Half the keys feel gummy. The backspace repeats. The cursor hops when you rest a damp palm, or the trackpad clicks like a hollow button and the pointer never moves. You got home in the rain an hour ago, or three days ago. Both timelines show up at the counter, and the second one has had longer to corrode the flex.
Stop typing on a wet or sticky keyboard. An external keyboard does not dry the inside. Bring the Mac in for a free diagnosis before a top-case price is even discussed.
Sort the symptom before you blame the keyboard
| What you feel | Common cause | What we check first |
|---|---|---|
| Sticky keys, repeating keys, or one dead row after rain | Liquid in the membrane or on the keyboard flex | Connector and corrosion, then keyboard versus top case |
| Trackpad click is mushy and the palm rest is uneven | Swollen battery pushing up, not rain | Battery health before any trackpad part |
| Click feels normal, cursor dead or jumping | Trackpad cable or its board connector, often after liquid | Cable and connector under magnification |
| Keyboard backlight dead, keys still type | Backlight circuit or liquid on that flex | Whether the rest of the board is dry |
| Keys, trackpad, and power all failed together | Liquid reached the logic board, not just the top case | Board diagnosis, quoted separately from a keyboard |
Safe checks
- If it is still wet, stop. Shut down, unplug, blot, and come in. Do not map the dead keys. Each press drives water through the scissors or butterfly mechanism.
- If it has been dry and it still boots, plug in a USB mouse once. A working external pointer means the Mac is up and the fault is on the built-in trackpad path. Then unplug and shut down. That single fact saves a wrong repair.
- Look at the trackpad height. If it sits above the aluminium, or the Mac rocks on a flat table, treat it as a battery even if it also rained. Power off. Our battery replacement page explains the swell pattern.
- Note the row. A whole row or a whole side dead is a membrane or connector clue. Random sticky keys after chai-plus-rain can be both sugar and water — say what was in the cup.
What not to do to the keys
- Do not spray alcohol, contact cleaner, or glass spray into the gaps.
- Do not slide paper under the keycaps.
- Do not pop keycaps off a butterfly keyboard. They do not go back the way a desktop keyboard does.
- Do not keep working on the built-in keyboard “until the part arrives.” That grinds residue into the contacts.
- Do not assume every dead trackpad is a ₹ trackpad. The battery check is part of the free diagnosis so the quote matches the fault.
The Mac was soaked, not just sticky: MacBook liquid damage in Chennai rain. It will not turn on either: logic board after rain.
What approval covers
On the bench we disconnect power, inspect the keyboard flex and trackpad cable, and look for corrosion heading onto the board. You get one of three outcomes, with a price on it: clean and reseat, replace the cable or keyboard, or replace the top case when the model is built that way. We do not start that work until you approve it.
Bring it in. Diagnosis is free.
The checks above tell you which fault you are probably holding. They do not open the machine, clean under the shields, or price the repair. That happens on the bench at iQube Tech Care, Mount Road.
Diagnosis is free. We tell you what failed and what the repair costs. Repair starts only after you approve the quote. If you say no, you take the device back unrepaired. Nothing is soldered, erased, or swapped before that yes.
Walk in all 7 days, 11am–10pm, at F9/F10, 1st floor, Anjuman Shopping Arcade, Anna Salai. Or Book a free keyboard diagnosis. Service page: MacBook keyboard and trackpad repair.
Frequently asked questions
A few keys stopped working after I got caught in the rain. Can they be cleaned?
Sometimes the membrane and the connector clean up. Sometimes the keyboard or the top case has to be replaced. You only find out by opening it. That diagnosis is free, and parts are ordered only after you approve.
The trackpad clicks but the cursor does not move.
The physical click can be fine while the trackpad cable or its connector is corroded. A raised trackpad that sits proud of the palm rest is more often a swollen battery than rain. We check the battery first so you do not pay for the wrong part.
Should I pour isopropyl alcohol into the keys?
No. It drives liquid deeper and can reach the board. Blot the outside and bring it in.
Will a keyboard replacement wipe my Mac?
No. Keyboard and trackpad work does not erase the SSD. Back up anyway if the Mac still boots.