How to Remove the Space Bar From a MacBook

A butter knife lets you unlatch the space bar, otherwise it won't budge.

On a standard desktop computer keyboard, the keys pop on and off by simply pulling with your fingers. Laptop keys are another story. Notebook keys are thinner and more delicate, which saves space on the laptop, but proves problematic when you need to replace a damaged key. If you want to remove the space bar key from a MacBook laptop, you need to carefully unclip the individual plastic key. The space bar contains three small metal clips, each unlatched by applying inward pressure.

Things You'll Need

• Butter knife

Instructions

1. Slide a thin butter knife underneath the right-hand side of the space bar. The thinner the knife, the better, as the space is tight between the key and the base.

2. Press the knife forward. The latches are unclipped by applying pressure inward and pulling up.

3. Jiggle the knife and gently pull upward. Do not force the key up. If the space bar does not seem to loosen at all, your knife may not be catching the latch; reposition the knife slightly and push in again. Hitting the right spot on the space bar takes some trial and error. Don't expect the entire space bar to lift out with just one latch loosened; the MacBook's space bar contains three latches.

4. Repeat on the bottom center and left-hand side of the space bar key. With all three latches unclipped, the space bar should lift right off without any resistance.

Tips & Warnings

• To reattach a space bar, simply position the space bar over the empty keyboard space, aligning each of the three latches. Press down on the space bar to lock it into place.

• Tampering with the keyboard can void certain manufacturer or extended warranties. Check your warranty information before attempting to remove the space bar key.

References

• DSC: Replacing Space Bar Key on Apple MacBook Pro