13 Suggestions to Troubleshoot a MacBook’s Keyboard
When it comes to Mac laptops, the keyboard is a fundamental part of the user experience.
Unfortunately, if your MacBook’s keyboard isn’t working correctly, it will affect your ability to do basic tasks like typing and using shortcuts.
That’s why it’s important to troubleshoot any issues with your computer’s keyboard as soon as possible.
Luckily, there are some straightforward steps one can take, and we will cover those steps in this article.
1. Check for physical problems
Before assuming that the problem is software related, check for physical issues such as dirt or debris trapped underneath the keys or worn-out keycaps that you have to replace.
You may also need to clean out the dust in your laptop’s vents and use compressed air to blow dust away from the keys.
2. Restart the Laptop
Sometimes restarting the laptop can help reset any temporary glitches that may be causing your keyboard problems.
Perhaps you enabled the sticky keys Mac feature or tinkered with the shortcuts? A quick reset should help.
3. Adjust the Key Repeat Rate
If you find that your keys are responding too slowly or rapidly, then try adjusting the key repeat rate in Keyboard preferences.
This can usually be done by accessing System Preferences > Keyboard > Speed tab on a Mac OS X computer.
4. Reset SMC & PRAM/NVRAM
Resetting both SMC and PRAM/NVRAM can sometimes help fix keyboard issues on Mac laptops since they serve as primary points of control for hardware operations like brightness, sound levels, and other settings connected to input devices, such as keyboards and trackpads.
To reset these settings on most Macs, turn off the device first and then press the ‘Shift+Control+Option+Power’ buttons simultaneously for a few seconds until you hear a startup chime 3-4 times.
Afterward, turn on your laptop normally with the power button alone and see if any difference has been made in terms of keyboard performance.
5. Reinstall macOS:
Reinstalling macOS completely could help fix software-related issues with keyboards since it will reinstall all software-related elements of the operating system, including drivers which could have become corrupted due to malware infections or incorrect updates.
– Start up from macOS Recovery (Command + R during startup).
– Select the ‘Reinstall macOS’ option from the utility menu after choosing a language for the installation process.
– Follow the instructions given by the installation window, which would ask you to select the target drive where you’d like to install the new version of macOS.
6. Update Software Regularly
Out-of-date software can cause conflicts among system components, leading to various types of hardware malfunctions, so make sure your OS is always running the latest version available through the App Store.
7. Change Keyboard Language Settings
In some cases, changing language settings in Keyboard preferences may also help improve keyboard performance if they were set incorrectly previously by mistake.
8. Replace Faulty Keys
If certain keys don’t seem to be working properly, then try replacing them yourself or by taking help from Apple Experts.
9. Disable Accessibility Shortcuts
In case specific input combinations trigger an accessibility shortcut, then this could lead to strange responses while typing, so check whether all such shortcuts are disabled.
10. Unplug USB Devices
Make sure no external USB devices are plugged into the computer while troubleshooting, as these could interfere with onboard keyboard operations.
11. Remove Third-Party Input Devices
If you have a third-party peripheral connected, such as a wireless mouse, then remove it temporarily and see if this helps.
12. Turn Off the Mouse Keys
Turning off Mouse Keys is one way to ensure that pressing certain keys won’t trigger an action dedicated only to the mouse instead of usual typing inputs.
To disable Mouse Keys, go into System Preferences > Accessibility > Mouse & Trackpad tab.
13. Perform A Clean Boot Up
Lastly, performing a clean boot might also help identify further possible causes behind the faulty keyboard issue since it would launch only the necessary services at the start instead of all applications at once.
To perform a clean boot, simply hold down Shift while starting up the computer until the login window appears.
Closing Thoughts
Don’t worry too much if you are having trouble getting your MacBook’s keyboard to respond; following these 13 tips should get things running smoothly again in no time.