MacBook Keyboard Not Working? 10 Fixes

System Settings → Accessibility → Keyboard. Check: "Slow Keys" — if ON, you must hold each key for a set delay before it registers, making typing feel broken. "Sticky Keys" — if ON, modifier keys (Shift, Cmd, Option) latch on after one press, causing bizarre characters when typing. Both can be accidentally activated by pressing Shift five times rapidly (Sticky Keys) or holding Shift for 8 seconds (Slow Keys). Turn both off and retest.

System Settings → Keyboard → Input Sources → Edit. If a non-English keyboard layout is selected (e.g., Dvorak, Colemak, or a foreign language layout), keys will type different characters than labeled. The menu bar shows the current input source flag — click it and switch to your correct layout. Also check: System Settings → Keyboard → Keyboard Shortcuts — confirm no shortcuts are remapping the keys that seem broken.

Hold Power (Apple Silicon) or Power button (Intel) → Restart. A full restart reinitializes the keyboard controller and clears any crashed HID (Human Interface Device) daemon that manages keyboard input. If the keyboard works at the login screen but stops working after login, a startup item or login app is interfering with input — boot in Safe Mode (hold Shift at startup) to confirm.

For Apple Silicon: shut down fully, wait 30 seconds, restart. For Intel MacBooks: shut down → hold Shift+Control+Option+Power for 10 seconds → release → press Power to start. The SMC manages the keyboard's power state. A corrupted SMC state can cause the keyboard to appear fully dead on startup, with no response even at the login screen.

Open Terminal and run:

These files store keyboard layout, shortcut assignments, and modifier key remaps. If they become corrupted after a macOS update, keys may behave erratically. After deleting, restart the Mac — macOS regenerates these files fresh.

Compressed air is the most effective cleaning method: hold the MacBook at a 75° angle (nearly vertical), use short bursts from a can of compressed air along each row of keys, rotate to portrait orientation and repeat, then tilt back to landscape and do a final pass. Never spray directly downward — this pushes debris further under the keys. For sticky or stuck keys, clean gently with a barely damp microfiber cloth along the key surface.

Plug in any USB keyboard. If it types correctly, the issue is the built-in keyboard hardware — not macOS. If the external keyboard also doesn't work, the issue is software (Accessibility settings, input source, or a locked system). This test takes 30 seconds and definitively isolates hardware vs software as the cause.

Shut down → hold D at startup (Intel) or Power until startup options appear then Cmd+D (Apple Silicon). Apple Diagnostics tests keyboard hardware. Error code "KBD001" indicates keyboard controller failure. If diagnostics pass but the keyboard doesn't work in macOS, it's a software issue. If diagnostics show a keyboard error, hardware service is required.

Even a small amount of liquid under the keyboard — a few drops of coffee or condensation — can cause specific keys to stop working or type multiple characters. Symptoms: keys that work intermittently, keys that repeat without being pressed, or a row of adjacent keys all failing. If liquid was involved, turn the MacBook upside down immediately, do not power it on, and bring it to a service center as soon as possible. Corrosion from liquid progresses over hours to days.

Boot into Recovery Mode → Reinstall macOS. If the keyboard works in Recovery Mode (confirming hardware is fine) but not in normal macOS, there's a software-level keyboard driver issue. A clean macOS reinstall replaces all system keyboard drivers and frameworks. Your data is preserved. If the keyboard still doesn't work after reinstall, it's confirmed hardware.