2019 "butterfly" keyboard - can't remove space bar

[SymonAncymon]

Hi everyone,
I've got a Macbook Pro from 2019 with the "beloved" butterfly keyboard and tried to remove the space bar key to clean it.
I watched few YT videos and yet failed to remove it as it's somehow blocked/held by some sort of membrane underneath?
It looks like two sections (marked by red x) got that membrane trapped, they're held by it and not sure how to fix it.
I can't put it back into place either as I think that membrane is obstructing the "clips".
Any ideas how to sort it out? Lifting the key more by force is not doing much - the membrane stretches but I don't want to tear it apart.

 

[ignatius345]

Did the videos you found not mention the membrane? IIRC they added a membrane at some point to try to head off all the failures these butterfly keyboards were having. (I don't think it worked). Anyway, maybe there are separate tutorials out there that factor in the membrane?

 

[smirking]

Why are you doing this?

I don't think this will help keep the keyboard working fine. If anything, it might mess it up. Those butterfly keyboads tended to keep working fine if they were fine after a year. The problematic ones started early.

I owned a few of them and still have one that's working flawlessly and my belief is that the jamming was caused by the plastic butterfly scaffolds warping every so slightly when exposed to the heat of the laptop. The whole dog and pony show about cleaning debris out with compressed air was just smokescreen to make it seem like it was your fault.

There is no switch to jam. It's the same rubber dome switch that's in just about every laptop keyboard.

 

[SymonAncymon]

Well, I certainly regret it now but it already happened so it's too late - in current state it's unusable.
Searched a bit more and the only video I found with a membrane is one below, but it's not showing the spacebar.

Anyway, I realised the key didn't separate from the main mechanism, hence it was pulling the membrane. So I managed to actually separate the key and found 5 little pieces that were already broken - that's why the key became more and more "sunk" over time. Basically, the main mechanism is no longer kept in place by the 3x white/translucent elements in the middle so the mechanism doesn't work properly at the entire length of the key. Need to replace it.

 

[SymonAncymon]

Quick update: seems that these translucent elements which holds the mechanism are also glued onto the main metal element, not only tight-fit with the pins. Anyone knows if I will be able to fit them back without using any adhesive?

All mounting "legs" are broken off so defo needs a replacement.

 

[Fishrrman]

You can't just "replace the keyboard" on those "butterfly" keyboard MBPs.
You have to replace the ENTIRE TOP CASE.

Apple will charge upwards of $800 to fix this -- if they even work on them any more.

Time to look for a replacement.

 

[Michael Maddan]

I own a 2016 13" MacBook Pro that uses a design that looks to me identical with yours...100% the same.

I replaced my spacebar assembly with one on Ebay that came directly from China ( took a few weeks to make it to the USA ).

I certainly did not need to buy a new top case...not at all!

I suggest you take a look at my Post, here, from 30 December 2024, and read how I managed this repair. Once I had the new parts in front of me and gave some thought on how to install them, it was actually pretty easy. I did use "double sided adhesive tape", and it seems a really critical element in the process. It's been a while since I bought my supply, but I think it's a very common item, and should be available in a good, office-supply store.

The 'trick' here is that you ( seem to me! ) to need to take everything out and start with a clean, empty surface. You need to think like Apple did, and make assembly as easy as possible...their design makes plenty of sense, if you start from a bare surface and work up.

Be VERY careful when you snap the actual bar into place: at least on mine, there IS a top & bottom, and I'm thinking that if you try to push it in upside down, you may need to start over, with a new kit!

Once again: I bought my kit on Ebay from China ( I recall the same thing's available from a USA Distributor at extra cost ), and I received just what I needed...EXCEPT, the double-sided tape!

Good Luck...if my experience is not unusual, this is actually an easy repair...once you 'Think like Apple!'

 

[SymonAncymon]

You can't just "replace the keyboard" on those "butterfly" keyboard MBPs.
You have to replace the ENTIRE TOP CASE.

Apple will charge upwards of $800 to fix this -- if they even work on them any more.

Time to look for a replacement.

I did not mention once that I'm after replacing the entire keyboard. Why would I, if it's just one key that doesn't work?

I own a 2016 13" MacBook Pro that uses a design that looks to me identical with yours...100% the same.

I replaced my spacebar assembly with one on Ebay that came directly from China ( took a few weeks to make it to the USA ).

I certainly did not need to buy a new top case...not at all!

I suggest you take a look at my Post, here, from 30 December 2024, and read how I managed this repair. Once I had the new parts in front of me and gave some thought on how to install them, it was actually pretty easy. I did use "double sided adhesive tape", and it seems a really critical element in the process. It's been a while since I bought my supply, but I think it's a very common item, and should be available in a good, office-supply store.

The 'trick' here is that you ( seem to me! ) to need to take everything out and start with a clean, empty surface. You need to think like Apple did, and make assembly as easy as possible...their design makes plenty of sense, if you start from a bare surface and work up.

Be VERY careful when you snap the actual bar into place: at least on mine, there IS a top & bottom, and I'm thinking that if you try to push it in upside down, you may need to start over, with a new kit!

Once again: I bought my kit on Ebay from China ( I recall the same thing's available from a USA Distributor at extra cost ), and I received just what I needed...EXCEPT, the double-sided tape!

Good Luck...if my experience is not unusual, this is actually an easy repair...once you 'Think like Apple!'

Nice one, thanks a lot! I've ordered a new spacebar kit from ebay (£15) and should be with me on Tuesday. I have already disassembled the key itself few times and you're totally right - I seem to got a much better idea how it's designed and being engineer myself, I understand their "bill of process". It's relatively simple as long as you put the pieces in the right order and orientation.

I think I'm going to go with a self adhesive tape for these translucent bars that hold the mechanism as a non destructive adhesive. If that will not pass the test of time I'll fix it with some glue for plastics.

 

[Michael Maddan]

I did not mention once that I'm after replacing the entire keyboard. Why would I, if it's just one key that doesn't work?




Nice one, thanks a lot! I've ordered a new spacebar kit from ebay (£15) and should be with me on Tuesday. I have already disassembled the key itself few times and you're totally right - I seem to got a much better idea how it's designed and being engineer myself, I understand their "bill of process". It's relatively simple as long as you put the pieces in the right order and orientation.

I think I'm going to go with a self adhesive tape for these translucent bars that hold the mechanism as a non destructive adhesive. If that will not pass the test of time I'll fix it with some glue for plastics.

Sounds as if you're seeing how it all fits together!

When I did mine ( which may be a bit different than yours...) I just took everything apart, so that I was looking at bare metal...no plastic parts left! I then just spent a few minutes and understood how the assembly went together, and it became VERY clear that the pieces simply dropped together, and that the assembly was then affixed to the metal base, then the actual bar snapped into it.

You may see some videos where someone's suggesting that little pieces of plastic need to be pushed and worked into place, and that's just not a good thing to try...they will almost certainly either break or be damaged.

I'm guessing that you know what I'm saying, or will once you simply start with a bare metal base, and see how Apple did things.

Just make sure that you see how the bar, itself, snaps into place...mine DOES have a 'top' and 'bottom', and about the only aspect of Apple's design that DOES seem weird to me, is why they did not make it so that it would go in, either way...there's very little difference between top & bottom. As I recall, I felt the need to go back to some videos, and find one that showed the assembly as it was being taken apart, so that I could see where the bar was, originally.

Here's hoping it goes well!

 

[smirking]

I think I'm going to go with a self adhesive tape for these translucent bars that hold the mechanism as a non destructive adhesive. If that will not pass the test of time I'll fix it with some glue for plastics.

If all else fails, just get a Bluetooth keyboard. The original Apple Bluetooth keyboards work great and have small horizontal rubber feet on the bottom that allow it to slot in between the keys quite well.

I like my mechanical keyboards so I only use my laptop's keyboard when I'm traveling and not packing a keyboard with me. Annoying as it is, a keyboard failure is the least problematic failure since you don't really need the built in one to use your computer.

 

[Michael Maddan]

If all else fails, just get a Bluetooth keyboard. The original Apple Bluetooth keyboards work great and have small horizontal rubber feet on the bottom that allow it to slot in between the keys quite well.

I like my mechanical keyboards so I only use my laptop's keyboard when I'm traveling and not packing a keyboard with me. Annoying as it is, a keyboard failure is the least problematic failure since you don't really need the built in one to use your computer.

I've worked on several Apple laptops as a hobby, and have some affection for them all. I started with the 12" and 14" iBook G4, and moved on to the 13" A1181. There are a few more Apples in the house, but the newer Models are a lot different that the earlier ones.

The G4's take some getting used to, and are challenging the first, few times. Not difficult, but quite a few things to watch out for, and a few design elements that 'could have been nicer'. I assume that there were battles between the Engineers and Designers and Marketers, and that many decisions were very-much a compromise.

I will suggest that having a Loupe or some kind of magnification seems really important when working on many things ( I use a clip-on, 4X / 7X Bausch + Lomb loupe with my eyeglasses ) as well as a few pairs of good tweezers and a few of the Black spudgers...they seem to be fiber-reinforced nylon, and hold up very well. I tried a few of the blue items, and the ones I got were very soft, and essentially useless.

The Loupe may be one of those things that's not appreciated as much as it should be. Many / most small mechanisms / assemblies / etc., make plenty of sense once you see how they fit together and actually work...something that may be almost impossible with the unaided eye!