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Apple MacBook & iMac

MacBook Keyboard Repair & Top Case Replacement

Butterfly keyboard faults, repeating and dead keys, sticky keys and top-case replacement for MacBook Air and Pro.

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The 2016–2019 butterfly keyboard is the single most problematic component Apple has shipped in recent memory, and machines from that era still make up a meaningful share of our MacBook workload. The mechanism has almost no travel and extremely tight tolerances, which means a single particle of dust under a key can make it stick, repeat or stop responding entirely.

The first thing worth checking is whether your machine is covered. Apple ran a Keyboard Service Programme for many affected models, and if yours qualifies and is within the eligibility window, that repair is free through Apple. We will tell you that before quoting anything, even though it means we do not get the job — you should not pay us for something you can get free.

The technical detail, if you want it

For machines outside that programme, the practical question is what level of repair the fault needs.

Sticking or unresponsive keys caused by debris can sometimes be resolved by cleaning. Apple's own recommendation is compressed air at an angle in a specific pattern, and it works often enough to be worth trying before anything else. Where debris is more deeply lodged, careful keycap removal and cleaning of the butterfly mechanism recovers a proportion of keys — though butterfly clips are fragile and break easily, so this is delicate work.

Repeating keys and completely dead keys usually mean the membrane or the mechanism has failed, and on butterfly models the keyboard is riveted into the top case. Apple's path is a full top case assembly, which includes the keyboard, trackpad and battery. That is expensive but it is genuinely the reliable route on these models, and we are honest about it rather than performing a repair we know will fail again.

Scissor-mechanism keyboards on the Magic Keyboard models from 2019 onwards are far more reliable and much more repairable, and faults on those are usually straightforward.

The other cause worth mentioning is liquid. MacBook keyboards channel spills directly toward the logic board, so a keyboard fault after a spill is frequently accompanied by board corrosion that has not shown symptoms yet. We inspect the board whenever a keyboard fault follows a liquid event.

How we carry out this repair

Every stage is documented and you see photographs of the actual fault before you approve any work.

  1. Step 01

    Apple programme eligibility check

    We check your serial against Apple's Keyboard Service Programme first. If you qualify for a free Apple repair we tell you, even though it means we do not do the job.

  2. Step 02

    Key-by-key diagnostic mapping

    Every key logged so we know exactly which are dead, repeating or intermittent, rather than relying on what you happened to notice.

  3. Step 03

    Liquid-event board inspection

    Where the fault followed a spill, the logic board is inspected under magnification, since MacBook designs channel liquid toward it and corrosion may not have shown symptoms yet.

  4. Step 04

    Cleaning attempt before replacement

    Compressed air in Apple's recommended pattern, then careful keycap removal and mechanism cleaning where appropriate. It resolves a genuine proportion of cases at low cost.

  5. Step 05

    Honest repair-level advice

    On butterfly models the keyboard is riveted into the top case. We say so plainly rather than performing a partial repair we know will fail again.

  6. Step 06

    Top case replacement where required

    Full assembly including keyboard, trackpad and battery, with the battery health and trackpad function tested as part of the job.

  7. Step 07

    Complete key and backlight testing

    Every key, every function combination and backlight uniformity tested before the machine is returned.

Options and prices

Where more than one approach solves your fault, we quote all of them and explain the trade-off. The cheapest option that genuinely works is always on the list.

Option Price
Keyboard cleaning and debris removal Worth trying first on butterfly models with sticking keys. ₹1,200 – ₹2,500
Individual keycap / butterfly clip repair Where only a keycap or clip has failed. ₹800 – ₹1,800
Scissor keyboard replacement (2019 onward) More repairable design than butterfly models. ₹3,500 – ₹7,500
Top case assembly — MacBook Air Includes keyboard, trackpad and battery. ₹8,500 – ₹13,500
Top case assembly — MacBook Pro Model and year specific. ₹11,000 – ₹16,500
Keyboard diagnosis Including Apple programme eligibility check. Free

Prices are indicative ranges. Your exact figure is confirmed in writing after the ₹350 bench diagnosis, and it does not change afterwards.

Advice from our bench

Some of this reduces the amount of work we get. We would still rather you knew it.

●

Check Apple's Keyboard Service Programme first — if your model and serial qualify, the repair is free at Apple and you should take it.

●

Never eat over a butterfly-keyboard MacBook. A single crumb is genuinely enough to disable a key.

●

Use a keyboard cover only when the machine is closed and stored. Leaving one on while the lid is shut can mark the screen.

●

Try Apple's compressed-air cleaning method before booking any repair — it resolves a fair proportion of sticking keys at no cost.

●

If keys started failing after a spill, get the logic board inspected too. MacBook designs channel liquid straight toward it.

Brands we handle for this repair

HP Dell Lenovo Apple MacBook Asus Acer MSI Samsung

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Customers who had this repair

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via Google
“My Omen was shutting down mid-game and two shops told me the graphics card had failed. These guys measured the temperatures first, showed me the graph, and it turned out the heatsink was completely blocked. Full clean and repaste, temperatures dropped by around 20 degrees, and it has been stable for four months. They saved me from buying a card I did not need.”

Rohit Pednekar

Global City, Virar West · HP Omen 15

Laptop Overheating & Fan Repair

via Google
“The service centre quoted me ₹16,500 for a new motherboard. I brought that quote here and they opened it under a microscope, photographed the burnt component and repaired it for ₹2,800. They also showed me why my charger was causing it. Three months on, no problems at all.”

Ayesha Shaikh

Achole Road, Nallasopara East · Dell Inspiron 15

Laptop Motherboard Repair

via Google
“Our parish office computer stopped working and we were told to buy a new one. They came out, found it was the power supply, replaced it for a small amount and also set up backups for our records which nobody had ever done. Very patient in explaining everything. We now have them on a yearly arrangement.”

Fr. Anthony D'Mello

Papdy, Vasai West · Church office desktop

Desktop Computer Repair

MacBook Keyboard & Top Case Repair — your questions answered

Is my MacBook keyboard covered by Apple's free repair programme?
Possibly. Apple ran a Keyboard Service Programme covering many 2015–2019 models within a defined eligibility window. We check your serial for you free of charge and tell you the answer honestly, even though a positive result means we do not get the job.
Why do butterfly keyboards fail so often?
The mechanism has extremely low travel and very tight tolerances, so a single particle of dust under a key can cause it to stick, repeat or stop working. It is a design characteristic rather than a manufacturing defect, which is why it recurs.
Can you replace just one key?
A keycap or a broken butterfly clip, yes. If the mechanism or membrane underneath has failed on a butterfly model, the keyboard is riveted into the top case and full assembly replacement is the only reliable route. We will not perform a partial repair we know will fail again.
Why is top case replacement so expensive?
Because Apple assembles the keyboard, trackpad and battery into a single unit, so all three are replaced together. The upside is that you also get a new battery and trackpad, which we test and report on as part of the job.
My keys stopped working after a spill. Is it just the keyboard?
Possibly not. MacBook designs channel liquid toward the logic board, so we inspect the board under magnification whenever a keyboard fault follows a spill. Board corrosion frequently has no symptoms until weeks later.
Are the newer scissor keyboards more reliable?
Considerably. The Magic Keyboard scissor mechanism used from 2019 onwards is both more durable and more repairable, and we see far fewer faults on those machines.

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Book a ₹350 bench diagnosis for your macbook keyboard & top case repair

We collect from your door free of charge, diagnose on our bench for ₹350 and send you an itemised written quote. Approve it and the ₹350 comes off your bill.

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  • ✓ ₹350 diagnosis, credited to the repair
  • ✓ Free pickup & drop
  • ✓ Written quote first
  • ✓ No repair charge if we cannot fix it
  • ✓ Up to 12-month warranty
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