in System Preferences.
   2. Click the Input Sources tab (or Input Menu tab in Mac OS X 10.5.8 or earlier).
   3. Click the Keyboard & Character Viewer 'On' checkbox to select it (click the Keyboard Viewer 'On' checkbox in Mac OS X 10.5.8 or earlier).
   4. From the Input (flag) menu, choose Show Keyboard Viewer.
      
   5. If the keyboard is connected and detected by OS X, the keys you type will highlight in the Keyboard Viewer window. Open TextEdit (or any text application), and try to type something using the keys that were previously not responding to see if they highlight in Keyboard Viewer.
10. Start from the Mac OS X Install Disc, choose Terminal from the Utilities menu and test the keys which were previously not working. If the keys work while started from the Install disc, then the keyboard itself is working correctly. Use How to troubleshoot a software issue to isolate the software issue that may be causing the keys to not respond.

Thanks for reaching out to Apple Support Communities.

Cheers,

Pedro.