'A' and backspace keys not working on 2013 Macbook Air

I've been having this same issue with the same keys for a while now. However, I'm not convinced it's actually a hardware issue, because:

- It's intermittent and doesn't seem to be reliably fixed by any physical orientation of the machine

- It's ALWAYS fixed by rebooting, but appears again hours or days later.

- It appeared almost immediately after I upgraded to Mavericks.

I suspect this is actually caused by an errant application that intercepts keyboard events somehow with a bug. I'm not sure how to track it down though. Some of the possible culprits:

- Divvy
- Launchbar
- Mavericks itself?

I've got the exact same problem and it actually does reliably seem fixed by picking the laptop up under the left side and tilting it to the right. Always works so far, but that's annoying, so i'm still wondering if the keyboard connector fix fixes the problem permanently

https://www.ifixit.com/Guide/MacBook+Air+13-Inch+Mid+2013+Upper+Case+Replacement/15404

Yes, same here. Tilting to the right reliably fixes the problem.
I don't trust myself with the complex procedure to access the keyboard connector - so will give it to the apple support.
I'll let you know. They did quote me 135 € when outside warranty.

Interesting: tilting doesn't seem to do anything for me, though sometimes just hitting the keys harder for a few times seems to do the trick. On the other hand, rebooting has always worked so far. Not sure what to make of it...

Solved.
I gave it in to Apple, they changed the keyboard itself, and voilà - works fine now!

how much was it? was it under warranty?

It was 135 €, outside warranty unfortunately for me (because I was beyond the > 1 year warranty).
That price was quoted in France, but I suspect the order of magnitude to be similar wherever you are.

yea and you have to have them replace it because it's glued to the top plate of the macbook air.

Anyone ever figure this out? Is there a solution other than taking it to a technician?

a and backspace

MBA 2013, same problem
You can tell how surprised how I was when I saw this post with the exact same issue

Not on your lap, which is why Apple insists there portable models are Notebooks, not Laptops.

2013 Macbook Air.

Same exact problem as everyone else.

A and Delete keys sometimes do not work. Havent spilled any water on it.

A new keyboard is not that expensive. Around $200.00. iFixit have good instructions on how to do it yourself.

1,Q, A, Z, and delete frequently nonresponsive on 2013 MacAir

This seems to happen most often when I am using gmail or filling in forms, (or maybe it's just the most frustrating then) including passwords,
and I'm about to kill the computer because of it. Have never spilled anything, but the keyboard was a tad dirty just from fingers, plus I live in humidity. (My last MAir most of the keys lost their lettering) Using ElCapitan 10.11.6

I've cleaned as much as I can without removing keys or keyboard, still happening. Will try tilt test.
I do use it on my lap or a pillow much of the time FWIW.
Very reluctant to try the more invasive iFixit procedures because husband says I kill machines just by touching them.
I guess it's Genius bar for me then?

Thanks for any other wisdom and/or ideas.

Welcome to our forums.

Very reluctant to try the more invasive iFixit procedures because husband says I kill machines just by touching them.
I guess it's Genius bar for me then?

Click to expand...

Your husband may be right (no insult intended). I suspect that your fingers give off and leave a substantial amount of body acid on the keys. I have a daughter who has the same problem. She will easily wear off the letters on a keyboard before too long. Not your fault; blame it on your DNA.

Not much you can do about it except maybe to wear gloves when you use the computer. Replacing the keyboard on a MacBook Air can be expensive, by the way. You might think about buying an iMac for your next Mac. That way, you can easily swap out the keyboard yourself.

Keyboard covers work great for that, I had one on my 2011 MBP, it even fits the Apple Wireless Keyboard.

blueidealist said:

Yes, same here. Tilting to the right reliably fixes the problem.
I don't trust myself with the complex procedure to access the keyboard connector - so will give it to the apple support.
I'll let you know. They did quote me 135 € when outside warranty.

Click to expand...

man but you should know that via the European Union you have to get a two year guarantee...this is the EU law that every electronic product bought in EU has got a two year guarantee

I have the same problem with a mid-2013 MBA and the same situations trigger it. It is also more likely to happen when in gmail or filling in a form.
I took it to a Mac store. They claimed it had experienced a spill (which it had never) and charged me $800 to repair. Started happening again almost immediately.

Lifting the side on which the keys are not working will sometimes fix the problem. Sometimes hitting on the extreme edge of the affected key will work.
Here lately the touchpad is also acting up and these things often happen when I notice the entire unit is quite hot.
It seems to me also that the fan is not coming on as often as it did before this began, although TechTool says the fans are fine.

Someone in another forum suggested it could be a "battery swelling" problem and this scares me!
Any knowledgeable advice appreciated.

Possible Solution

So today my MacBook Air 2013 has started acting up as well.

Keys that come and go:
1, Q, A, BACKSPACE, and VOLUME KEYS

They all stop working at the same. Other keys work fine.

What I tried:
- Tried plugging an external USB keyboard. The external one works, even when the keys in the built in one are acting up. Therefore I concluded the following:
- It is a hardware problem
- Or, it could be some weird virus intercepting my keystrokes. But only for those specific keys for some odd reason.

The first conclusion seemed more valid.


Solution:
1. Close all your programs and turn off the laptop
2. Leave the laptop there for a few minutes (in case it is too cold or too hot... or some external thing is causing it heat up .ie. charging. Stop it. Let it cool down.
3. Place laptop on flat surface. ie. remove anything from underneath it. And do not have it on your lap.
4. After it is in normal room temperature, close the MacBook’s lid. Hold the macbook horizontally with two hands and do a firm bending motion back and forth. Of course, don’t actually cause a bend. Only put enough bending force to bend it 1-2mm at most.

5. Sit it back on a flat surface. Open the lid, power on. And everything should work

I believe the problem comes from your macbook’s heat. Charging and using the laptop heavily at the same time may cause the laptop to heat excessively (if you ever hear the fan, you are causing excessive heat). This excessive heat coupled with your regular bends from travelling in your bag and resting on your legs may cause the keyboard connector to weaken.

Hope this helps .

This makes a lot of sense.
My laptop is literally always used on my...ahem....LAP and perhaps it does get hot and somewhat bent out of shape around my thighs (which is pretty funny when I think about it). The fan is frequently going, though I have installed a fan program to keep it cooler than normal and this seems to have helped...some.
I don't think my arthritic thumbs would allow me to bend it at all, but will give it a try or get some help to try if it bugs me enough.

I certainly hope they have now addressed this issue as I am almost to the point of needing a new one. Perhaps it is only an issue with this particular year's version!

Thanks for your resourcefulness and for sharing; clearly I'm not the only one with this problem!