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MacBook butterfly keyboard (2016-2018): the flaw and the fix
A key that repeats on its own, stays stuck or stops responding? It’s the notorious flaw of the “butterfly” keyboard on 2016-2018 MacBooks. The good news: it can be fixed — often on a single key, without replacing the whole keyboard.
In short
On 2016 to 2018 MacBooks, the “butterfly” keyboard fails at the slightest thing: a speck of dust, a crumb, a little heat, and a key starts to repeat, stick or stop responding. Apple’s free repair programme ended in November 2024 — but rest assured: the flaw can be fixed, often on a single key.
Why the butterfly keyboard fails
To make it thinner, Apple replaced the “scissor” mechanism with an extremely flat “butterfly” mechanism. The problem: this mechanism is so thin that a single speck of dust or heat is enough to jam it. Affected models: MacBook 12″, MacBook Air (2018) and MacBook Pro 13″ and 15″ (2016-2018).
Three typical symptoms
How to spot a failing butterfly keyboard
The flaw almost always affects individual square keys. Here are the three warning signs.
Symptom 01
The key repeats
You type a letter and it appears two or three times: “helllo”.
Symptom 02
The key stays stuck
The key is stiff, presses poorly or stays jammed in the down position.
Symptom 03
The key stops responding
You press it, nothing appears: the letter is quite simply “mute”.
We repair the key, not the whole keyboard
Most workshops replace the entire chassis: it’s expensive and out of all proportion. We work at the right level — the key itself.
The method
Replace the clicker + the film
To repair a butterfly key, you replace the metal clicker under the key, along with the film above it. The best choice: AP12 clickers, Apple’s latest generation, fitted with a repositionable silicone film — far more reliable and practical than the old plastic film, which could not be repositioned.
The right part
The AP12 silicone clicker kit
We offer a kit of 10 AP12 clickers with a silicone membrane, enough to repair 10 square keys. It’s the part that makes the difference between a repair that lasts and a key that plays up again.
And what if the key can’t be repaired?
Sometimes a key is too damaged for a simple clicker replacement. In that case, we replace the complete keyboard chassis — without breaking the bank.
The fallback solution
A refurbished keyboard topcase in Grade A, B or C
When a per-key repair isn’t possible, we have used keyboard topcases in Grade A, B or C. You choose according to your budget and your cosmetic standards: how it works is guaranteed whatever the grade. Understand grades A, B, C →
The repair, step by step
How we replace a butterfly key’s clicker with an AP12 silicone-membrane clicker.
1. The faulty key
2. Remove the keycap
3. Take out the old clicker
4. Fit the AP12 clicker + silicone film
5. Clip it back — fixed ✓
Schematic animation · Place du Mac
The myth to bust
What many people believe — and that is wrong
“My butterfly keyboard is dead, my MacBook is fit for the bin.”
Wrong. A failing butterfly keyboard can be repaired, very often on the single affected key thanks to an AP12 clicker. And if need be, a refurbished keyboard chassis brings the machine back to as-new for a fraction of the price of a new MacBook. This keyboard has a bad reputation, but it’s far from a lost cause.
If you remember just one thing
A butterfly keyboard can be repaired — key by key.
Before giving up on a 2016-2018 MacBook because of its keyboard, remember: the flaw is often solved by replacing an AP12 clicker, not the whole computer. A small preventive habit helps too: dust the keyboard regularly (canned air, MacBook tilted). And if the key holds out, the refurbished topcase remains an affordable way out.
MacBook butterfly keyboard: your questions
Which MacBooks have a butterfly keyboard?
The AP12-generation butterfly keyboard affects 2016-2018 MacBooks: the MacBook 12″, the MacBook Air 2018 and the MacBook Pro 13″ and 15″. Apple later abandoned this fragile mechanism to return to the “scissor” keyboard.
Why do the keys stick or repeat?
The butterfly mechanism is extremely thin: a single speck of dust, a crumb or heat is enough to jam it. The key then starts to repeat, stay stuck or stop responding.
Can a single key be repaired?
Yes. You replace the metal clicker under the key and the film above it. We use latest-generation AP12 clickers with a repositionable silicone membrane, more reliable than the old plastic film. No need to replace the whole keyboard.
Do you have to replace the whole keyboard?
Not always. A per-key repair is enough in most cases. If a key is too damaged, we replace the keyboard chassis with a refurbished topcase in Grade A, B or C, guaranteed to work whatever the grade.
Does Apple still repair the butterfly keyboard for free?
No. Apple’s free repair programme for butterfly keyboards ended in November 2024. These MacBooks are therefore no longer covered: repair now goes through an independent repairer.
Place du Mac guide — the AP12-generation “butterfly” keyboard is fitted to 2016-2018 MacBooks depending on the model. Apple’s free repair programme ended in November 2024. Repair is possible at key level (AP12 clicker with silicone membrane) or by replacing the keyboard chassis with a refurbished one. Apple, Mac and MacBook are trademarks of Apple Inc.; Place du Mac is an independent repairer, not affiliated with Apple Inc.
