How to Clean Your Mac's Keyboard

I'll confess: my MacBook's keyboard has seen better days. I've been meaning to clean it for a while, but I always put it off because of how hard Apple makes disabling the keyboard in general: Whenever I switch off my MacBook, pressing literally any key powers it on again—not just the power button. That makes cleaning it tricky, since since an accidental keypress could trigger unwanted actions on my Mac. Luckily, there is a way to disable a MacBook's keyboard to make it possible to clean the laptop properly: It's just not obvious.

Disabling your MacBook's keyboard for cleanup

Apple recommends turning off your MacBook before you try to clean it. To keep it switched off, you need to use a few software tricks. Your MacBook ships with a hidden key combination to disable the keyboard temporarily, which I discovered thanks to Zsolt Benke's blog, Decoded. Follow these steps to stop your MacBook from turning on when you press any key:

1. Press and hold the left Command, left Control, and right Shift keys for seven seconds. Don't release them after this time.

2. While pressing the other three keys, hold the power button on your MacBook for another seven seconds until the MacBook has switched off.

3. Now, try pressing any key other than the power button and you'll notice that the MacBook doesn't switch on. You can safely clean the keyboard now.

You should know that this method only works for one restart. If you turn off your MacBook normally again, any key will boot it up unless you use the method described above. In their blog, Benke notes that they were unable to make this method work on an M3 MacBook Air, so you may not be able to use this trick on all MacBooks. It works just fine on my M1 MacBook Air, however.

Credit: Pranay Parab

There's also an alternative way to disable your MacBook's keyboard. You can install the excellent (and free) KeyboardCleanTool utility. The app does require accessibility permissions to disable your keyboard, which can raise red flags from a security standpoint, but this app is safe to use: It has been around for over a decade, and is made by the developer of the popular BetterTouchTool app, which we've covered before.

\KeyboardCleanTool has a single button that lets you enable or disable your MacBook's keyboard. When the keys no longer respond, you can use your MacBook's trackpad or a mouse to press the tool's on/off button whenever necessary. 

How to clean your Mac's keyboard

Ideally, you'll want to shut down your MacBook before cleaning its keyboard—or, at least, disable the keyboard using the app mentioned above. Either way, ensure your MacBook isn't connected to power when you're cleaning the keyboard. If you're cleaning Apple's wireless keyboards, be sure to turn off the device before cleaning. (If it has removable batteries, take them out before cleaning, as well.) As for tools, you can use a lint-free cloth and compressed air to clean the keyboard. Apple recommends using a 70% isopropyl alcohol wipe, 75% ethyl alcohol wipe, or disinfectant wipe for cleaning.

While you can lightly moisten the cloth for cleaning the Mac's keyboard, you should use the least possible amount of water. If your cleaning tool is too wet, you could risk damaging the keyboard and paying a significant sum for repairs or replacements. Never use any coarse or metal tools for cleaning, as well, to avoid accidentally scraping the keyboard. When using disinfectant wipes, ensure that the wipe is lightly damp, even if the chemical is approved by Apple for cleaning. Lastly, be gentle. If you use abrasive materials or apply excessive force while cleaning the keyboard, you could end up erasing letters off keys, dislodging keycaps, in addition to other unintended consequences. It's easy to remove keycaps on your MacBook, but you're going to find it difficult to reattach them properly, so it's best to apply less force while cleaning the keyboard.

When cleaning the keyboard, start by using a cloth to clean both the keycaps and the spaces between keys. After the initial sweep, you can move to a can of compressed air to dislodge any debris that might be stuck. Lift your laptop and tilt it to a 75-degree angle, then use the compressed air directly on the affected area in a left-to-right motion, as Apple itself recommends. Once done, you can use the cloth for another sweep, followed by a gentle wipe using the disinfectant wipes.

Once you're done, wait for the disinfectant to evaporate. Ensure that the keyboard is totally dry before you use it again.

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