1

I don't remember the first time it happened but suddenly every letter I typed came out in capital letter even tho the capslock button wasn't on and the shift key wasn't stuck or anything like that after a few hours it went back to normal so it just brushed it off

Fast forward six months later and the same thing happens with the letters coming out in capital letters I wait a few hours and like normal it fixed itself but this time the letter "t", "g" stopped working keys "-", "[" and the number "5" stopped working.

I panicked and gave it a few more hours but it stayed the same I tried all the SMC resets but they didn't work I cannot afford to purchase a new laptop and my city is still in quarantine rn so I can't go to a shop and I have work to do

I did not spill water but I did clean the keys with wet wipes is that a reason??

I am typing this with the accessibility keyboard

1 Answer 1

1

Taking all the symptoms together would suggest a water spill.

The initial spill caused short-circuiting of the Shift key [switch permanently closed] which eventually dried & 'recovered', but later corrosion has now affected the circuit tracks across the keyboard. Diagonal lines of affected keys, 5, T, G and -, [ are indicative of circuit board damage [switch permanently open].
After comments re the initial 'spill' being very slight, the later damage may not be related. It could have been done by impact, bending or twisting.

Long-term, this will need professional service or even replacement.
Short-term I'd look at getting a cheap USB keyboard.

6
  • 1oz of liquid in a computer is about the same as two bottles of scotch in a human. Neither will be in any fit state afterwards. If you squeeze a wet wipe, it will dribble, possibly just enough to have done this. The two symptoms my not be related. The shift key is almost certainly a spill. The track damage could have been done by knocking or bending the computer - possibly during transport.
    – Tetsujin
    Commented Nov 4, 2021 at 11:22
  • so there isn't anything i can do like a reset or update??
    – Janice
    Commented Nov 4, 2021 at 11:28
  • No, it's likely physical damage.
    – Tetsujin
    Commented Nov 4, 2021 at 11:28
  • An app store will work right i don't need to purchase a new laptop
    – Janice
    Commented Nov 4, 2021 at 11:32
  • 1
    It’s likely a hardware issue @Janice but we can’t know. Do you have a backup of all your data in case this is hardware failure? Do that pronto so you don’t risk losing data. Any USB and most Bluetooth ones work with Mac so try any keyboards that are handy if just the built in one has issues.
    – bmike
    Commented Nov 4, 2021 at 11:40

You must log in to answer this question.

Not the answer you're looking for? Browse other questions tagged .