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I've got a MacBook Pro with Retina display and I've got a ton of stickers on it. Is there a method for removing the stickers from the back without damaging the finish and without leaving sticky residue on the laptop?

Is this something I can get help with from the Genius Bar?

My 15" Retina MacBook

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Just peel off the stickers.

The best thing for removing the residue is Teatree oil. You can get it from Walgreens in the US, and most chemists in Australia.

Just soak some cotton wool (or other soft cloth) in the oil (so you don't scratch the surface of your MacBook) and wipe until no residue is left.

Because the oil is viscous I would make sure that your TimeMachine backup is up to date before use. Don't kiss your brand new looking Mac as the oil is poisonous if ingested.

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    Rubbing alcohol does the trick too, when removing stickers residues.
    – Thecafremo
    Dec 23, 2013 at 8:49
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    @Thecafremo And unlike Teatree oil you can lick your laptop afterwards and enjoy it.
    – Deesbek
    Dec 23, 2013 at 16:35
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    Eeeeewwww! Who would lick a laptop?
    – Moshe
    Aug 11, 2015 at 16:06
  • Can anybody comment on the effectiveness of this technique? I have had a zero-sticker policy for decades and am thinking about breaking this for my new MBP. If would help to know if this is a reversible decision!
    – William Entriken
    Jan 22, 2019 at 4:42
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    @Thecafremo Tissue with alcohol worked like a charm. Great tip.
    – xji
    May 3, 2019 at 20:14
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I first peeled off the paper sticker and then rubbed softly with alcohol wipes. It came off surprisingly fast. I can see the shiny apple again.

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  • Worked for me just fine!
    – Jash Jacob
    Sep 24, 2014 at 14:35
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Some stickers are made with a water soluble glue, others with an organic soluble glue. Peel what you can off first, by hand. Once you've pried an edge up, pull slowly and carefully, not letting the angle between laptop surface and label get too large. That encourages separation of lable and glue layer. If it comes off clean, great! If not, fingernails, or a guitar pick can often get the last bits off without surface damage. If you've still got some residue, try soapy water. Give it some time to work, then go with the fingernail/guitar pick. If no joy, the glue is probably organic soluble. Any of the Limonene based orange oil cleaners should take care of that for you. Orange cleaner is available in any hardware store, and most grocery stores.

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I've found it most effective to use a combination of hydrogen peroxide and rubbing alcohol. They hydrogen peroxide may seem a little weird, but it does a much better job at cleaning up large clumps of goo (in my limited experience). My process:

  1. Peel off as much of the sticker as possible
  2. Pat a paper towel (or another cloth) with hydrogen peroxide and rub away large spots of goo
  3. Pat another paper towel with rubbing alcohol and rub remaining streaks away for a nice polished finish
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I have used Goo Gone, orange liquid, to remove a sticker from the back of an iPad.

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    To clarify another answer, use the edit link below the answer that you wish to edit. I've removed that content from your answer.
    – grg ♦
    Aug 11, 2015 at 18:43
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After the stickers are peeled off, alcohol, a washcloth, and iteration worked surprisingly well for me, getting off the residue.

And at least during COVID times, 70% rubbing alcohol is approved by Apple.

Is it OK to use a disinfectant on my Apple product?

Using a 70 percent isopropyl alcohol wipe or Clorox Disinfecting Wipes, you may gently wipe the hard, nonporous surfaces of your Apple product, such as the display, keyboard, or other exterior surfaces. Don't use bleach. Avoid getting moisture in any opening, and don't submerge your Apple product in any cleaning agents. Don't use on fabric or leather surfaces.

Link:

https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT204172

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If you're in the UK then there's a wonderful thing called 'sticky stuff remover' which pretty much DWISOTT - I have to confess I haven't used it on my MBP yet (though I have stickers on it so I may need to at some point!) but I very much doubt it will damage the surface.

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Goo Off will take anything off of anything. It's amazing and highly toxic so wear rubber gloves and be careful not to let it drip into the actual computer or any crevices.

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I recommend acetone (nail polish remover). It's not as toxic as some of these other recommendations.

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    Acetone dissolves all sorts of plastics. You should see what is does to fibreglass resin.
    – CAD bloke
    Jan 31, 2019 at 3:21
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I took the sticker off as best as I could, at a right angle. Then I dabbed the residue with an alcohol swab, and rubbed it with a tissue and it worked for me

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I used some nailpolish remover, worked just fine! :)

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  • That's acetone. Be aware that it willy instantly destroy some kinds of plastic (e.g. polystyrene). Pour some into a Styrofoam® cup and you'll get your feet wet.
    – Ray Butterworth
    Sep 17, 2022 at 0:49
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I've found I can get a lot of the residue off with the sticker itself. After removing, then with your index finger press the backing of the sticker firmly onto a spot of residue and a lot of the residue comes right off on to the sticker backing. Repeat many times. I can get 90+% of the residue off this way. Then rubbing alcohol whatever to get the lingering stuff.

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Sticky label remover (UK), it reactivates the glue so you can peel off the stickers and reuse them (i.e. It makes dried glue sticky again) it comes in a spray can with a 90 degree pointy nozzle.

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I used nail polish remover with a towel and it worked wonders, I wouldn't anything else. Once I was finished I used these anti-static wipes made by Endust to make it feel new again. Please don't ruin your 1k+ computer with WD40 or Goo Gone.

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    Whoa there, Andrew! Acetone is extremely flammable and can cause serious health problems to you and the computer. Best to stick to the recommended solution: peel off as much of the label as possible; scrape off (carefully) as much glue as possible with a non-marking tool, (nylon spudger or the like; then wipe (gently) with isopropyl alcohol to dissolve the remaining glue. CVS and big supermarkets usually carry 91% to 93% isopropyl alcohol. This is far preferable to rubbing alcohol, which is diluted with water and can contain undesirable substances like fragrances and oils.
    – IconDaemon
    Sep 24, 2015 at 21:41
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IhMGB0tLfnc try this. Peel off the stickers. Just apply any perfume with alcohol. Wait a couple of minutes than just clean it off with a clean dry tissue.

http://www.decorsfuk.co for more cleaning stickers from your devices.

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In the past, I've also had success with removing whatever residue is left with a rubber eraser! It usually picks up every bit of glue. Unfortunately, I haven't tried on my MB, but I don't doubt that it will work.

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Just did this (July 2015) and it's a three-step process:

Step 1: Using fingernail, and going slow, peel sticker off laptop
Step 2: Using a wet paper towel and a thumbnail sized drop of soap, clean laptop surface
Step 3: ... actually I guess it's just two steps.

Worked great! No damage, good as new.

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peppermint essential oil works as well

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