Magic Keyboard key fell off: how to refit it

A key popping off a Magic Keyboard is rarely an isolated accident: under the cap sits a plastic scissor hinge a few millimetres across, and that is what gives way. The cap itself usually survives intact. That matters in practice: if the hinge is split, clipping the cap back on will not survive more than a few keystrokes. Apple sells no individual keys and its service route replaces the whole keyboard; the single key, hinge included, costs €11.90 here (€8.99 for a letter or digit, €14.90 for a modifier, €19.90 for the space bar).

Diagnosis

Turn the cap over and look at the keyboard in raking light. Three cases. (1) The X-shaped hinge is still on the keyboard, intact, and the cap is whole: it refits, the simplest case. (2) The hinge is in place but one of its four arms is split or missing: the cap will seat badly and fall off again — the hinge needs replacing. (3) The hinge came away with the cap, or lies in pieces on the desk: order the complete key, it arrives with its own hinge. One thing to check first: if this is the Touch ID key, stop there, it cannot be replaced.

How to fix it

1
Identify your keyboard: the model number is engraved underneath the case (A1644, A2450, A2449, A3118, A3203 for the compact; A1843, A2520, A3119 with numeric keypad).
2
Inspect the scissor hinge left on the keyboard — all four arms must be whole and clipped into their metal hooks.
3
If it is intact: lay the cap flat over it, legend facing up, and press straight down in the centre until it clicks.
4
If it is split: pick the fragments out with tweezers, then clip in the hinge supplied with the replacement key before fitting the cap.
5
Test the key ten times in a row: a badly seated hinge shows up as a soft return or a cap that tilts to one side.

FAQ

Can I just clip the old key back on?

Yes, if the hinge is intact and the cap is whole — it is the first thing to try, and it costs nothing. If the key falls off again after a few strokes, the hinge is split and no amount of refitting will repair it.

What does a Magic Keyboard key cost?

€8.99 for a letter or digit, €11.90 for any other ordinary key, €14.90 for a modifier (⌘, ⌥, ⇧, control, tab, return), €19.90 for the space bar. The hinge is included and tracked shipping is €2 to France, €5 to the rest of Europe and €9 outside Europe.

Can Apple replace a single key?

No. The official channel replaces the whole keyboard: no key is sold individually, for any model.

Would a Logitech MX Keys key do?

No. Both keyboards use a scissor mechanism, but the mounting footprints differ: an MX Keys key will not sit on a Magic Keyboard.

What if the Touch ID key came off?

It cannot be replaced, by us or anyone else: it is a biometric sensor bonded to the keyboard's board, not a cap sitting on a hinge.

Most of the time a fallen key refits in seconds without buying anything. When the hinge has given way, the complete key costs from €8.99 — against the price of a new keyboard at Apple, which does not repair the single key.

Parts for this repair

Genuine used keys, taken from dismantled keyboards and supplied with their hinge.

Related fixes and parts

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