All I knew before was the Genius Bar, where they will replace up to five keycaps for free, but I had way too many bad keys for that. Last week I was scrolling Xiaohongshu and stumbled on people buying full keycap sets on Taobao and swapping them themselves. A whole set was just 28 yuan, so I ordered one without thinking twice. I did not expect much; as long as it was an improvement, I would take it. When it arrived, it turned out to be identical to the original keycaps.

After it arrived I found a tutorial on Bilibili, and the caps came off quicker and easier than I expected. Once every single one was off, the deck underneath was finally exposed, and it was a disaster. Dust in the gaps can be blown out now and then, but the hairs under the keycaps, plus the soup I once spilled in there, are things surface-wiping can never fix. A pass with a soft brush, a cotton swab with a bit of alcohol around the edges, two minutes to dry, and it was time to put everything back.

The small keys went back on really fast, one press and done. The big keys and the arrow keys were another story, especially the ones with a balance bar like Tab: every single-bar key mounts with the bar facing down, and double-bar keys are one up, one down. Not much more to say about that.

This is how I broke the Chinese/English key: its balance bar was backwards, I pressed hard anyway, and the little hook on the clip snapped right off. Luckily I asked the seller, half expecting nothing, and they agreed to mail me a replacement cap.

While installing the arrow keys I also knocked a scissor mechanism loose. Not all of them, luckily. I copied the neighboring keys and got everything seated again. Be bold but careful and it all goes back together; just note that the arrow keys slide in from different directions.

The rest of the small keys are unremarkable: two seconds each.

The first thing I noticed after the swap was the typing feel. The matte surface on the new caps has not been polished shiny yet, and next to the old oily glaze it is night and day; every press snaps back crisply. 28 yuan for a full set of keycaps plus a deep clean, and the keyboard is like new again. My old machine is good for a few more years.

Here is what it looks like now. The Chinese/English key is on the way from the seller; once it is on, the keyboard will be good as completely new!

Things to Know

• Lock the screen before you start.
• Small keys pop off freely; big keys all have a balance bar. Single bars mount facing down, double bars are one up, one down. Flip the cap over and check the direction first, and never force it when it is backwards. Forcing it is exactly how I snapped the hook on my Chinese/English key.
• The arrow keys slide in from different directions. If a cap will not go in, flip it over and study the clips first, then press. If a scissor mechanism comes loose, do not panic; copy a neighboring key and put it back.
• Clean the deck with a soft brush and a well-wrung alcohol swab, not a wet cloth, and let it dry for a few minutes before reassembling.
• If you break a cap, don’t panic; ask the seller. Many are willing to mail you a single replacement cap, sometimes just for the shipping fee.
• Check your model and keyboard layout before buying; keycap sets are not cross-compatible. Mine is a 16-inch 2021 MacBook Pro.
• The butterfly-keyboard MacBooks (2016-2019) have far more fragile caps and clips. Do not follow this guide on one of those.

Summary

Removing caps: be bold but careful. In general, pry the bottom edge and slide the cap out; for keys with a balance bar, watch the angle and do not use much force. Installing: remember two things. Single balance bars always face down, and the arrow keys snap in from different directions, so observe first, then slide in, no brute force. Everything else is easy, two seconds per key.

All in, it cost 28 yuan plus about an hour of cleaning and swapping, and the typing feel is now identical to a brand-new machine.