How to clean the keyboard of the Mac

Now stop! I cannot really anymore! All that dirt on Mac’s keyboard must disappear … instantly! It is practically days and days that you keep repeating this phrase in your mind but until today you have not really started yet. Fed up with time, but you finally armed with good will, you did some research on the Web to find out how to proceed to succeed in the enterprise and you’re finished here, on my guide dedicated to the subject.

How do you say? Things are exactly like this and would you like to know if I can actually help you or not what to do? Of course yes, this time you can count on me. In the following lines you can find out, in a simple but at the same time detailed way, how to clean the keyboard of the Mac. Whether it’s an iMac, Mac Pro or Mac mini or a MacBook makes no difference, I’ve provided you with instructions on how to do it in one case or another.

Before you can get alarmed and think about who knows what, I would like to remind you right away that, contrary to appearances, the operation in question is extremely simple to do. You just need a few minutes of free time, a little patience and the right “instrumentation” (easily available in any supermarket) and it’s done. What would you say then to put the talk aside and finally go to the action? Yes? Great. So let’s get to work!

Preliminary operations

Before explaining how you need to proceed to clean the keyboard of the Mac there are some operations, so to speak, preliminaries that you have to do in order to prevent your computer branded Apple and its keyboard may be malfunctions and breakdowns.

Firstly, if you’re using an iMac, Mac Pro, or a Mac mini with a wired keyboard , turn off the computer by selecting Turn Off … from the accessible menu by clicking on the apple symbol at the top right of the desktop . Then disconnect the device from the appropriate socket on the Mac.

clean the mac keyboard

If you are using the Magic Keyboard (to be clear, the one that connects to the Mac via Bluetooth), simply turn off the latter by making a long pressure on the button that is on the top right of the same, sideways. If the keyboard is battery – operated, take care to remove them from the appropriate housing that is always on the side, but in the upper left part (you can unscrew the lid by inserting a coin into the recess on it and rotating the latter on same counterclockwise). Next, always turn off the Mac (as I indicated in the previous lines).

If instead you want to clean the keyboard of a MacBook, first turn off the computer (always following the instructions that I gave you a few lines above) then disconnect the power adapter from the power outlet and remove the cable from the laptop.

If then on your Mac, either fixed or portable, other devices are connected to remove them. In addition, if you have applied stickers, protective films or other accessories similar to the keyboard, try to remove everything before proceeding with the cleaning prayer. Proceeding in this way, you will avoid that these will ruin and that in turn they can ruin the peripheral.

What is needed?

Once you have completed the preliminary steps above, you are almost ready to move on to the actual action. I write “almost” because in order to undertake the cleaning operation you need the necessary equipment. Do not be afraid, nothing untraceable or abstruse.

What you need is, very simply, a can of compressed air, which you will have to use to remove crumbs or any other dirt on the keyboard that has gone “to nest” between the various keys and a soft, microfiber cloth (like those that they are used to clean lenses for glasses), in deerskin or in chamois leather. The important thing is that it is not one of those cloths that release “lint” here and there that would do nothing but aggravate the situation.

Another thing to have on hand is a basin with a little water. You will need to use it if necessary to moisten the soft cloth so as to make cleaning easier.

If you do not already have the above material at home or if you do not have everything you need, you can find it, as I said at the beginning of the article, in any well-stocked supermarket, in a store specialized in selling computer items or, again, on Amazon or through other online e-commerce.

What you strongly discourage from using (and from which Apple suggests to stay away) is the use of sprays, solvents, abrasives or detergents containing hydrogen peroxide. They could irreparably damage your Mac! Then do not tell me I did not warn you.

clean the mac keyboard

Clean the keyboard of iMac, Mac Pro and Mac mini

At this point I would say that finally we are there! You can proceed by cleaning the keyboard of the Mac in the true sense of the term. So if you have an iMac, a Mac Pro or a Mac mini or in any case is an Apple brand computer with an external keyboard, to clean the latter the first fundamental step you need to do is grab the soft cloth previously found and pass it for more times and in a careful and delicate way on the whole surface of the keyboard.

If there are also halos and / or signs of dirt on the keyboard, moisten the cloth used in a little ‘water and rub the latter, always with the utmost delicacy, on the dirty parts.

If you see the dirt even between one key and the other that with the use of the cloth you could not eliminate, use the can of compressed air to get rid of it. Turn the keyboard upside down so that its keys point downwards and use the air can to blow away the “foreign bodies”, spraying from right to left and then from left to right for more than once.

For even more thorough cleaning, I suggest you use the compressed air bottle more than once, but changing the angle of the keyboard. In this way, you should be able to get rid of all that dirt nested under the keys that at a first cleaning operation you could not remove.

To conclude, if you were using the dampened cloth to clean the keyboard of the Mac, wait a few moments before resuming to use it, so that it dries properly. Then connect it again to the Mac and you will be able to serve again as you have always done so far.

If you think you need more information about the practices to be taken to clean the keyboard of the Mac, you can refer to the appropriate Web page related to the official website of Apple. Further useful information can then be found on YouTube, using keywords like “how to clean the keyboard of the Mac”. I recommend, however, try to stay away from videos where they are proposed dubious practices or that could put at risk the “health” of your Mac and its keyboard.

Clean the MacBook keyboard

If instead you have a MacBook, to clean the keyboard of the same the first step you have to do is open the upper part of the body, grasp the bottom and tilt it slightly forward making it take an angle of about 75°, so that the cleaning of the various keys is simpler.

Now, grab the can of compressed air and start spraying the latter on the keyboard or only on the interesting buttons, moving from left to right.

Then rotate the MacBook to the right side and repeat the above procedure then going to spray the can of compressed air on the computer keyboard, proceeding from left to right. Repeat the operation of “spray” again, but rotating the MacBook towards the left side.

At this point, grasp the soft cloth previously found and pass it gently over the entire surface of the keyboard, in order to remove the remaining dirt after using the can.

If there are signs of dirt and / or other marks on the keyboard, moisten the soft cloth slightly with water and rub it gently, where it is dirty. If it does not go away, repeat the steps above. I recommend however, in doing so try to avoid carefully that the cloth can come into contact with various sockets and inputs of the Mac, to avoid the risk that they may damage the relative contact with moisture.

clean the mac keyboard

After cleaning, if you have used the dampened cloth, wait a few minutes before starting to use the keyboard, so that it dries properly. Then connect again the power supply of the MacBook to the power outlet and its cable to the laptop, turn it on using the appropriate button on the computer and … resume to use the device as you have always done. Since it was not difficult?

If you think you need more information about the above practices, you can refer to the appropriate Web page on the official Apple website. Further useful information for this purpose can then be found by doing some research on YouTube, with keywords such as “how to clean the keyboard of the MacBook”. Even in this case, however, I recommend, try to stay in their hands from the odd solutions or otherwise are dubious that could make practically unusable the keyboard of your computer (and the computer itself).

In case of doubts or problems

You have carefully followed all my instructions on how to clean the keyboard of the Mac but during the course of work has arisen some problems or one or more steps are not clear? So the best tip I can give you is to contact Apple support directly. By doing so, you can directly ask the company of the “bitten apple” for the explanations you need.

Based on what are the means in your possession as well as depending on your personal needs and preferences, you can contact Apple customer support using different systems, all those that are listed below. Choose the one you prefer, they are all equally valid.

  • By telephone – Call the toll-free number of apple (from mobile or landline) and follow the instructions of the registered voice. The call is free and the number is active from Monday to Friday from 8:00 am to 7:45 pm.
  • Using the Web – Visit the appropriate online support page on the Apple website, click on Other, on Mac Accessories and on Keyboards and Mouse and then follow the suggested wizard to specify the type of problem you are having.
  • Using the Apple Support app – If you have an iPhone or an iPad, download the Apple support app, launch it, connect to your Apple account, select the item Get support at the bottom, tap other products and services, select Accessories Mac, then Keyboards and Mouse and, from the list you see appear, select the item related to your doubt or your problem. Then follow the instructions that are given to you on the screen.
  • By Twitter – Write a tweet or a DM to the @AppleSupport account indicating your doubts or problems. You will soon receive an answer from Apple.
  • Using Apple Store – Go in person to an Apple Store and ask for help from the employees. If you do not know where the nearest Apple Store is located in your area.

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