One or more keys fell off the laptop keyboard and you are not sure how to put them back? Don’t worry, most likely you can fix the keyboard and it’s not necessary to buy a new one. There is no universal repair guide because all keyboards are different. Here’s what I usually do in this case.
Situation 1. The key cap and key retainer fell off the keyboard and you cannot figure out how to assemble them back.
Missing a key? Find a new one at LaptopKey.com
Carefully remove the cap from any other working key so the key retainer stays connected to the keyboard.
Take a closer look at the key retainer, it’s connected to the keyboard at four different points.
Assemble the disconnected retainer the same way as one on the keyboard and put it back in place.
Put the key cap on the retainer and snap the cap back in place.
Situation 2. The key fell off the keyboard and you lost the cap or the retainer. In this case you can purchase a single key here, just search for it. (Search examples: “Dell keyboard key”, “Toshiba keyboard key”, “HP keyboard key”, etc… )
After you found a new key, put it back in place the same way as I described in the situation 1.
Installing the space bar key.
The space bar key is connected to the keyboard a little bit differently then any other key.
There is a metal retainer connected to the space bar key (on some keyboard models). Separate the retainer from the space bar key with a flathead screwdriver.
Install the retainer back in place as it shown on the picture. You have to engage the retainer with the small hooks on the keyboard.
Put the space bar key back in place and gently press on it with fingers until it snaps back in place.
That’s it. The space bar key is installed back in place and should work as before. If you still cannot fix your keyboard, then you’ll have to find a new one and replace it.
Here’s another technique you can use to fix a broken keyboard key.
As you see on the picture below the keyboard is missing the U key. The key cap, retainer and even silicone membrane were lost. Let’s see if it’s possible to temporarily fix the U key without buying any spare parts.
Personally, I cannot use keyboard without U key but I can live without a key located on the side from the right ALT, I’m not even sure what this key does. In the following guide I will remove the useless key and install it in the place of missing U.
Carefully remove the key cap with your fingers.
Remove the retainer. The retainer has two pieces connected to each other. If one piece got disconnected from the other, connect them back together.
The silicon membrane is glued to the keyboard. Very very slowly separate the membrane from the keyboard with a sharp knife. While creating this disassembly guide I damaged one membrane because I wasn’t careful enough.
Again, you have to be very careful removing the membrane.
If you damage the membrane you’ll end up with two broken keys instead of just one.
The silicon membrane has been removed.
Now apply some superglue on the bottom edge of the membrane, just enough to keep the membrane in the place.
Carefully place the membrane in the center of the U. Make sure the membrane is positioned correctly. Wait until the glue cures.
Install the retainer.
Position the key cap above the retainer. Gently press on the key cap until it clips in and connects to the retainer.
Now you can use the U key again.
If you find this article useful, please consider making a donation to the author. Thank you!
March 28th, 2007 at 4:29 am
my laptop very slow. because of virus . which antivirus is better now iam using macfee
April 2nd, 2007 at 10:28 pm
owh… what is the virus in your laptop? i just use avg antivirus.
April 3rd, 2007 at 4:28 pm
How to unsnap and snap the cap please?!
April 6th, 2007 at 11:38 am
Hi, I know this is irrelevant but I couldn’t seem to find a contact anywhere else on the site – I own a Toshiba PSM53A (M50 series) Laptop and I recently started the process of flashing my bios and before I even started, My laptop froze and I had to unplug it to turn it off, when I turned it back on, It did nothing, at all.
Now I’m on a quest to find out if I can fix it, I’ve tried using a USB Flash card reader with the correct bios image on it as well as a CDRW with the image on it, My next option is to go and buy a USB Floppy Drive but I don’t want to spend this money until I can be sure it will work…
I’d really appreciate any information on this matter, Thanks
April 6th, 2007 at 11:53 am
Brendan03,
If I understand right, when you turn on the computer the screen stays black and you get no image at all. If that’s the case, a new USB floppy drive will not help because you will not be able to boot from it. The BIOS is corrupted and you’ll have to replace the motherboard. I don’t know any other way to get it fixed.
April 6th, 2007 at 12:00 pm
Ling,
You hold the key cap by the edges with your fingers and start carefully lifting it up. Try lifting up one side of the key first. I cannot explain how much force you have to use because you have to feel it.
Installing the key cap is much easier. You just position the cap the way it should be and then press on the cap until it snaps in (assuming that the key or holders are not damaged).
April 6th, 2007 at 7:00 pm
I tried to go to the website you have given me to buy a key that has broken. And that link is not working, could you please tell me where I can find a single key. I have searched Google and it seems like I cannot find any results at all. I would really appreciate it if you could help me with this.
April 7th, 2007 at 8:23 am
Angie,
The link in the post should take you to eBay. I don’t know why it’s not working for you, I didn’t find anything wrong with it. I just searched for mainstream manufacturers, such as “Dell keyboard key”, “HP keyboard key”, “Toshiba keyboard key”, “IBM keyboard key” and found all of them. Try it.
April 11th, 2007 at 7:21 am
Hi! How do I replace the space bar key?? The key retainers are both stuck onto the space key.
April 11th, 2007 at 2:11 pm
Thanks for the advice to take off another key, that helped incredibly, because I understood how it worked and provided a model; the “c” on my wife’s laptop works again!
April 12th, 2007 at 4:46 pm
Thank you VERY much for your instructions! I had a key come off about a year ago. I would just snap it back, but it never quite sat right and would eventually fall off again. On a whim, I decided I’d Google to see if there was something I was missing. The retainer always remained on the key. After seeing the pictures here, I removed the retainer from the key instead of trying to attach it at the same time as the key. This allowed the rubber cone to sit correctly for the first time in a year! Thank you!
April 15th, 2007 at 9:22 pm
Not, bad I kind of new how it was i found for my keyboard, you needed to use pliers to hold the middle one in place while you snaped the outer one in place (my keyboad was a bit different, but your images helped out a great deal
April 17th, 2007 at 2:07 pm
I wonder if anyone could help me. The spacebar on my IBM X22 has stopped working for no apparent reason. I have taken it out and cleaned it a number of times but it still doesn’t want to work. Does anyone know how it works exactly or know how to get it working again?
Thank you!
April 18th, 2007 at 5:20 am
I appreciate the laptop key replacement information. Thanks.
But I have to take this one step further. I had a key pop off and in the replacement process, the little ‘cushion’ tab came off the keyboard base. This is the round rubbery thing in the middle of the retainer on the keypad. I still have it. It is shaped like the head of a missle and provides the spring back for the key.
Can I glue this back on? I attempted my best in just putting it where it is located and replacing the key. It works but does not have the same tension as the other keys. I guess I could try again and see if I get more success.
Any suggestions would help.
April 18th, 2007 at 10:52 am
What do you do when a piece of the plastic has broken off or the metal part that is on the base of the kb will not allow the plastic piece to stay in place?
April 21st, 2007 at 11:41 am
Hi,
Thank you for the “S” cap demonstration but could you show me how to do the Spacebar key because that came off with the retainer peices on it.
April 22nd, 2007 at 3:53 pm
Thank you thank you thank you!
I was utterly distraught, and this site gave such a clear and basic way of restoration.
Thank you once again!
April 22nd, 2007 at 10:14 pm
Ken,
Take a look at this blog. Iraqigeek provides step-by-step instructions for replacing the key membrane.
April 24th, 2007 at 7:16 am
MY SPACEBAFR FELL OF I HAVE TRIED EVERYTHIN TO REPAIR IT N IT NT WORK I DUNO WHAT THESE PAPERCLIP WIRES ARE FOR!
April 27th, 2007 at 8:51 am
Sophia,
I added more pictures to the post. The update shows how to install the space bar key. I hope it helps.
April 29th, 2007 at 10:29 pm
the pictures were a great help even though my machine is a little different.
thanks for saving hours of frustration in trying to work it out myself
May 8th, 2007 at 9:18 pm
Stupid cat jumped onto the keyboard and dislodged two of the keys, it took me 10 minutes to figure out how to fix it! I could have used this guide then.
May 9th, 2007 at 10:49 pm
This guide was excellent! It would’ve saved me an hour if in knew….
May 13th, 2007 at 7:19 am
Thank you… This guide is really helpful…
May 13th, 2007 at 3:27 pm
Just another thank you. The photos are great. A big DUH! for me. I didn’t realize that all you have to do is simply press down on the key to put back in place. Sigh. I was trying to lift up the two sides of the retainer and fit them in place on the underside of the key somehow, I thought “There must be a special tool you need to do this.” DUH and double DUH.
May 17th, 2007 at 12:50 am
Thank you for this! The spacebar on my laptop inexplicably broke (OK, I may have over-bashed it in one of my many journal rants), it saved me so much time! thanks again
May 17th, 2007 at 10:18 am
Great guide. Many thanks.
May 18th, 2007 at 9:41 am
thank you for space bar instructions.. it’s working again.
May 20th, 2007 at 2:19 pm
amazing help.honestly that could not have been any better. i’ve been trying toget my o key back on for months and then finally diecided to look something up on google. funny how i struggled for months without knowing this.
May 23rd, 2007 at 2:21 pm
Thanks a lot! Actually, it was not a fallen out key problem, but a huge grain of dust that didn’t allow the key to work properly (and I coudn’t see why). After following these dis/assembly instructions and cleaning the key socket, everything is allright. Really great pictures. Thanks again!
May 29th, 2007 at 2:13 pm
Wow, I spent 2 hours trying to fix this, I read this, and it worked! Thanks alot!!!
June 9th, 2007 at 8:04 am
My kids wanted me to thank your website for saving them. I woke up this morning to find a key torn off. Needless to say I wasn’t happy and after a rather difficult period of trying to fix it I did a search and found this page. Fixed it within two minutes.
June 15th, 2007 at 3:48 pm
Thanks for the valuable information. I was sure that this was going to be a big problem but your information has saved me a lot of time and trouble.
June 18th, 2007 at 8:56 pm
I lost sleep over my spacebar breaking for two nights now thinking I had ruined a very expensive laptop of my husbands… then I found your site. THANK YOU for bringing hope to my situation. My problem is while trying to put the spacebar back on (before I found you) the two of the plastic retainers broke. I cannot find any replacement parts for the MPC Transport T2400 and when contacting the company was told that they do not offer replacement parts. Any idea of how I can get the little plastic thingies that I so desperately need?
June 20th, 2007 at 2:37 am
The other day when I was cleaning my Vaio laptop, I used a soft cloth across the keyboard and inadvertently snagged two of the keys. Both popped off, and I was able to just snap in one of the keys, but the other “O” key kept coming up on one side. After close examination, it looked like the inside molded little plastic clip had broken off. I’ve been searching for a replacement key, but no luck until I found your site. I’ve now ordered the key on Ebay and hopefully that will do the trick. Thank you for your very helpful website. JB
June 20th, 2007 at 6:22 am
Geeze man, i just broke off my c and god knows i need that, haha.
I was getting a bit nervous at first when i popped off another like you said and everything came out with that one too, but then I looked at it and this tutorial and it really helped. Thanks!
June 21st, 2007 at 1:50 am
thank u perfect and simple i thought id have to send the hole thing back
June 26th, 2007 at 8:32 pm
I did the process and i have the key on its place again… but is not working well, it feels stuck. Is anything i can do? Do i have to buy a new key?
June 27th, 2007 at 3:35 pm
I love you! I was so upset when I left my computer open and my daughter “plucked” the “enter” key off (along with the 2 white retaining pieces underneath. I could NOT figure out how to repair this until I found your site and information…. it took me less than 5 minutes! (I did need to take off the “shift” key beneath the “enter” key to see how to reassemble the 2 white retaining pieces)… so thank you for sharing how to do this and giving me the courage to “pluck” off another key, lol! SUCCESS!
July 2nd, 2007 at 5:03 am
I hve a ASUS A3E laptop some of the keys do not work ,I hve ordered a new keyboard can u advice me on how to remove the keyboard
thks
July 3rd, 2007 at 12:25 pm
thanks, my nephew took 4 of my keys out and i fixed it thanks to ur website but for one the little gummie thing came off how do i put it back?
July 4th, 2007 at 2:56 pm
i took my keys off to clean underthem assome were sticking i replaced the space bar as u have said but asu canseeits quite stiff anddoesnt work very well unless ibangit hard in the centre… any ideas?
July 5th, 2007 at 12:05 am
How do you fix the F keys? They’re put together different and I can’t manage to pull another one off to see how it’s put together without breaking it. And when I try to lift one up, I can’t put it back down. Help?!
July 9th, 2007 at 7:45 am
You are my hero.
July 10th, 2007 at 3:37 pm
Hey, Thanks for the tutorial. It helped me fix one of the keys that had come of my very new Dell keyboard.
July 11th, 2007 at 6:28 am
I have an Hp Pavillion dv1000, laptop/notebook, and I had to take off my ‘enter/return’ key to retrieve a crisp. I still have the enter key but don’t know how to put it back on. My keyboard is different to your images, please help!
July 13th, 2007 at 2:02 pm
Thanks so much. It wasn’t ‘exacttly’ the same, but your pics and instructions just helped me to rescue my Thinkpad R30.
Amazing how hard it is to do without a down arrow.
Thx again
July 19th, 2007 at 6:08 pm
You saved my life man. Diff. model, but the concept was all I needed. thanks!!!
July 23rd, 2007 at 9:02 pm
Thanks for the photos and instructions. My keyboard looked a little different, but your help was enough to get me through the job.
July 24th, 2007 at 9:50 am
Thanks, your tutorial helped me fix my keyboard problem, you rock!!!
July 25th, 2007 at 3:57 am
Good Morning,
Thank you for your helpful information, I was able to fix my keyboard quickly and am grateful!
Wishing you a
day!
Linda
July 30th, 2007 at 5:14 pm
Nice! I got my keys back on. Mine have 3 contact points instead of 4, but I got the basic idea. Thanks!
July 31st, 2007 at 2:22 pm
Thank you!!! You saved my life, HP Support sucks, but your guide allowed me to repair the key. Thank you a thousand times.
August 1st, 2007 at 2:37 am
omg!! thank you so much i got a new windows vista acer laptop for £390 pound new yesturday and i was fiddling it fell off and iwas soo scared. thank you sooooo much. my keyboasrd is diffrent but it works the same so i figured it out.
have a greatest of all great days thank you x
August 2nd, 2007 at 2:12 pm
Hi, been trying to find a site for months now, HOW DO YOU FIX AN ENTER/RETURN KEY?
I’m going to take it to a shop soon if I can’t fix it.
Please help the whole thing is off
August 2nd, 2007 at 6:34 pm
Thank so much for the info.. Was able to put back in my space bar
cheers to you!
August 6th, 2007 at 1:49 am
Thanks for the helpfull info. I would not have been able to fix my keyboard without it.
August 7th, 2007 at 4:52 pm
i really appreciate the help!
August 8th, 2007 at 12:03 pm
Thanks!!! I popped off 2 keys at work…don’t ask…and your repair page saved the day. I fixed it myself! My IT admin was going to call an off site tech support to fix this problem.
August 8th, 2007 at 1:53 pm
T;HANKS FOR THE GREAT ADVICE
August 10th, 2007 at 4:22 pm
YOU’RE A LIFESAVER!! I have two small children who have grabbed at my computer many times and taken a key with them.. a fourth broke today and I couldn’t take it anymore and searched online for help.. thanks to you I have a full functioning keyboard again.. thanks so much
August 10th, 2007 at 4:22 pm
HI, I found your information very useful but I’m still have the problems with my spacebar. It does not look like my laptop, a Toshiba Satellite A85-S107, has retainers hooks but rather that the retainer bounces off the a piece of metal that has a hole in it, the hole is too small for the retainer and when I tried to place the retainer in the hole, it stresses it out. Plus, when I type, I have to make sure I hit a certain area of my spacebar or it won’t register the key, particulary the corners of the spacebar. Also if I push a corner of the spacebar only that side goes down. Any advice???
August 11th, 2007 at 5:31 am
This was great help. Thanks so much for putting this info out there.
August 13th, 2007 at 11:36 am
Thank you! I finally got my N key back on correctly thanks to this guide.
August 15th, 2007 at 12:47 pm
THANKS FOR YOUR INFO, WHICH HELP ME TO GET BACK TO WHERE I WAS.
I WAS TAKEN OFF BY THE LITTLE KID AND SPENT A COUPLE OF DAYS MEMORIZING THE STEP AND TICKLING FROM MY BOSS.
THANKS A BUNCH
August 16th, 2007 at 6:45 pm
THANK YOU!!! im 13 and when i broke the ener key my dad was pissed!! you just saved me from never being able to go on he laptop again!
August 18th, 2007 at 12:16 am
thankyou for your space bar help! it worked a treat
thanks again 
August 19th, 2007 at 12:34 am
Awesome! Worked like a charm!! Thanks guys!
August 21st, 2007 at 10:28 am
Thanks for your info!
Anyway, I have a HP Pavillion dv6000, and the spacebar got out of place, and I figured out the correct way to assemble it, and for anyone who needs the info>
First, you have to assemble the four key retainers in their place, then lift up the upper part of the retainers that go below (the little ones), and the metal retainer of the spacebar should be placed inside the key. After that, insert the two little sides of the retainer of the keyboard inside the two little holes they should be, then carefully, press the middle of the spacebar (in the place it should be), and, leaving your finger there, press gently the four corners of the key until it snaps back in place.
August 21st, 2007 at 11:14 am
Thanks a lot for the infomation. I manage to put is back. I must say that you are doing excellence job o help otherr save money.
August 21st, 2007 at 2:53 pm
THANK YOU FOR THE HELP. I WAS ABLE TO PUT IT BACK TOGETHER WITH THE HELP OF YOUR PHOTOS.
I DID HAVE TO TAKE OFF ANOTHER KEY AND LOOK AT IT, AND THEN HAD TO SPEND SOME TIME WORKING ON THAT KEY, BUT I NOW HAVE EVERYTHING BACK ON AND IT IS WORKING!! THANKS FOR YOUR HELP.
August 21st, 2007 at 8:34 pm
I HAVE BEEN TRYING TO FIX MY KEYBOARD KEY FOR MONTHS NOW. THANK YOU VERY VERY MUCH!!!
August 23rd, 2007 at 12:00 pm
Oh my god thank you for your help.My new laptops button came off and I was almost crying and this helped me a lot. =)
August 23rd, 2007 at 7:19 pm
Thankyou somuch I was freaking out about my key the instructions really helped alot!!!
August 24th, 2007 at 10:44 am
The enter key for my Dell, with a similar keyboard to the one you have shown, came off. I cant seem to get the stuff to line up right can you help?
August 25th, 2007 at 6:30 pm
it took me over an hour to get the ctrl key in, but I finally got it
August 26th, 2007 at 8:21 am
ahhh- thank you!!! I thought I would never have my Enter key back on and that just doesn’t work for someone in law school!
Extremely helpful – thank you!
August 27th, 2007 at 5:48 am
Thanks a lot! I would never have attempted this without having pictures to guide me through it. You just solved my 3 year old broken spacebar problem!!!
August 28th, 2007 at 10:22 am
Thank you so much. I was so stressed because my dog jumped on the laptop and knocked off the period key. I couldn’t write a sentence properly. Now it is fixed in less than 5 minutes. I am so happy I could kiss you.
August 28th, 2007 at 12:05 pm
My broken key is on a Gateway laptop and is the backspace key.
It just happened! Grandchild pulled it off. His mother is going to kill me. So! It has a perfectly good key with this little wire on the back… then a rubber bumper dealy bob fell out of a hole I think… then this little square piece that looks like the one to the left of the bigger square that has the hole for the rubber piece, fell off. I think I could get it all to snap back, if that small black plastic piece was in place like the one on the other side. There seems to be nothing that attaches it. Does anyone have a website that has to do with Gateways? Thanks for any help!!!
August 28th, 2007 at 1:15 pm
I popped one key (alt) off to see if I could just pull them all and clean the key contacts from the top. The key came off with the balancers attached. It wouldn’t go back on with the balancers attached. Visions of making a delicate wire gizmo to pop everything back in pace just didn’t work out. Glad to find out the key POPPED onto the balancer after the balancer was first installed on the board!
August 30th, 2007 at 10:02 am
Hello,
I was just looking for something else on google and found this forum. I just wanted to link you directly to right place where you can get your missing key.
http://stores.ebay.co.uk/Help-fix-laptops
In this shop you will find keys for almost 100 different model laptops and the moment and there will me more soon.
Regards,
Edvardas
September 1st, 2007 at 2:50 am
Somehow popped one of the retainers off my spacebar and couldnt figure out how to get it back on my HP Pavillion dv2000 keyboard.
This site was very helpful, everything popped back into place on the first try. Thanks for everything
September 3rd, 2007 at 5:24 pm
i have a window vista laptop and i accidently took out a key from laptop. The containers are different from your picture. Also thanks for the help of showing me how to fix my cousin laptop.
September 4th, 2007 at 7:47 pm
thank you thank you thank you—i was panic stricken i would never use my “r” key again LOL —your instructions made the fix so simple THANKS again
September 6th, 2007 at 8:55 am
Thanks a lot… your step by step method of explaination along with pictures made it a lot lot easier for me to fix similar problem. Thanks again for taking efforts to maintain a good website like this.
September 8th, 2007 at 10:39 am
i got a compaq and it nothing like thiz
can u ztill help me?
September 11th, 2007 at 3:29 am
Legend!!! Thanks Dude, your advice has been a great help. i did think that at one point the damn key was never going to fit back on to the keyboard!! Phew! Thanks again!!!!!!!
September 12th, 2007 at 5:10 am
Incredible! Many thank.
Key clicked on first try!
Geek Squad wanted $75.00
September 14th, 2007 at 9:58 am
i got a compaq and it nothing like thiz
can u ztill help me?
iI afree with this helpo uussss please
September 14th, 2007 at 10:55 am
The key that fell off of my board is the enter key (dell laptop) and the metal bar thing is shaped a bit differently from the spacebar. Maybe I can get a little help with that? In the meantime I will try and mimic the spacebar solution. =3
September 16th, 2007 at 7:11 am
My space bar fell off and thanks to you as long as I hit the key inthe middle it’s okay
September 16th, 2007 at 6:52 pm
My 18-month-old took off the space bar on my almost new Dell Inspiron, and it wasn’t working properly after my husband (a computer engineer) did “the best he could” to put it back on. I had to almost pound on it to make it work. I found your instructions, took apart the space key the way you said, snapped it back in place, and now it’s working perfectly. Thanks! And I’m going to show my husband the proper way to put the space bar back on.
September 21st, 2007 at 3:56 pm
my shift key fell of my keyboard and i cant seem to get it back in tact. Can you please help me by doing the same diagram type thing but with a shift key(left side) . Please help me!!!!!
September 23rd, 2007 at 9:27 pm
OMG Thank you!!! My “O” key completely fell off… brackets and all. Thanks to your instructions and photo demonstrations, I was able to repair my keyboard back to new using just a pair or tweezers. Thanks so much. Hail to you and the internet!!!
September 24th, 2007 at 11:11 am
Thanks much! Replaced a “J” key with the nice photos and assistance. Great laptop keyboard repair instructions!
September 25th, 2007 at 1:03 am
SweeTT!! I’ve had my laptop for like, 2 or 3 years, then I start playing this game, and i get 4 broken buttons
I kept on playing after the first 2 popped buttons, but after the 3rd and fourth, I couldn’t ignore it. I searched and found your website, and I fixed them EZ
Thanks soo much, and peace 
You people rock
September 25th, 2007 at 2:38 am
Thanks a million!!
The first time a key came off I ended up breaking the little clips and had to replace the keyboard – this time I found your site and after just a couple of minutes the problem was fixed!!
Thanks so much.
September 25th, 2007 at 5:55 am
My laptop has 3 letters on a key but pressing the key display a letter and there is no how i can shift within these keys,even with shift,caplocks key.
September 25th, 2007 at 9:37 am
Thank you, Thank you, Thank you!!!! I was able to get my Enter key reattached! The well written instructions and the pictures helped a lot!
September 25th, 2007 at 3:54 pm
thank you for your oustanding help, ps memtest86 is better than memtest86+ i found
September 27th, 2007 at 5:10 am
Raheem siriru,
Did you try both Shift keys, maybe one of them does not work?
Let’s take for example one of the keys with three different symbols: ?,/,+
If you press on the key, it should type “/”. If you hold down the Shift and then press on the key, it should type “?”. In order to type “+”, you’ll have to enable NumLk (Number Lock) on the keyboard.
Right now I’m typing on an IBM laptop and I can enable NumLk by pressing two keys: Shift and NumLk. On some laptops you have to press Fn+NumLk.
I hope it helps.
October 1st, 2007 at 5:31 pm
Do you know of any websites where i can order just a spacekey? I broke mine trying to clean it (cat hair kept if from working properly) and now it wont stay attached because I broke the clip mechanism.
October 2nd, 2007 at 7:48 pm
Your website is very helpful! I honestly didn’t think I’d find a website that would help me do something as easy as fixing a popped key! AND your instructions are easy to follow and your screenshots help alot too! Thank you so very much!
October 5th, 2007 at 9:29 pm
You are wonderful, the stupid cat jumps on to my wife laptop keyboard and a key pop off.
Honey would you please fix it and honey spent two hours figuring how to fix it. Nothing until I found your site and the first image is the same laptop and the same problem.
My wife thinks now that I am a genius.
Thank you very, very much
October 7th, 2007 at 8:15 am
thanks man…. this was tons of help
October 14th, 2007 at 8:02 pm
the key retainer is snapped into 4 peaces for my 4 key. the 4 key is fine, its just the retainer that is broken. do you know where i can find another retainer??
October 18th, 2007 at 5:41 pm
my > and left arrow key are off and both of them are “on on the bottom half but the top half is up. I can’t get it to go down and the laptop are different from the picture. Help please?
October 26th, 2007 at 3:58 am
thanks. my (s) came of the keyboard but the only problem is that the key is a bit stiff and doent look the smame as the others
October 26th, 2007 at 6:49 pm
Wow, I thought I was going to lose it on my computer and then I was worried I’d have to pay an outrageous bill for putting a key back on my keyboard… not only did you save me from a world of peril, but I also learned how to fix keyboards for friends too! Thanks so much, this was very helpful and a wonderful find!
October 29th, 2007 at 11:08 am
I am having trouble snapping the keys back onto my laptops keyboard. I get the reattached and they sit crooked or “sprung” on one side. Can anyone help me? My toddler decided it was fun to pick off several keys the other day…Thanks for the help.
Sincerely, Angela Jordan
October 29th, 2007 at 12:59 pm
My “G” key broke on my laptop (the retainer was broken and unable to be repaired) So I removed the retainer from the “ALT” key on the right side of the keyboard because there’s two of the same button and snapped that into place of the “G” key. It worked great.
October 29th, 2007 at 8:25 pm
My up key fell off, i put it back on, but it now sits sunkey, and isnt real bouncy like the others are and how it used to be,
November 4th, 2007 at 5:59 am
Thank you so much for taking the time to explain with pictures how to put the key cap back on.
To Angela Jordan and Chris: Mine was a little crooked and weird the first couple dozen times I tried also but I realised that it was because it wasn’t fully attached at all ends. Just GENTLY remove and try again until it snaps fully into place and it will look, feel and function like it never came off in the first place. Good luck.
November 5th, 2007 at 8:54 am
your solution worked perfectly! My “v” key is back in business and you’d never know it fell off.
THANK YOU! Especially for posting with pics…
November 6th, 2007 at 8:17 am
Thanks thast helped me and my boyfriend alot
November 6th, 2007 at 2:21 pm
Thank you soooooooooooooooooooooo much
It works !!
couldn’t know how to thank you
November 7th, 2007 at 11:31 am
hey thanks it really helped i can’t believe i was going to pay to get my ctrl key fixed.the step by step pictures really helped.
November 8th, 2007 at 4:34 am
Thank you so much for saving my laptop!! My baby pulled off the shift keys and I was going nuts with them. My keys are a bit different but your main principle works! Genius idea!!
Thank you again very very much!
November 13th, 2007 at 3:14 pm
Thanks a ton! I was just typing on my Toshiba Laptop, which I have only had for a few months and the E button popped right off. It took me several tries to get it inline, but I eventually got it in. For the people that said their keys were sunken in still, or crooked, just pop the key back off and try again…I had to several times to finally get it back to the way it was. Great help guide though, especially with the pictures…THANK YOU!
November 14th, 2007 at 9:07 am
Awesome instructions! By far the best description I found. Thank you.
November 14th, 2007 at 9:41 pm
You Rock!!!!
I thought I had seriously screwed up my laptop. I’ve been fussing with this darn key for the last 2 hours. Your instructions are absolutely perfect. Thank you!!! Now I don’t have to take my laptop into a repair shop.
Again, You Rock!!!
November 15th, 2007 at 11:44 am
Perfect!!!!
Fantastic instructions!!!!
Thanks a bunch!
November 15th, 2007 at 1:23 pm
Jake here again, I posted yesterday thinking I had fixed my E key. It keeps popping off though! I get the bracket on or the retainer thing, and then pop on the plastic key part. All seems to be fine, and then it gradually works its way off until I’m typing and it comes out
. When I put them in, they make a snap into place, and I’ve looked at both pieces and neither of them are “broke” they just seem to be popping out…any help?
November 15th, 2007 at 1:48 pm
The spacebar on my Acer laptop has TWO metal retainers, one on the top and one on the bottom. So I’m having trouble with this step:
“Install the retainer back in place as it shown on the picture. You have to engage the retainer with the small hooks on the keyboard.”
I can see where the bottom retainer goes, because there are two hooks it has to slide in to. But I have no idea what to do with the other metal retainer.
Can you please help me? Thank you.
November 17th, 2007 at 9:33 am
my partner hoovered up my J and U and i cant find them does anyone know where i can buy replacement keys from???????????? HELP PLEASE
November 21st, 2007 at 10:46 am
I have this same problem on my dell precision m50. cananyone help me?
i can pop it back in but the spacebar doesnt spring back out.
125Chris M Says:
November 15th, 2007 at 1:48 pm
The spacebar on my Acer laptop has TWO metal retainers, one on the top and one on the bottom. So I’m having trouble with this step:
“Install the retainer back in place as it shown on the picture. You have to engage the retainer with the small hooks on the keyboard.”
I can see where the bottom retainer goes, because there are two hooks it has to slide in to. But I have no idea what to do with the other metal retainer.
Can you please help me? Thank you.
November 21st, 2007 at 11:32 am
I have a Dell laptop and the little rubber piece in the center of the retainer came off the W key on my keyboard. I have all parts, just don’t know if I should glue the little rubber piece or what. Any comments are greatly appreciated.
November 21st, 2007 at 6:42 pm
Wow.
Thanks a bunch.
November 22nd, 2007 at 4:26 pm
Thanks for saving my life… this article solved what seemed like hours of frustration wonderig why the damn thing wouldn’t fit back onto the keyboard!
November 25th, 2007 at 1:05 pm
I dropped a book onto my laptop keyboard & the G & H key caps & retainers flew off. I tried several times to replace them & spent hours trying to work out how the key retailer reassembled.
After just five minutes of studying your photos & instructions. They popped back on.
What excellent clear instructions! Thank you for putting this info on the net & for FREE.
November 25th, 2007 at 7:02 pm
Linda,
I think you can glue it in using super glue. Check this article for more details.
November 28th, 2007 at 7:31 am
I have looked at your instructions, and although very clear, I am having a major problem.
The Caps lock key has come off of my laptop – it appears to be in a similar design to the spacebar. However, it is not the metal retainer that I am having problems with. It is the black bits inside, the bits that cover the spongey thing – is this making any sense? They have completely come off of my laptop! I have all the pieces, but I can’t for the life of me figure out how to fix it all.
I would really appreciate the help if you can, else I’m going to have to face my Dad, and tell him I have broken his laptop
I just hope I don’t have to pay for it…
Thanks again!
November 28th, 2007 at 5:05 pm
Where do I find replacement keys for my Toshiba laptop?
November 29th, 2007 at 9:05 pm
You so ROCK! I had to do an enter key that my kid knocked off . . . the little pieces were completely indecipherable. But the opposite side shift key was similar, and a few minutes later . . . presto!
I can’t believe how complex the little plastic bits were. And I’d never have figured it out without looking at this site (and a good magnifying glass). Thanks a million.
November 30th, 2007 at 9:27 am
you are the best, i did a live chat with gateway and they told me i needed a new keyboard and that this was not a known problem. I didn’t believe them, so glad i didn’t. i knew it was just a puzzle to put together, thanks
November 30th, 2007 at 10:46 pm
Tony,
You can find most replacement keys for laptop keyboards here.
December 2nd, 2007 at 5:30 pm
thanks you are the greatest!!!
December 2nd, 2007 at 11:03 pm
My Alt key came out along with key retainer tied to the cap, I could fix only after looking at your demonstration. Thanks a lot!
December 4th, 2007 at 8:15 pm
Are the function keys of a Dell Inspiron different than the other keys? One of mine is crooked and I can’t get it to push down in the front. Another one will not snap at all in the front. The back (or top) of both keys is snapped into place. If you could help I would be very grateful!
December 5th, 2007 at 9:30 pm
My baby knocked out the space bar key today. The last time my wife managed to put it back – took her 30 mins. With your clear instructions, it was working within 5 mins. Thanks a million!
December 11th, 2007 at 8:27 pm
Our Foster Kitty (with Mega Claws) tore off 6 of my keys!! Thought I’d have to buy a new computer until I googled…Laptop Keys fell OFF – Here I am, and God BLESS you for such GREAT instructions!
YEaaaaaaaaaa you all are the BEST
Debbie
December 11th, 2007 at 9:42 pm
thank you so much you saved my life it took me a while to figure it out but without your site i would not have my “o”. Every other sight either told me to glue it or pay a pro to do it. Thank you so much for your logical solution!!
December 12th, 2007 at 10:49 am
thanks you just saved me a £50 repair bill
darren
December 15th, 2007 at 11:03 am
thank you very much… It is a much easier way comparing it with the way the “expert” in my neighborhood repaired the lap top.
December 15th, 2007 at 9:58 pm
tip – when i tried these steps, the retainer clips (and therefore the key as well) remained stuck in the lower, or “pressed key” state. so after installing the retaining clips, make sure they move freely before pressing the key cap back in.
my clips were sticking at the top connect point, where the plastic bar slides under the metal bar. a little poking with a unfolded paper clip, and i got it to move freely – and the key works perfectly now.
December 18th, 2007 at 2:08 pm
The O key came off my Compaq notebook (wonder if there’s a problem with “o” – see Kate post #143). Anyway, your site and clear pics showed me what was going on. My hinge and key were all together and rather than take another key off (too scary!!) I figured out the hinge attachment points and just located them and pressed. Voila!
So, although I didn’t follow the plan (and I still don’t see quite on my Compaq if and how the key comes apart from the hinge), your site was a life saver. Thanks!!
December 19th, 2007 at 1:25 pm
I just wanted to tell you Thank You. I dropped something on my laptop keyboard and the letter J popped off with the retainer still connected to the key cap. I pryed it off and got it back on the laptop and I was able to pop the key cap back on. I thought I was going to have to take it tto the repair shop.
December 21st, 2007 at 11:36 am
umm thanks it didn’t help very much though..my c button
came off and i have NO clue what to do. please help me.
your pictures didn’t help very much because my key retainer is a bit different. If you could give me more descriptive help
I would appreciate it.
December 22nd, 2007 at 8:10 am
just wanted to tell you thanks. my son dropped the laptop and i had no clue how the enter key went back on,but with your website i was able to fix it in about 3 minutes thanks and i will be referring my friend with problems to your site.
December 22nd, 2007 at 10:03 pm
YOUR TUTORIAL WAS WONDERFUL! IT TOOK ME A WHILE, BUT I FINALLY FIGURED IT OUT. I WAS PLANNING TO GIVE THIS LAPTOP TO MY WIFE BUT I COULDN’T DO IT WITH A BROKEN NUMBER 2. I RIPPED THE KEY OFF AND I COULDN’T GET IT BACK ON. THANKS TO YOUR TUTORIAL, I PUT THE TWO BACK ON AND IF FIXED THE KEY AS WELL.
December 23rd, 2007 at 4:32 am
nahh it doesn’t work… i mean it doesn’t work for my keyboard, because my son managed to snap it off and he kind of threw the retainer away… please don’t tell me i must fix it up, because it caused a lot of money to fix it. please tell me how to fix it up!!!
December 23rd, 2007 at 1:05 pm
my space bar fell off and also m key & the key next to it. (the right) of it. I just purchased the in may & I need it for school. the keys around them are affected by this. what do i do?
December 23rd, 2007 at 1:26 pm
nicole drost,
If you cannot fix the keys, it will be necessary to replace the keyboard. It’s possible the manufacturer will replace the keyboard under warranty. If you are using this laptop at home, you can attach an external USB keyboard and use it as a temporary replacement.
December 24th, 2007 at 11:02 am
Thanks for the pictures!!!…..15 second repair…no trip to the shop…..kids are safe for another day!
December 26th, 2007 at 10:17 pm
Thanks a bunch!
December 26th, 2007 at 11:56 pm
2 keys popped off but the retainer is on the key help?
December 27th, 2007 at 12:37 am
one key is fixed but the other isnt and it just wont stick
December 27th, 2007 at 6:08 pm
WOW! good pix dumb head like me took a few minutes to figure out but got it eventually studying the picture. My buttons were same type as shown in your space bar key. A pix is worth a thousand words? (In this case even a million would have not been enough)My compliments to ya
December 28th, 2007 at 3:18 am
thnx u so much who ever you are
January 1st, 2008 at 5:14 pm
HEY – WORKED LIKE A CHARM! My girlfriend has to buy me a beer now!
JB
January 2nd, 2008 at 8:50 am
Thanks…I spend hours trying to fix the “J” key that had come off my laptop. Finally thanks to your site it seems so simple….. Thanks very much!
January 4th, 2008 at 12:51 am
How about when the 2 white small things don’t exist ? I have a Dell Inspiron, a key fell but there’s no mechanism to snap back in (no 3 parts, just the keycap and the sensitive “button” in the keybord. So there are NO white plastic pieces. When I try, it sits there but will not stay.
January 5th, 2008 at 1:48 pm
Hey thanks man.. I thought I had to get a new keyboard when 2 of the keys came off my laptop. I fixed it in few minutes after reading ur tip. Great tip.. You rock..!!
January 7th, 2008 at 8:24 am
I cant get my key cap off, i need to take it off bt i dont know how to do it, its a toshiba tecra A9. any advice anyone?
January 7th, 2008 at 11:47 am
Thank you for showing the picture keys, very helpful
January 8th, 2008 at 10:23 am
thank you so much for your help! i got my spacebar back on! haha
January 9th, 2008 at 6:07 am
Thanks for the info – it worked super. FYI, I was referred to your site by an online tech at HP. Keep up the great work!
January 11th, 2008 at 8:49 am
Thank you…I spend hours trying to fix the “F” & “down arrow”key that had come off my laptop by my 6month young baby…:) I have fixed it so easily that i could not belive i have done so. I meant to be spending about £50 to fix this… once again Thank you very much. !
January 11th, 2008 at 2:34 pm
Thanks so much for the info. I was able to repair my son’s laptop with you help!
January 12th, 2008 at 3:02 pm
Horrible instructions. “Take another key off to see how it’s done, and follow suit?” Thanks a lot, I never would have thought of that myself [sarcasm]. Consider this situation:
My key is sticky, so I popped it off to clean underneath it, and now I can’t get it back on. The LAST thing I want to do is to ruin another key by taking it off.
January 12th, 2008 at 4:45 pm
Then why are you looking for instructions on the Internet. Just buy a new keyboard and replace it smart ass.
And stop eating when you work on the laptop, it will help. Good luck!
By the way, read previous 170 comments. These instructions worked great for many people.
January 13th, 2008 at 6:19 am
Thanks! The backspace key, with the retainer attached, came off and I couldn’t get it back on. Your pictures showed me that it was actually two pieces, key and retainer, and that the retainer needed to be on the laptop first. I then got the retainer off the key, easily got it back on the laptop, and then snapped the key into place! So simple when you have a little help from someone who knows! Thanks for sharing your knowledge.
January 13th, 2008 at 6:19 pm
My F key is off and it doesn’t want to snap back on….any other suggestions?
January 14th, 2008 at 2:17 pm
THANK you SOOO much! My N key had stopped functioning (junk underneath), and I knew the right answer was to pop off the key (our cockatiel does it, why can’t I?), clean underneath. Only the key retainer came, too, and without your ace photos and instructions I never would have had the nerve. I popped off the B key and this time only the cap came off, and I could inspect the other retainer. Managed to wiggle it in there with the help of a plastic Bic pen top. Everything works perfectly now!
January 15th, 2008 at 3:08 pm
I have tried many times to put this stupid key in. This treatment does not work. im switching to geico
January 16th, 2008 at 9:34 am
THANK YOU SO FLIPPIN MUCH
January 19th, 2008 at 12:01 am
THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU!!!!!!!!!!!!
I have been trying to get that thing on for 2 months now. You have no idea the agony I have gone through. THANK YOU!!!!!!!!!
January 20th, 2008 at 6:57 am
YOU ROCK!
January 21st, 2008 at 8:11 am
I think you are a complete genius – I’ve been trying to figure this out for ages and you have just made it so easy. Thanks so much.
January 22nd, 2008 at 1:45 pm
do u also know how to fix a backspace key on a compaq presario v6065ea keyboard? thankyou.
January 24th, 2008 at 5:09 pm
just wanted to add to the list and say THANK YOU! my “L” key is happily back in its rightful place!
January 24th, 2008 at 9:23 pm
TY SO much i got my enter key fixed because of this…the pictures helped SO much..
January 24th, 2008 at 9:57 pm
Thanks so much for the repair tip! Got my “r” key back on and working
January 26th, 2008 at 5:18 pm
Thanks so much. The pictures were a great help. Got my S back in place.
January 27th, 2008 at 6:41 am
The “F” fell off my keyboard and thanks to your guide I replaced it in a few minutes and quite alot of searching. THANKS so much, it looks as good as new and does not wobble. Saved me £25. THANKS!!!!
January 27th, 2008 at 6:02 pm
Thanks a bunch. I was freaking out to say the least. It usually costs about $300 and I just snapped it back in.
January 28th, 2008 at 2:14 pm
Thank you. I was able to put 2 keys back on.
January 29th, 2008 at 12:10 pm
how bout a way to fix the esc key!
January 30th, 2008 at 3:04 pm
Hi great site , only problem is all the keys i`ve seen are different than the one on my Compaq presario V6254ea , just wondering if anybody has any info on how to put keys back on to this type .
Regards
Chris
January 30th, 2008 at 3:21 pm
It didn’t help(not saying its bad advice but i have a diffrent computer
January 31st, 2008 at 10:44 am
I just want you to know, your step by step instructions on how to put my popped off space bar were exellent! I love you! You saved my company 50.00-60.00 Everywhere i called they were telling me i had to replace my entire keyboard. All I did was follow your pictured instructions a Viola!
Leanna M
Sales & Catering Manager, Marriott
January 31st, 2008 at 12:58 pm
I have the exact problem with three keys missing on a Medion MD 2900 notebook. Medion no longer sends individual keys for replacement like they did when I was under warranty. The advice here is great and I am now headed to ebay with high hopes that I can find the indidividual keys I need. Thanks for the good advice here.
February 6th, 2008 at 12:32 pm
I have a problem with the compaq presario v5000 shift key..it is different than the space bar..i can send you an image thanks
February 7th, 2008 at 6:52 pm
Thank YOU! I was just typing away in the “E” key cap (with the retainer attached) just popped off. Freaked out first of all, then searched and found your website. Photos and instructions were great – had it back on in less than 5 minutes. Didn’t even have to pry off another working key, just noticed, when I looked closer, how the retainer must be fitted into the keyboard.
Thanks again!
February 7th, 2008 at 8:42 pm
This helped perfectly! Thanks a lot!
February 8th, 2008 at 8:42 am
I’m working on a Toshiba Satellite 1405 Series with 6 missing keycaps/retainers. Is there a source to purchase replacement caps and retainers? Or is it time to replace entire keyboard?
(L-Ctrl, Win, D, B, Pause, down arrow)
February 10th, 2008 at 4:16 am
Thanks for the pictures. It helped me fix my popped keys. saved me a trip to the repairer.
February 10th, 2008 at 9:09 am
bless you, bless you, bless you!!!!!!!!!
You have saved my dog from a severe skinning.
lesson learned…. never leave laptop on sofa in a housefull of excitable dogs. Think I will take said dog on a walk now, to lower blood pressure and reacquaint myself with the fact that I really DO love this idiot dog. And yes, I was an idiot myself.
February 10th, 2008 at 9:17 am
Wow. These instructions were excellent. I was able to fix my son’s laptop within minutes by following the step by step instructions.
Thanks
February 10th, 2008 at 9:11 pm
thank you soooo much..i didnt think that i would be able to put the keys back myself but the pictures were extremely helpful..JEN
February 11th, 2008 at 1:50 pm
Thank you so very much!!! My little brother was highly upset and banged his fist on the keyboard and I was left with a missing space bar and Alt key! Luckily, I found them on the floor… and Google led me to this site! Kudos to you and to google!!! Mostly to you!
February 13th, 2008 at 5:18 am
Ken,
I think it makes sense to replace the whole keyboard. You can find the replacement here for about $30-35.
February 14th, 2008 at 10:30 pm
ahhh! thank you! :]
February 15th, 2008 at 10:35 am
another victim of leaping dog. tosh 2007:
1) reattach white hinged retainer.
2) press bottom of key on first seems easier, then press top of key.
(u should hear all 4 corners snap on.)
February 16th, 2008 at 6:07 am
Hi my dell laptop button (k) had come off and i super glued it back on like an idiot and after 1 day i went to check on it and it had turned rock solid and i couldn’t press the button in. so can anyone help with what to do now pleaseeee??
February 16th, 2008 at 12:07 pm
Thank you very much for this tutorial. Kudos to you!
February 16th, 2008 at 8:24 pm
[...] A key popped off the laptop keyboard. Do you have to replace the keyboard now? Can you install it back on the keyboard without taking the whole laptop to a repair shop? Yes, you can fix this problem at home without buying a new keyboard or paying a lot of money to the repair shop. This guide has step-by-step instructions for installing the “bad” key back on the keyboard. [...]
February 17th, 2008 at 7:28 am
I have a bronken hinge cover and need to replace a hinge cover on a compaq persario v5000. ANy ideas on where I might locate one?
February 21st, 2008 at 8:11 am
Gary,
You’ll find new hinge covers for a Compaq Presario v5000 series laptops here.
February 21st, 2008 at 8:18 am
qumer,
Apparently it’s time to buy a new keyboard. You’ll find keyboard replacement instruction in the laptop manual.
February 21st, 2008 at 5:17 pm
omg!!
i fixed mine!
thank you so much i feel like a technician lol
February 22nd, 2008 at 4:14 pm
Thanks for the guide was very helpful.
I now have a few keys I had to replace due to a drinks spillage which is very annoying as some keys go sticky to press. Was just wondering if you knew what the backspace was like underneath as I don’t want to remove it incase there is a bar or something really tricky to get back on, the Enter key took me about 2 hours and I don’t want to have to go through that again.
Help appreciated. Thanks. =)
February 24th, 2008 at 12:14 pm
My keys look a little bit different and I wasn’t able to snap them back on easily. I am using a gateway notebook and it took me a long time to figure out how to put the key back on. The top two points were the hardest to snap on. I needed to get a knife and put lots of pressure right where the two prongs connect. It did the trick but I tried lots of times with my finger and it didn’t work. I hope this suggestion will help other people who can’t put the key back on just with your finger pressure. Use a knife and put lots of pressure right on the top two points to get the prongs to sit in tightly. Otherwise you will only have half the key connected and it will fall off. Goodluck
February 26th, 2008 at 6:49 pm
Well done! Thanks so much for your help!
Granted, this site wasn’t easy to find either…
February 27th, 2008 at 2:50 pm
This was awesome. I would never have figured it out, and certainly would not had the guys to pop a 2nd key off thinking that I would just make a bad situation worse. You definitely saved me. Thx.
February 28th, 2008 at 10:16 am
My wife knocked off the right arrow key on her HP Pavilion laptop.
(Lower right corner) The pieces in your pictures above don’t match. Are there more pix of the HP laptops?
March 1st, 2008 at 4:57 am
Real life saver! Thanks a bunch for the detailed instructions!!
March 1st, 2008 at 12:32 pm
This is such an awesome instructional site. My spacbar fell off and one set of the retainers is broken. Where can I find key retainers for purchasing?
March 2nd, 2008 at 4:32 pm
You helped me greatly with your info on keycap removal and replacement. My daughter dripped one drop of soda on my keyboard and glued down the up arrow and enter key. Your site gave me the confidence to fix it myself. Thanks!
March 2nd, 2008 at 11:17 pm
Hi..
It was great key just came off and i fixed it using this tutorial in no time
March 3rd, 2008 at 7:51 pm
[...] Finally, if you still cannot figure out how to install the missing key back on the keyboard or if you have another laptop brand, check out this instructions for fixing keyboard keys. [...]
March 11th, 2008 at 10:52 am
thanks a lot, it worked. I am grateful
March 12th, 2008 at 6:36 am
AWESOME. After monkeying around with it for a few minutes I got it. I was freakin’ out because my 1 year old got a hold of my laptop and removed a key. But all is good again. Thanks a bunch!!!!
March 16th, 2008 at 10:06 am
Thanks a lot… It was soo helpful… thanks again..
March 16th, 2008 at 4:55 pm
the left hinge on my laptop has cracked and when i close it the back part sticks out
the fence looking thingy that covers the vent thing broke off.
if i open the screen to far it looks like the crack gets worse.
i have a v5000 compaq and i looked all over the website and there isnt to much there.
wat should i do?
March 16th, 2008 at 7:47 pm
Sarah,
If the hinge is broken, you’ll have to replace it.
You can find replacement hinges for a Compaq Presario v5000 series laptops here, just search for “v5000 hinges”.
March 18th, 2008 at 12:42 pm
thanks very much it helped me very much
and thanks angain
(i have a fixed keyboard again)
March 19th, 2008 at 9:42 pm
Wher can I purchase a key retainer for my HP Pavilion ze5700 lap top? A key came off but the white retainer broke. Instead of buying a new keyboard as suggesed by the Fleece Squad I was hoping I could just replace the key retainer! Thanks
March 20th, 2008 at 5:08 pm
I was able to put the retainer back on, but the rubber piece also came off, should I just glue it back?
March 21st, 2008 at 2:09 am
hi i have broke my 1 key before and did that thing great!
but ma space bar key retainer wont clip? and its broken can u helpme?????
March 21st, 2008 at 5:17 pm
Thank you so much for you instruction, it saved me a trip to bestbuy after my baby pulled the space bar off.
March 21st, 2008 at 7:26 pm
Thanks for this! i never thought i could get the S key back onto my laptop!
March 21st, 2008 at 9:19 pm
Chris,
I think you can glue it back on the keyboard, just don’t use a lot of glue. Check out this site for more detailed instructions.
March 22nd, 2008 at 5:48 pm
A hair got caught behind the “t” on my keyboard and I popped it off. I could see the retaining clips but did not have the confidence to snap it back on. I snapped it back on per your instructions but Now I really need to press hard on the “T” to get it to register. Any solution?
March 23rd, 2008 at 3:45 am
Thanks a lot
I was freakin out and just then came by ur website grt. I fixed the key myself.
Thanks a ton
March 23rd, 2008 at 6:57 pm
Hello i lost the bubble pieceon my k key on my dell laptop where can i use to replace that?
March 24th, 2008 at 7:54 am
I don’t have a problem cleaning the keyboard to my desktop. I read that you could put it in the dishwasher (topshelf) and just a bit of soap. I tried it with a board I was going to replace and it worked great. But I realize each time I do it I could ruin the KB and I accept that.
Now I’ve spilled a little something on my Laptop’s kb. There is no way I can afford to replace the laptop. Can I just pop a key off and clean under it and then pop it back on? I realize that it must seem like a stupid question but the last time I had a laptop worked on it cost me $120 ($60 to even look at it plus $60 an hour.) When I took it back because it still wasn’t fixed they told me they would be happy to keep looking for the problem. (Like Hell.)
Thanks
ID
March 25th, 2008 at 9:08 am
Thanks so much. I didn’t glue back the rubber piece, just placed it carefully after replacing the retainer and tapped down the key cap. It’s working great.
March 25th, 2008 at 12:42 pm
Cany anyone help me my o key came off my laptop however the key retainer stayed on, im just clueless about how to snap the key back onto the keyboard
March 25th, 2008 at 1:37 pm
OMG i can not belive that this site just fixed my alt button on the left side. I’ve been tryin for like 2 day until u helped me! I have 3 laptop and 1 desk top and I just want tostay on my laptop instead.
it was funny 4 a minuete
lastnight me and my cuzin was playing on our webcam but thats wen the button fell out cuz i thougt i could easily fix it bac but no,no that time. so my dad came and he was like let me see ya cumputer real quick to check sum thin so i took like 20 min to just dont give him my cumputer but my cuzzin’s…………………………………………that wuld of been so many trouble 4 me, he just boughtme this a week ago.
March 26th, 2008 at 3:00 am
Really Very Helpfull………………..
March 26th, 2008 at 6:59 pm
Irving,
It depends on how much liquid you spilled and most likely the cleaning will not work. Laptop keyboards are different.
What laptop do you have? Make, model? Maybe I can help you to find disassembly instructions and you can replace the keyboard yourself, it shouldn’t be very difficult. If you can find a new replacement keyboard yourself it shouldn’t be expensive either.
March 28th, 2008 at 8:42 am
I suppose if the tiny little metal hooks that are physically on the keyboard are missing, then I am SOL. I was ending them back up and they broke off.
Thank you for your help.
March 28th, 2008 at 2:00 pm
Thank you… that key was driving me crazy!!!!
How easy to fix using your instructions
March 29th, 2008 at 4:46 am
hi!
ita about my friends fujitsi laptop.yesterday we spill drink,but wasn’t much!!!
then we tried to use hairdryer!!well we shouldn’t of!and some buttons came off.because of the heat (he was busy talking and got too close to the keybord!) they are out of shape and we can’t snap them back!!hoe do we reaplace it?
thanks
March 31st, 2008 at 3:46 pm
how to replace key cap ibm series
“i” help
April 1st, 2008 at 2:25 pm
This information GREATLY helped me; my “E” key had been a bit wonky and falling off all the time, so after a yahoo search and navigation to this page, I figured out how to properly snap my key back on…with the help of a piece of band-aid wrapper and super glue (because it had a minor break) and now it is perfectly functional!
I would like to thank who ever made this page; its absence of the ambiguity other sites display saves me from ripping keys off intentionally out of frustration, THANK YOU!
April 2nd, 2008 at 9:51 am
thanks for your instructional pic’s n stuff………made my laptop as good as new again
April 2nd, 2008 at 11:15 am
thank you. worked for me, because i broke and fixed my mums laptop without her knowing.
April 3rd, 2008 at 6:33 am
Thank you. My toddler pulled a bunch of keys off my brand new lap top that we can’t even afford. I need to sell a bunch of stuff on eBay to pay for it. Well, can’t easily list items on eBay without a functioning keyboard! I thought I’d do a google search for a “fix-it website” and here it is! Not easy doing the search, either, with missing keys! But, the bottuns still work, yay! I got them all on, and had to look up several pictures of keyboards to figure out where some keys went. Had to prented to type, as well, to remember where some letters went! Then I find some plastic parts under my shift key are busted and bent and the key won’t stay on. HP says I have to buy a new keyboard or laptop, they don’t sell the parts! Nothing remotely on eBay, at all. Set up a Favorite Search, but any suggestions, in the meantime?! They are cracked, and slightly bend, so it’s all there, it just doesn’t function very well, and pops off. It’s livable, but annoying. Can you superglue or tape? Doesn’t seem like that would work, as they are so small, and afraid of what the gook might do to my laptop underneath. Please, advise!
April 3rd, 2008 at 3:51 pm
I AM DANCING AROUNG THE ROOM ROGHT NOW…IT WORKED. I HAVE BEEN TRYING FOR MONTHS TO GET A KEY PUT BACK ON AND COULDN’T DO IT. YOUR INSTRUCTIONS WERE PERFECT. EVEN WITH LONG NAILS , I DID MYSELF, YOU GUYS ARE WONDERFUL.
THANKS SO MUCH FOR PUTTING THOSE PICTURES UP, ABSOLUTELY PERFECT.
April 4th, 2008 at 1:44 pm
Wow! thank you for the photos and making it simple to replace the laptop keys!
April 5th, 2008 at 11:57 am
Dear All,
my Toshiba Satellite A60 keyboard stoped working. No button works. I tested the keyboard on another computer and it is ok. The problem is probably in the mainboard.
Could anyone suggest how it could be repaired?
Please, any suggestions.
best,
Oleh
April 5th, 2008 at 8:27 pm
Thankyou, This allowed me to fix my girlfriends keyboard. She will be very happy, nice work
April 6th, 2008 at 12:28 pm
Thank you so much! My toddler thought it was a blast to pick the keys off. Your website helped me replace the keys in less than half an hour. I have a little coordination for detailed work such as this. Keep up the great work!
April 7th, 2008 at 8:01 am
It has not really worked.
I have accidently broke my d key and it will NOT come back on!!!!!! One white bit is off, and the other white bit is on. I’m trying to fix and put the other white bit on. My uncle knows how to do this. I wish he was here right now. He can do it in like, 10 seconds practicly!! He know nearly everything about computers. Please!!! Someone help!!! I try to snap the d bit on, I hear a clicking sound, but then I notice it has still not come on. This has been about 6 keys falling off!!!!!!!!!!!! Boohoo! :’( ;(
April 8th, 2008 at 11:40 am
Do you have instructions to put the spacebar back on a leveno t61p?
April 10th, 2008 at 6:33 pm
Thanks soooooo much!! I can use my n key now!!!!
April 11th, 2008 at 1:29 pm
I just need the key retainers. My cat pulled off two keys and I put one back on and the other one was broke. I forgot to close the lid and he even fell asleep next to it and when I got home there he was asleep next to the laptop. I have a toshiba and I have looked everywhere and then I came across your web site how cool is this you even show us how to put them back on. Where do I find the retainer clips for the keys.
Thanks, Keely Smith
April 12th, 2008 at 2:43 pm
OMG this isnt working!
and my parents are going to kill me!I need help fast !
April 12th, 2008 at 2:54 pm
Im hearing the snap when i put the key on but it keeps on falling out anyway
April 16th, 2008 at 2:31 pm
Thanks i am like so glad you helped me fix my laptop i was going to freak, by the way i broke my “d” key types so great!
dddddddddddddddddddddddddddd!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
April 17th, 2008 at 2:21 am
Ya know, I thought about throwing away my laptop (I could have used another one) until I read your article and saw the pics. Who would have thought to take off a “working” key to see how to reassemble the broken keys? DUH!
I was able to fix my laptop if you hadn’t guessed. Thanks!
April 17th, 2008 at 6:01 am
That was so simple and easily explained. You probably just saved me 80 bucks tech labour charges!
April 17th, 2008 at 7:41 am
Thanks for your help! I thought that I would have to live with a missing “:” key, but thanks to your tips, I was able to snap it back on!
April 17th, 2008 at 9:49 pm
doezn’t work for me
( HP laptopz zuck!!!
April 18th, 2008 at 6:48 pm
What happens if the part that you press down on sorta, kinda, got ripped off? Like the part that is under the key itself? I have to copy and paste my “c” now. Do I have to send my laptop back and get a whole new one? Please reply to me e-mail at 09perrye@wcasd.net. Thanks!
April 19th, 2008 at 1:26 pm
Eddie,
Are you asking about the rubber membrane located under the key? If you still have this membrane you can glue it back in place with superglue. If you lost this membrane then I think you can “borrow” it from the keyboard key you don’t use. Read this article, it may be useful.
I don’t think it’s going to work. They will not replace the laptop because of that. If the laptop is still under warranty, most likely service center will replace the keyboard.
April 20th, 2008 at 9:58 am
Um, yeah. I just want you to know that you ROCK – my spacebar was driving me ABSOLUTELY NUTS…thanks to you, it’s all better….see!
April 21st, 2008 at 3:06 am
Great… any advice on the Enter key? There seems to be a combination of large key & a weird metal u-shaped clip too, very hard to position. Plus it’s on my girlfriend’s laptop (was trying to replace backspace!) & I may soon be lynched if it’s not sorted… :-S
April 21st, 2008 at 6:19 am
Can someone please help me. I have a dell I borrowed from a friend and one key game off then I followed the directions I quess I done it wron and the second key the retain game of with the key. For some reason when I get to the point of getting the retainer back on I canot snap the key. On this computer the retainer is so thin and slips and slides. Help me please What am I doing wrong
April 21st, 2008 at 6:22 am
Can I glue the key and will it stil work Help I in trouble
April 21st, 2008 at 10:10 pm
thanks for this guide. was very helpful. keep the good work running
April 23rd, 2008 at 9:12 pm
Thank you so much! I was able to replace my “f” key on a hewlet packard ….the plastic parts were very thin, but i was persistent. they actually have just three connection points: one on the left and two on the right side. merci merci!
April 24th, 2008 at 12:54 pm
THANK YOU !!! It works great !!!
April 27th, 2008 at 9:51 am
thank you, thank you…The space bar bit saved the day, I just couldnt figure out how to get it back on, you take the clip off !!!!
April 27th, 2008 at 1:35 pm
Thank you!
Thank you!
My A key cover is replaced. Such clarity you provide.
Thank you again.
Location: St. Vincent and the Grenadines
April 29th, 2008 at 4:29 pm
rrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr
rrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr
rrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr
YES I DID IT
April 30th, 2008 at 1:20 pm
THANK YOU!!! I WAS TOLD I WOULD HAVE TO SPEND $200 TO HAVE MY KEYBOARD FIXED. I WAS ABLE TO FIX 5 KEYS BY MYSELF WITH YOUR SIMPLE INSTRUCTIONS.
May 1st, 2008 at 3:39 am
Easily replaced my ” I ” key on my HP laptop. Thakks ,repair shop wanted $165.00
May 2nd, 2008 at 3:20 pm
thanks so much! i didn’t realize the keys just snap back into place!
May 4th, 2008 at 4:20 pm
Hi,
well i have a problem with the caps lock key it fell off and it’s kind of different from the pictures above i tried to snap it back in but it din’t get proper installed and it’s not steady. so i may need other instrutions to get that fixed any help will be really apreciate.
Thanks in Advance
May 4th, 2008 at 4:24 pm
hi
just so you know my caps lock key is like the shift key that can be seem in the firts picture you show
May 5th, 2008 at 11:56 am
Thank you so much! The Fn key fell off my IBM ThinkPad last night and the mechanism behind it was in 4 pieces. I was totally stuck as to how to fix it but I did as you suggested – carefully prized another key off – and I could see how to reassemble the Fn mechanism. It’s now as good as new!
May 6th, 2008 at 6:35 pm
Hi,
Please help me with the caps lock key or in your case shift key, i put back to place but is not steady and it is annoying to have that key like that please help.
May 9th, 2008 at 4:20 am
How do I put the enter key back on if the little white retainer is still attached to the keyboard?
May 9th, 2008 at 9:31 pm
I got my down arrow to go back on to my Compaq but now it wobbles really bad and wont stay straight it falls to the sides but its still attached. Is there anyway to remedy this or do i have to buy a new one?
May 9th, 2008 at 10:07 pm
Found the problem. The retainer apparently has a bar in center which keeps it from moving side to side and keeps it flat. I guess im going to have to buy a new one. Is there anywhere i can get one? Just the down arrow key?
May 12th, 2008 at 12:54 pm
[...] you can fix the key without replacing the whole keyboard. You’ll find more information here: how to fix broken keyboard key on a laptop [...]
May 13th, 2008 at 4:09 am
I actually lost 2 keys on my HP notebook.
Where can I buy replacement keys?
May 14th, 2008 at 8:15 am
Thanks you so much. My son was banging on one of the buttons and it actually came off. I managed to get it back on thanks to your guide. I was a little scared to put it back in incase I broke it but luckily after about 10 min. I got it in. My keys were slightly different than the pic but it really worked as a guide. Thanks again.
May 14th, 2008 at 9:56 pm
[...] is missing one or two keys, probably you can fix it without replacing the whole thing using these key repair instructions. If the keyboard has been damaged completely, let’s say you spilled something on it, or the [...]
May 15th, 2008 at 10:41 am
THANK YOU!!!!!!! My 2 year old got a hold of my laptop and pulled about half of the keys off, including the space bar and command keys. It was a headahce just to remember where they went, lol. Most of the buttons were easy, but if it wasn’t for you I never would have gotten my SpaceBar back on. THANK YOU!!!!!
May 17th, 2008 at 9:54 am
Thank you SO MUCH for this page! I probably would have thrown my laptop across the room in frustration if I didn’t find this page. Thank you!
May 17th, 2008 at 2:09 pm
I was in need of help to replace the sparebar key and it was very easy because of this website..Thanks
May 17th, 2008 at 10:07 pm
My 1.5 yr old kid managed to grab the spacebar key on to his hand and I was trouble in placing it back. Then I did a google search and came to this site. The pictures and instructions really helped me to put it back – it took about an hr to get it right. my toshiba’s spacebar had a second metal gripper too, (almost an O shaped with a little gap at the top) and I didnt know how to snap it back. But this second one was not really necessary to be taken care of – just left it as is. I just needed to remove the 2 square pieces from the key first and place it on to pad, so also the outher metal c shaped thing and then take the key and snap it back to a click.- SUCCESS !
Thanks once again to this site- and of course google.
May 18th, 2008 at 9:30 pm
Thnx for the help! You guys have great tips on fixing laptops.
May 20th, 2008 at 12:18 pm
Thanks so much for your help! You saved me the $85 for a replacement keyboard.
May 23rd, 2008 at 4:27 pm
Thank you this was really helpful, i was able to fix the key that fell off… feel so accomplished… specially since i’am completely clueless when it comes to computers.
May 24th, 2008 at 2:29 am
Thank you very much! My down-arrow key came off but I managed to fix that thanks to your instructions.
May 25th, 2008 at 8:52 am
If this has fixed my space key then thanks, just look at the spaces I can make now it is fixed!! Thanks I had lifted completely the wrong bits before the photos are great.
May 25th, 2008 at 3:36 pm
Hi
In the pictures for keyboard repairs it shows a while plastic retainer. Where can I find those or where can I order them. I have one that is broke for my spacebar and need a new one
May 26th, 2008 at 1:35 pm
hi
two of the keys have fallen of my laptop and the clip things that attach it back are broke what do i do?
May 27th, 2008 at 6:40 pm
I went to the web site to replace my spacebar and it do not look like the picture I have to bar onelone and one short and the dont bend the ends are straight can you help me to replace this one thsnks
May 29th, 2008 at 11:19 am
[...] You’ll find my detailed instructions for fixing keyboard keys here. [...]
May 31st, 2008 at 2:43 pm
my alt key fell off my inspiron 1501 and i can`t get the top of the white thing to go back in
June 1st, 2008 at 8:42 am
Short version, thank you very much!
June 1st, 2008 at 11:37 pm
thanks soo much my spacebar was shaped a little different but ur advice still worked im coming to this site for any other problems i have from now on
June 2nd, 2008 at 4:59 am
how do i fix a letter on my laptop key board because i am scared 2 take another letter off incase it dont go back on
June 2nd, 2008 at 6:24 pm
Unbelievably helpful!!! Thank you SO MUCH (she is able to say, with a fully functioning U key)!
June 3rd, 2008 at 6:45 am
You are a wonderful human bean.
I have been missing my “p” key for a couple of weeks. Do you have any idea how many words use the letter “p” ? Thank you so much!
June 3rd, 2008 at 7:01 pm
thanks a million times over and over again! Hope you receive well deserved satisfaction from helping so many with this. You are appreciated!!!!! My “A” thanks you, too. He has been causing me all sorts of distress.
June 4th, 2008 at 7:42 am
plesse i have problem on letter H and u and numbers 123 , how can repair.
thank you
June 4th, 2008 at 9:45 pm
suhair,
This sounds like a problem with the keyboard. You’ll have to replace the whole keyboard.
June 6th, 2008 at 12:14 pm
Hi. My up button has this problem and fell off. I did what you said and took one key off and did it with the down button. I have the retainer and the cap but the thing is the little black thing in the middle of a key is off. I have that as well with me. I looked at the down button and the middle black thing is fully attached to it.
Does that mean i can’t do anything about it? If yes, how are you suppose to attach the 2 pieces of the retainer together?
thanks.
June 6th, 2008 at 6:34 pm
Danny,
Are you asking about the rubber membrane under the key? Try gluing it in place with superglue, you cannot make it worse as it is right now.
I think that’s why you removed the cap from the down button, so you can see how the retainer is assembled and assemble it the same way for the up button. Am I missing something?
June 7th, 2008 at 7:05 am
Is the rubber membrane black? Its a very small black thing… looks like a crump. It is fully attached to another button on my dell laptop keyboard.
Yes, i do not get how you attach the 2 parts of the retainer together. Am i suppose to take one of them and connect it to the other? I tried every way possible. I do not understand how you attach the 2 parts of it together.
In your key cap and key retainer diagram, assuming we just look at the key retainer where we see the 2 parts, assumign the one of left is 1 and the one on the right we call 2. Am i suppose to put 1 inside of 2? I do not get how you stick both of them together before you plug it back into the keyboard.
June 7th, 2008 at 4:48 pm
Danny,
I think we are talking about different key parts. Take a look at the third picture in the post. Do you see a black nipple (membrane) in the middle? That’s what I’m talking about.
Yes, they have to be attached to each other.
Yes, the part 1 goes inside the part 2. The part 1 has two small pins on both sides, right in the middle. Do you see them? The part two has two small holes on both sides (inside). When you assemble parts 1 and 2 together, pins on the part 1 go inside the holes on the part 2 and both parts work like a small hinge. Maybe the part 1 in your case has broken (missing) pins on both sides?
June 8th, 2008 at 11:29 pm
hi again. Yes i see the black nipple membrane.
And yes i see the 2 small pins on part 1. I also see the 2 slots i am i suppose to fit it into part 2.
Its suppose to be very hard to fit it in right? I am trying it over and over again but it is so hard to fit the pin inside.
June 10th, 2008 at 5:14 pm
Thank you, thank you, thank you!!! I have had my key come off before and just snapped it back on but this time the retainer came off as well. I’m in law school and use my laptop every day. I was really stressed about the thought of having a missing key for any extended period of time. I can’t thank you enough. The pics were invaluable!
June 12th, 2008 at 8:16 pm
I have an Acer leptop with the control key popped off…the retainer does not pop off the key…I can’t get it back on, could anyone help me?
June 13th, 2008 at 1:58 pm
This was the most USEFUL page I have ever seen for this. I was panicking when the key fell off and was pretty upset. With the pictures and great directions, the key went back into its place in less than 2 minutes. Thank you so much!
June 15th, 2008 at 4:02 pm
I have a lenovo, and i can’t seem to get the key to pop back on. the retainer never came off, but the key won’t seem to pop back on for good…it’s all wobbly…help?
June 15th, 2008 at 10:21 pm
@jenna, It seems that one side has attached while the other hasn’t you need to push down harder(it will surprise you how hard you have to press) to get the other side to attach.
June 18th, 2008 at 4:14 am
i have a hp dv6500 and some of the keys have fallen off but the retainers are still in place. i tried pushing the keys back on to the retainers but they just snap back out again when i press them. just wondering if anyone could help me with this problem?
June 18th, 2008 at 10:12 am
Wow! You just saved my h-key!!! It was really hard to put it back on, but this helped a lot!! Thank you so much!!
June 18th, 2008 at 3:57 pm
I have an acer laptop..and i still cant seem to get my 1-key back on the keyboard…
June 18th, 2008 at 4:11 pm
Never mind! I got it! :]
Thanks a lot!
June 18th, 2008 at 8:06 pm
DO NOT LISTEN TO NICK L!!! So like i tried pushing really really hard to get the other side to attach like he said, well i ended up breaking the retainer!! Don’t do that! I really don’t know how to get the other side to attach but obviously not like that! now i don’t know what to do!! can i get just the retainer?
June 19th, 2008 at 12:03 pm
Two keys came off of my PowerBook G4 15″. I found this site via Google, read the instructions. Took me 15 minutes but I did it. Woo Hoo! I’m very satisified. Thank you!
June 19th, 2008 at 6:55 pm
Please, I spilt coffee on keyboard now my (comes after y) key and (comes after u) key don’t work, what can I do?
June 19th, 2008 at 10:03 pm
It didn’t take more than 10 min to fix the ‘A’ key in my Dell LATITUDE D620. It was straight forward like the first 4 pics in this page. Thanks a lot.
June 19th, 2008 at 10:32 pm
angela,
First of all, don’t use the laptop like that. Unplug the power adapter and remove the battery. I you spilled just a few drops, let it dry overnight. Make sure the keyboard is completely dry before you plug in the laptop.
If you spilled a lot, it will be necessary to disassemble the laptop and take a closer look at the internal parts. I would recommend taking it to a professional repair shop. Liquid spills are very unpredictable.
June 21st, 2008 at 6:40 am
Thank a lot. I could repair my laptop by your guidance. It was wonderful.
June 22nd, 2008 at 6:12 am
Thanks. It is really helpful.
June 23rd, 2008 at 2:51 am
Legend, fixed it!!!
June 24th, 2008 at 11:00 am
Thank you! I successfully repaired my space bar key! (it took me over 10 minutes, but I didn’t need to pay a technician to fix it for me!
June 24th, 2008 at 9:40 pm
it didnt help ,me at all u didnt exactly state which goes in first .and i cant afford to remove another cap bcuz what happens if i cant fix it now i wuld have 2 keys that r messed up.plz help me
June 24th, 2008 at 9:46 pm
and also dat little black thingy came of as well.plz help
June 24th, 2008 at 10:27 pm
Jay,
Then it’s time to take your laptop to a repair shop. Most likely they will offer to replace the whole keyboard.
June 25th, 2008 at 5:44 am
Thanq you I qan finally use the QQQQQQQQ button on my keyboard again. It took me 20 minutes to figure it out my problem was I was snapping the parts in and then trying to put the key in place. but thanks to your little guide I figured out
That I had to put the parts in place then snap the key onto the parts.
Thanks for the help!
June 25th, 2008 at 6:28 am
im just a kid i dnt know any repair shops,i bought this laptop from walmart
June 25th, 2008 at 7:36 am
well do you know where i can get a new key retainer bcuz it appears The 2 are suppose to go into each other but one of the small part thats suppose to go into is broken(The smaller center retainer)
June 26th, 2008 at 10:18 pm
Jay,
Did you try here?
June 28th, 2008 at 8:28 am
what an amazing site!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
the internet, intelligent people and competence
all rolled in one!!!!!!!!!!!
congrats to their effort and a b i g “thanks”
to them
with kind regards
harald baum ann
June 28th, 2008 at 12:28 pm
Thanks! My husband will think I am so smart!
June 29th, 2008 at 8:50 pm
thank you so so much! i had four keys that had been coming off for a month now and i just was able to fix the problem. thanks again!
June 29th, 2008 at 9:23 pm
My method worked just fine. I just sat it on the spot and mashed it by pushing it in various arrangements.
June 30th, 2008 at 5:33 pm
Thank you! I spent 2 hours trying to get this to work while looking at your site and it does! Mine was for the backspace key, but it looks similar to the spacebar key in your picture.
July 1st, 2008 at 10:27 am
Thanks!!!!!!!!!!
July 2nd, 2008 at 1:10 pm
Thank you soooo much! This really helped!
July 2nd, 2008 at 8:14 pm
Thank you! You just saved me at least $60 and a trip to the repair shop. Much obliged for your very well laid-out instructions!
July 3rd, 2008 at 7:50 am
I can’t get the key retainer to snap back into place! for some reason, its just slightly too small… In the process of trying to fi_ (haha i can’t type ecks because that’s the offending key) this the springy rubber thing popped off. Now i’m really in a pickle… suggestions?
July 3rd, 2008 at 10:49 am
THANKS! My spacebar just fell off and I couldn’t figure out how to fix it! I have to take an exam on it in two days and was freaking out! Thanks!
July 5th, 2008 at 5:33 pm
Great. I followed the advice, and now I have 2 f%$*ed up keys.
July 7th, 2008 at 1:07 am
cheers mate – you just saved my mate killing me & my cat [he jumped on his keyboard!]
July 7th, 2008 at 12:11 pm
ok, but what if the key cap assembly KEEPS falling off? can i use crazy glue or something?
July 7th, 2008 at 12:25 pm
julee,
Try replacing both the cap and the retainer (small hinges under the cap).
July 7th, 2008 at 10:09 pm
thanks so much it worked like a charm!
July 8th, 2008 at 1:10 pm
Wow, glad I found this website! Thanks! worked like a charm
July 11th, 2008 at 2:17 am
Hi,
One of my key caps came of on my Dell D820 and the Key Retainer is broken. Any idea where I can get one on line?
Great web site.
July 12th, 2008 at 10:15 am
Thanks a bundle! I kept trying to put the key cap with retainer already attached on. Great photos too. Firm but gentle and your very clear guide did the trick on my Pangolin from system76.
July 13th, 2008 at 10:42 am
THANK YOU!! I have a 2 year old who can’t stop playing with the keys… Great instructions, and pictures…
July 13th, 2008 at 1:39 pm
Thanks a million. I can’t believe I fixed it myself!! You are great!
Such clear instructions and pictures. I wish you did directions on everything in life!
July 14th, 2008 at 12:55 pm
Thanks vvvvvvv much, by following you clear picture and word instructions, I manage to put my SPACE Bar back into place and it is working in perfect order.
Every blessings
July 14th, 2008 at 4:53 pm
Thank you! I “knew” I could fix it myself. It only took me a half-hour to realize that I needed help. One Google search, and voila! Thanks again. Great site!
July 14th, 2008 at 7:53 pm
THANK YOU THANK YOU! YOU TOTALLY ROCK
July 15th, 2008 at 5:04 am
thanks alot .. worked out great .
July 17th, 2008 at 5:51 am
I was stuck fixing my laptop key for hours and hours. Gosh I should have visited this website before hand. With this website I fixed the problem in 5 mins.
Thanks a Ton!
July 17th, 2008 at 10:31 am
To anyone who needs to get new key parts, the link the author tells you to click points to eBay. If for some reason the link doesn’t work just go the main eBay site and type relevant keywords into their search engine.
I got my new key pieces this way and saved myself from having to send my laptop away to HP for them to replace the whole keyboard.
July 19th, 2008 at 10:36 am
This is an awesome article, thanks for helping me fixing my keyboard!
July 22nd, 2008 at 10:57 am
Thanks so much! By following these steps, I figured out that the retainer under the “1″ key had been damaged when my cat jumped on it, and that’s why I couldn’t reattach the key. I borrowed the retainer from underneath That Key next to ALT that I never used anyway. “1″ key is in good working order. Thanks again.
July 23rd, 2008 at 12:48 pm
FYI, the “useless” key is not “useless” at all. It’s the menu key. It acts as a right click when something is selected, so if you click on a file and press that button, it will have the same effect as right clicking. I use it daily.
July 23rd, 2008 at 1:01 pm
Asher,
Could be. But I don’t use this key at all. So, for me the key is useless.
July 27th, 2008 at 4:42 pm
Thanks sooo much cj2600!! My “t” key fell of with the brace still on but the small metal hinge to hold on the brace was faced up so it was not catching. After looking at these pics I removed the “y” key and found what the metal hinge looked like, this really helped, very happy now!! Thanks once again
July 28th, 2008 at 4:14 am
thanks man! my W key is working again. although it took me 2 hours as i only had n steak knife and big hands to work with.
July 28th, 2008 at 5:38 am
I’m sorry this isnt about this item.
I was wondering if you could get or at least tell me where I can get the plastic thing/retainer? under a lost keybord key? My daughter had a fit and knocked off 3 keys. I have them all but my dumb dog ate the clip. All I need is the plastic thing and Toshiba says I have to replace the whole keyboard. It a Toshiba P205 Any help is appreciated and I understand if you can’t help.
Thankyou very much, Bonnie Talcott
The one’s here aren’t the right ones
July 28th, 2008 at 11:01 pm
My problem is a little different–my spacebar juststuck after cleaning the laptop and doesn’t work now (I am copy/pasting spaces in).
I tried but can’t pop the spacebar off and didn’t want to force it–any thoughts as to what I could do short of attaching an external keyboard?? I can’t copy/paste forever.This is a Gateway laptop.
July 29th, 2008 at 7:50 am
THANK YOU SO MUCH. I REALLY APPRECIATE IT I HAD TO REPLACE THE RIGHT ARROW KEY.
THE PICS WERE A GREAT BIG HELP….
July 29th, 2008 at 4:31 pm
oh my god.
i am so thankful for this website.
i was doing all this stuff and my space key didn’t workk.
but then i read how to do it here and its working like i just bought a new key.
thank you soo much
July 29th, 2008 at 10:04 pm
Bonnie Talcott,
You can buy a single retainer for your Satellite P205 laptop here.
July 31st, 2008 at 6:41 am
This was a FANTASTIC help! Genius!
July 31st, 2008 at 5:19 pm
Thank you so much for your most helpful instructions. You saved my day. My young son pryed off 3 or 4 buttons and I thought I was headed to the local electronics store maintenance dept. Your pictures were clear and your instructions succinct. You are a blessing.
July 31st, 2008 at 9:41 pm
DITTO to 384 Bob Taylor! These instructions saved my sanity. My 2.5 year old just removed the “M” and “O” keys this afternoon and I was not a happy mommy until now! Thank you thank you!
August 1st, 2008 at 3:38 pm
tks for the tip – i was panicking for a bit, until i found this. sometimes it’s a bit more difficult to snap back the key on the retainer, but at least knowing the theory helped me do it. tks
August 2nd, 2008 at 10:31 pm
thank you so much! i didnt relize it would be so easy to fix my keyboard!
August 3rd, 2008 at 12:48 pm
Thanks! You saved me a lot of awkward keystrokes!
August 4th, 2008 at 1:13 am
one of my keys is stu_k and i _ant use it. i _ant get it off or put it on properly. what do i do???
August 6th, 2008 at 5:45 pm
Thanks!!!!
Saved me BIG TIME. the baby just ripped 20+ keys off of my new laptop!! If only i would have thought about searching for something like this when my older son was ripping apart my older laptop!!
August 7th, 2008 at 6:36 am
Hi can you help me with my keyboard on my laptop i pushed some buttons on mistake and know some keys work and some dont im using an on screen keyboard to write this. this is what happens when i press a button nHY^ that was only one button and 3 letters came can you please help?
August 9th, 2008 at 5:01 am
Hi im just wondering if any one knows how to type an @ symbol if it isnt working. is there any other way apart from using shift?
August 9th, 2008 at 10:20 pm
Hi, please could you tell me what glue you used to fix the silicone membrane back onto the keyboard? I’ve heard that there is a “special” glue I’m supposed to use. Any idea? Or is superglue just fine to use if done sparingly?
Thanks!
August 10th, 2008 at 7:57 pm
Mark,
I guess you can enable On-Screen keyboard.
For Windows XP: Start button – Accessories – Accessibility – On-Screen Keyboard.
August 10th, 2008 at 8:02 pm
Mit,
I’m not sure about a “special” glue. I used just a little bit of regular $1 superglue and it worked fine for me. I guess you can use any universal glue just use it sparingly.
August 12th, 2008 at 4:26 pm
Well, it started with the backspace key. Now it’s the backspace and enter key lol. But I’m gonna keep going. THanks for the tip!
August 14th, 2008 at 5:06 pm
Thank you so much! My backspace key fell off while I was investigating why the backspace key wouldn’t work. It works fine now that I put it on correctly. Thank you!
August 15th, 2008 at 5:01 am
use the on screen keyboard in windows to type the @
August 15th, 2008 at 8:41 pm
duude thanks sooo mcuh
August 18th, 2008 at 9:54 am
Thanks for the great instructions on how to reinstall a key. The photos made all the difference!
August 20th, 2008 at 7:10 am
Thank you very much! With the info and the pictures you provided I have been able to fix my key back in the keyboard!
August 20th, 2008 at 12:15 pm
Thank you
my toddler broke a key and I was able to fix it following your pictures and comments.
August 20th, 2008 at 8:55 pm
Two kids who love PBSKIDS.org, one toddler who likes pulling keys off and a distracted mom trying to make lunch= three loose keys and one broken retainer clip. The pictures were helpful and the idea to use a “useless” key great. Thank you!
August 22nd, 2008 at 6:04 am
thanks folks
August 23rd, 2008 at 6:47 am
I am soooo happy! I was told I had to replace my entire keyboard, and I was able to fix the key that fell off last night because of this site. THANKS!!!!!!
August 25th, 2008 at 6:58 am
Thanks or the tip. I could fix my laptop key myself.. thanks alotttt
August 25th, 2008 at 11:43 am
thank you!
My spacebar fell off and when I just out it back on it would only press on the middle
then I found your instructions and followed them and now it’s easy again
=]
August 25th, 2008 at 12:50 pm
thanx a lot…..it was reaaallly a great help…my cuz gav me to fix sum software prob…but somehow 1 key came off….i wud hav been dead if diz site wasnt here…..thanx a zillion…keep up the gud work
Adios
August 26th, 2008 at 4:50 am
Your advice is amazing I fixed me keyboard in sec’s.
Thanks a million for your clear, straightforward advice, brilliant.
August 28th, 2008 at 6:31 pm
thanks !!! worked on the inspiron 1520
August 29th, 2008 at 6:54 am
Thank you so much!!!! I am not the best at this and was able to do it!!
August 29th, 2008 at 12:08 pm
Hi,
Thanks a lot. This solves my problem.
August 31st, 2008 at 6:05 pm
very helpful
THANKS!!
September 1st, 2008 at 12:10 pm
A very simple and effective explanation. I never thought I would find out about the membrane.
Some water spilled on my laptop keyboard, after taking several keys off and blasting them with the hairdryer…one key was still looking worse for wear. The “z” key had what looked like water inside, but I couldn’t tell if it was water or silicone :S… anyway…I cut the membrane off with my girly fingernails and then dried the water out. VOILA!!!!!!!!!!!
Thanks for this brilliant user guide
September 1st, 2008 at 7:24 pm
I broke the withe little pieces ToT I don’t have down arrow anymore….
September 5th, 2008 at 5:09 pm
Man.
You saved my life. My son pulled out a key (and all the multiple pieces user it) to eternity, when I was working on my WIFE’s laptop.
Would have gone without dinner tonite. Thanks for ALLLLL the help.
pj
September 5th, 2008 at 9:53 pm
Thanks! Helped me fix a friend’s Satellite.
Thanks again.
September 7th, 2008 at 3:44 am
thanks so much. I struggled for fifteen minutes trying by myself, and fixed it in 5 seconds after I read your post.
September 7th, 2008 at 4:49 am
When I first ‘accidentally’ broke the key board, i was scared because the computer wasnt mine, it was my dad’s.
I was afraid he’d beat me with a stick if he saw it.
But i found ur website and fixed it b4 he came.
September 7th, 2008 at 8:33 am
Hi my baby pulled one of my keys off and broke the the corner on the metal clips that is on the laptop.. can this be replaced?
September 7th, 2008 at 11:57 pm
Dell Latitude D520
trying too much to clean the small grain which i felt went in betwee, i struggeld so hard to figure this out, but to tell you the truth reading through this didnt help much because there werent any four hooks on my laptop, anybody facing issue of such kind with the above laptop. Check the above pics and see how to build a retainer,also remember the key goes last and it HAS TO SNAP to get affixed, but since in the above laptop there are no 4 hooks, there is one hook in the top center and 2 hooks on the bottom half of the key. first fix the top center, which i couldnt make the plastic hook go underneath it, i didnt have any tools and i almost mauled the plastic strip, scare that if it breaks i am done for, i had a presentation and i dont know what would i do. So i used a kitchen knife and gently i mean GENTLY wrenched the top centre metal hook just enough so i can slide the top of the plastic retainer under neath it, i used the same knife to bend the hook back on the plastic, there that was the trickiset part. Then slide the other retainer around and over the one beneath, attach them on their middles, and you would notice the retainer which is underneath the metal hook you just tightened upon is now putting its legs up in the air for you to slide the key on top of it and press to hear the magical sound of Snap !…:) . thanks for the post above , may god bless you.
Key O which pulled out myself
Thanks
Sorabh
September 9th, 2008 at 8:37 pm
steve,
Man! Your baby is strong!
I think you’ll have to replace the whole keyboard.
September 10th, 2008 at 4:32 am
Thank you so much! My X key fell for some stupid reason a couple months ago and I fought with it for awhile, got fed up and gave up so I have been pressing on the little black button ever since… Got tired of it today, found your wedsite and got it snapped back on in no time, thank you for fixing my frustration!
September 11th, 2008 at 3:45 pm
mine is a panasonic touchbook laptop…and my spacebar fell off;how do i fix it?:(Pls help me!!
September 11th, 2008 at 6:28 pm
thank you!
September 12th, 2008 at 8:57 am
You totally saved me! I missed the metal retainer bar on the space key and your instructions shined light on it.
September 14th, 2008 at 12:28 pm
“Q” popped off while wiping down the laptop, I just about had a stroke… first return on Google and the photos are excellent, thanks so much!!! qqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqq
works great again
September 15th, 2008 at 12:32 am
Many thanks!
Extremely,extremey useful!!!
September 15th, 2008 at 8:26 am
Hey Thanks Man!!! I just fixed my W key on my HP dv6000 series Lappy with your help… Now I can use my W over and over and over again!!!
WWWWWW hehe
September 15th, 2008 at 7:25 pm
Thanks for the instructions.
September 16th, 2008 at 7:50 pm
Thanks so much for this information.. I was able to repair the key myself!!! I’m so thankful!!!!!!
September 18th, 2008 at 6:18 pm
THANK YOU! My dog jumped up on my company laptop today and popped off a key, I thought I was dead, but you saved the day!
September 21st, 2008 at 10:49 am
Thanks, it worked on one of my keys but it still doesn’t work on the End key.
September 21st, 2008 at 1:00 pm
My Z key popped off my Toshiba laptop and the retainers were all jacked up but I was able to fix it thanks to your photos.
Thank you so much!
September 22nd, 2008 at 3:03 am
my hp pavilion dv6000 right shift has dropped off and i cant put it back
September 22nd, 2008 at 7:05 am
Good and nice guide.
This is really helpful!
Thanks for sharing your experience!
September 23rd, 2008 at 1:46 am
FANTASTIC! thanks!
September 23rd, 2008 at 9:58 am
THANKS — that was easy … once I saw the graphics.
September 24th, 2008 at 9:18 am
SOME HELP YOU ARE. I NEED SOME HELP WITH MY KEY. HOW DO U CLICK IT BACK ON
September 24th, 2008 at 7:39 pm
Thanks so much! My dog scratched her paw on my keyboard, trying to get my attention, and took out my down arrow and the little retainer pieces, leaving me with no idea how to put it back together. I was able to fix it with your instructions and photos. You rock!
September 25th, 2008 at 4:08 pm
OhMyGosh! Thank you so much! I fixed the key before my mom found out. You totally saved my life. Thank you!Thank you! Thank you!
September 28th, 2008 at 1:21 pm
thank god i found this guide. i feer i would have ruined my key board forceing keys on wrong
September 28th, 2008 at 8:52 pm
my laptops space key wont reconnect correctly . what should i do?
September 29th, 2008 at 1:14 pm
Thank you SOOO MUCH for putting this information and illustrations on the internet. My space key all of a sudden stopped working today. I searched frantically for quite awhile on google for possible answers and finally came across this. With your helpful advice with the pictures, I removed my space bar key, did a little cleaning, but the spring pieces back on, then snapped the space bar back into place. YES!!! My spacebar now works again!!!
I feel like this article has saved my day and probably an un-needed trip to take my laptop in for a checkup, not to mention possibly buying a new keyboard when it was not necessary! Thank you again!!!!
September 29th, 2008 at 1:34 pm
Great info. Thanks a million.
Thanks to your pics, managed to get keys off for cleaning without actually breaking anything.
liam
September 29th, 2008 at 5:57 pm
Thank you so much! I was freakin out, I just kept thinking my husband is going to kill me if I break this laptop.
September 30th, 2008 at 10:04 am
Thank you so much – i had called a local store to ask how much it would cost to repair my keyboard – i would’ve had to pay over $120 just to fix a few keys – i thank the Lord i found this site…God bless..
October 1st, 2008 at 3:28 pm
Thanks a bunch. Very helpful.
October 1st, 2008 at 3:56 pm
Thank you very much!!! I fixed it… so relief…I struggle to fix then I found this web site!!! Great instructions!!!!
October 1st, 2008 at 5:15 pm
Thank you so much! my dad tried fixing the keyboard but he couldn’t and then I found your website
Thank you,
October 2nd, 2008 at 5:34 am
Thank you soooooooo much!!!!
October 3rd, 2008 at 2:50 pm
AMAZINGLY HELPFUL!!! I had no idea how to assemble the key until this site!
October 3rd, 2008 at 6:45 pm
I have a Gateway MX3215 which I totally disassembled to replace the DC Powerjack. It has been 5 months and I can’t remember how to reassemble the darn thing (what needs to go in first or which screws to use for what). Can you help?
Thanks,
October 3rd, 2008 at 7:10 pm
Great site. nice pics. solved my keyboard problem.
Thanks
October 6th, 2008 at 4:10 am
this is amazing. Clear photos and instructions and fixed my keyboard in seconds. thank you so much.
October 7th, 2008 at 9:25 am
Thank you so much!!! We love you right now . I would have never figured that out…Thank you again.
October 7th, 2008 at 8:43 pm
OMG, this saved my life! Thank you!!
October 7th, 2008 at 9:11 pm
thank you so much..
i wouldnt be able to thank you without my “T” hehe!
thanks again
October 8th, 2008 at 12:49 am
OMG! This guide is insanely good, make more of those, i got my space bar to work again
Thank you soooooooo much
October 8th, 2008 at 7:34 am
i have an averatec laptop, wanting to purchase the “tab key” and the plastic parts that go underneath it. where can i get it?
thank you.
October 8th, 2008 at 6:01 pm
Man my comma and x fell out and this really didn’t seem to help me…The rubber piece, I cant put it back together Ive been spending 3 hours per day for 4 days and I havent had any luck..Plz help when I assemble it the way the other ones were it still is different..Im so frustrated!!
October 9th, 2008 at 5:56 am
Thank you so much!!!!!!
October 9th, 2008 at 8:23 am
Thank you for this site. Just so happens, it was the S key for me too!! LOL… my 6 yr old popped it off, he said it just “fell off” hahahahaha…
October 14th, 2008 at 2:52 pm
I had a little accident with soup and my laptop (I know, thats why its not a good idea to have food and drink near equipment). I found your site in a search and it helped tremendously.
Thanks so much for the info. I thought I would have to pay an arm and a leg to get this fixed.
Great site keep it up!
October 15th, 2008 at 9:20 am
thanks a lot..this page helped me a lot!!
October 15th, 2008 at 8:19 pm
thank you SO much this just fixed my laptop!! it was my F key
October 16th, 2008 at 6:23 pm
I was unable to figure out how to fix my “A” key for about 2 months. I am so glad that I found this website. It took 5-10 minutes to fix my keyboard. I loved the fact that there was picture for each step. Thank you soooo much.
October 17th, 2008 at 11:07 pm
took me 10 mins! Thank you so much. Without this site I would have no “S” key at all and woulnt even be able to write this sentence.
October 19th, 2008 at 6:39 am
Glad I found this site…it saved me a lot of agtgavation. I fixed my problem in less than10 min. Thanks.
October 20th, 2008 at 1:27 pm
THANK YOU SO MUCH ! THIS HELPED ME A LOT !
October 21st, 2008 at 1:00 am
hi i have a lenovo laptop and there is a cup of coffee came over it and it’s doesn’t work until now i put it in sun and i clean the keys nothing work and while im press on a button it’s write the same button and it’s doesnt respond what should i do i hoe to help me please
new keyboard cost over 200$
thanx
October 21st, 2008 at 4:34 am
Thank You sooo much ! I was sooo scared to tell my mom one of the keyboard keys fell off (Y key )
lol… this website helped sooo much… and it went through the steps in such detail ! And she never had to know lol… I loved it! Thank You again 
October 21st, 2008 at 10:54 am
Thanks a lot!!! my baby daughter crawled to my wife’s laptop and yanked the “m” key off. I didn’t think it was that easy to put it back in place. Thanks again!
October 22nd, 2008 at 6:38 pm
I have a Dell Latitude D420 and my spacebar popped off – your diagram was perfect and I fixed it in less than 5 minutes.
Thank you – Thank you – Thank you!
October 22nd, 2008 at 8:43 pm
i need to buy a new key retainer where do i find one?
October 23rd, 2008 at 7:59 am
OMG thank you soo much! you made this so easy! i never thought i could use my keyboard again!
thanks again
btw great website! very useful!
October 23rd, 2008 at 3:12 pm
thanks alot man, u saved me loads of cash lol and made my life easier
October 24th, 2008 at 12:21 pm
Thank you. You are a God.
October 25th, 2008 at 2:42 pm
Brilliant! The retainer remained stuck to the key when it fell off, and I didn’t know you could snap the retainer off the key without breaking it, so I was trying to drop the pieces down and get them under the hooks… Impossible! Your solution was so easy… just snap the retainer off, snap it into the keyboard and press the key down. Key works perfectly. So happy! Thank you for taking the time to take such useful photographs and help everyone out!
October 26th, 2008 at 8:07 am
YOU are an actually hero! Thanks a lot! X
October 27th, 2008 at 12:22 am
hey thx a lot !! it really help to fix the problem when my laptop key fell off. THX !!
October 27th, 2008 at 6:41 am
Thanks for that one I am running a Linux ditribution so will use the “Windows” key… got no other use for it!
October 27th, 2008 at 12:33 pm
this is brilliant but it is actually my enter button that has come off
October 27th, 2008 at 2:21 pm
my U key came off , and I see by your photos that I need to remove retainers, but the 2 pieces of retainer are in the key . I can’t it it out without breaking them.
October 27th, 2008 at 2:56 pm
this has helped me a lot. i was writing an english essay, and the i key fell off. now, it works again!
October 28th, 2008 at 5:31 am
Hey frustrated the U key on my laptop fell off also 2 days ago..sony trying to charge me $200 for one key. they outta their minds. ima try this as soon as i get home. If this fails anywhere else where they might fix it for cheaper?
October 28th, 2008 at 4:02 pm
The “V” key cover on my toshiba popped out (I think my cat tried to use my laptop keypad as a scratching post!!!). I was going to superglue it back till I thought abt gooling it. I read here I can just snap it back and saved myself from making a total mess. thanks!!
October 28th, 2008 at 7:47 pm
thank you so much! i was almost in tears when i thought i couldn’t fix it!
October 29th, 2008 at 7:58 am
hi where does the round thing go i got aspire 5315
October 30th, 2008 at 6:27 am
Helped a lot and saved me $30, thanks a lot! By the way, has anyone noticed the number of women who said their daughters knocked off a key or the number of times a cat has knocked off a key?!
October 30th, 2008 at 11:21 am
Thank you so much. Aside from some fiddling, I got the keys on with no trouble. So much for letting the one and two year olds watch Sesame Street on the laptop! Ha ha
October 30th, 2008 at 3:41 pm
Thank you !!!
it absolutely worked… my Number 1 key was knocked off…and truly, I tried to follow with only vaguely seeing what needed to happen, but going back and following directions totally made it WORK !!!
and now I don’t have to worry about just pressing a button knob and a gimp looking laptop !!!
October 31st, 2008 at 7:10 pm
DAT TOTLLY WORKED!!!!!
I BEEN TRYIN EVERYTHING TA GET MA Y KEY BAC ON …. THANK U SO MUCH!!!!!
November 1st, 2008 at 5:04 pm
thanks a bunch i got a brand new computer and i was cheaking it out when i noticed that a key broke(2 months ago) and i noticed it was broken and dident tell my mom because she would have been pissed so i went on yahoo and typed this website ind fixed it as soon as i saw a picture you saved my life
-Tony-
November 2nd, 2008 at 6:33 am
Thanks, got it working again!!
November 2nd, 2008 at 7:43 am
do you have a phone or where are you located i can not get the key fixed . it seems you know what you are doing .
November 2nd, 2008 at 9:27 am
Its so simple when you know how!!!..
I tried for an hour or 2 the other day to repair 3 keys after my 2 year old had a go the laptop, i was going mad.
Found this sit and fixed all 3 keys within 10 mins.
Many thanks mate/
Marc
November 3rd, 2008 at 11:08 am
Hey!!! Thanks for the post. After an hour of head banging, I finally was bale to fix my key after reading your post in just 5 minutes. I have put a link to your post on my blog. Thanks for the help…
November 4th, 2008 at 12:19 pm
HI, thanks for the tut!
I’ve not managed to get the actual button back on yet, but I’m sure I’ll be able to do that with pressure!
November 5th, 2008 at 9:06 am
Thank you! One of my cats chased the other and they had a fight, part of it on top of my keyboard. Three keys got torn off, and I took apart each key with the little plastic things, and although a tab had been broken off each one, after taking them apart, I was able to put the supports back into the keybard and snap the keys back in.
November 7th, 2008 at 7:13 am
Thank you soo very much. You saved me from the hands of a dubious repairer who wanted to charge me £100 pounds to fix my keyboard.
I followed the steps and fix all the keys perfectly cos the keys were coming off so frequently.
That good and God Bless you
November 7th, 2008 at 8:40 am
THANKS SO MUCH! You’re a lifesaver!
November 7th, 2008 at 3:26 pm
Thank you so much! You saved my computer & my sanity!
November 8th, 2008 at 5:01 pm
thank you this helped me soo much..
it is good to see people helping out free of charge, they were going to charge me $25 to fix my A key
November 10th, 2008 at 2:29 am
thanks man,it worked great the screen shots helped a lot
November 10th, 2008 at 7:40 am
Where can i get key retainers for my hp dv 9650, key ‘R’ and ‘5′?
November 11th, 2008 at 10:20 am
Wow it worked. I actual fixed something!
Thank you from someone who always thought she had been issued with sausages instead of fingers!
November 12th, 2008 at 2:59 am
I knew it could be done, just forgot how to do it. You saved me a head ake, thanks!
November 12th, 2008 at 7:44 am
The I button on my laptop popped off and I misplaced it. What can I do. Can I but a new button for it?
Please Help
November 12th, 2008 at 3:40 pm
WOW..I panicked when my daughter pulled 9 keys off. then I found this website.Thanks alot. that saved me $25 per key..
November 13th, 2008 at 6:00 am
I popped off my space bar key to remove a piece of a potato chip and when I popped it back on it did not work right. It flexed. Your site showed me that I needed to get that metal bar back in its slots. Great work, much appreciated.
November 13th, 2008 at 7:39 am
Thank you so much! This is by far one of the best tutorials I have seen in quite some time! I had my key fixed in a matter of 5 minutes!
Thank You!
November 14th, 2008 at 2:57 am
Thanks so much, my F7 key fell off last night and with your help i fixed it back on in seconds…… rather than an hour trying on my own xxx
Great help thanks again
sue
November 14th, 2008 at 8:10 am
thank god! my cat flipped off my P key and i haven’t been able to fix it til now. you’re awesome!
November 14th, 2008 at 9:50 pm
Okay so my problem is that my g key fell off and it won’t go back on, like it’ll make a pop noise but then it just falls right off.I have a newer dell laptop…. Please email me.
November 14th, 2008 at 11:20 pm
That’s just saved my life – in at 6:45 to start overtime, and 0 key was stuck, so flipped the key off and couldn’t get it back in right. Turned out I had the inner connector upside down which I would never have worked out without this site. Thank you so much
November 15th, 2008 at 5:46 pm
THANK YOU SO MUCH! I have been removing and replacing my enter key for like the whole day and i didnt even bother to TOUCH the metal bar on the enter thing! THANK YOU!!!
November 16th, 2008 at 8:03 pm
Thank you so much for your website. It was so helpful!
November 18th, 2008 at 4:51 pm
Thankyou so much
i will be keeping this site handy in case i ever need to pop a key back in again.
The retaner actually needed to be filed down one side to it was actually faulty from the manufacturer, and if it breaks again i will know just how to fix it and where to order a replacement should i have the same problem again.
problem solved in like 3-5 mins after breaking the key off by accident and looking for a solution.
November 18th, 2008 at 11:14 pm
plss help me i have a old model laptop compaq. . . .
the key board suddenly won work verry well
example: if i press the Letter E the explore comes out
th F the seach comes out
have you encounterde these problems . . . help me pls I need you help guys
November 21st, 2008 at 5:40 pm
This was very helpful!
The idea of pulling of another key around the same size and seeing how the retainer works on it.
Thanks alot! You saved my shift key!
November 24th, 2008 at 12:00 am
the “Q” key on my dell laptop are continuesly typing letter q after puting on my computer and open microsoft word. so I can not type anything.
when I restart my computer I here several beep as if the key is hold on. please help me to solve the problem.
November 24th, 2008 at 4:16 pm
Thanks for the info, now I know what to do with my keyboard, my B key is oftenly want back up again, now I know what is th problem…
Thanks
November 25th, 2008 at 6:01 am
Thank you very much for your help. my 4 year old son wnated to know what was below the “w indows”key cap, and with your instruction i could place it again on it’s place
November 25th, 2008 at 12:26 pm
PHEW thank god for Google!
thanks a lot dudes!
November 26th, 2008 at 11:52 am
thankyou so much for showing me how to do this you saved my 8 key thank god my mom did not find out thak you thak you thankyou.my dog went on my laptop and took it off well once again thankyou
November 27th, 2008 at 4:53 am
Hi, I got a laptop from a friend – it’s a Fijitsu Siemens Amilo Pro. It works great and everything, I’m really happy with it. Apart from the fact that when I got it, the space bar was broken and there are no little spongey/spring things underneath so I can’t fix it, although there are two key retainers at each side. I’ve tried blu-tack and that works but I have to prod the space bar very hard so it’s not really good enough. Can anyone please help me? Thankyou so much!
November 27th, 2008 at 6:52 am
Thanks for your post! It was extremely helpful. My laptop keyboard is back in working order again thanks to your help!
November 28th, 2008 at 10:02 pm
I still was not able to fix my keybroad. Will I have 2 buy a new one my laptop is very new.
November 28th, 2008 at 10:55 pm
My “I” key fell off but the retainter and silicone thing are still in tact on the keybored. i just have the ‘i’ key sitting in my lap top bag because after messing with it for a long time and reading a bunch of different things on google I still can’t seem to figure it out. I thought I was decently tech savvi too! ugh.
November 29th, 2008 at 9:24 pm
Awesome. It helped a lot, but I would like to know if you are able to buy a replacement ‘membrane’ for a key also.
November 30th, 2008 at 5:08 am
PLZ HELP ME MY LAPTOP IS DAMAGE WHEN I ON MY NOTEBOOK ERROR IS THEME KEY STICK PRESS F1 FOR SETUP BUT IT IS NOT WORKING THE KEYBORD IS NOT WORKING
November 30th, 2008 at 4:41 pm
OMFG thank you soo much (:
December 2nd, 2008 at 4:41 am
thanks for the instructions…they were very useful
December 2nd, 2008 at 6:05 pm
Great instructions, saved me alot of stress!
December 3rd, 2008 at 2:32 am
thannk you so much for this !! a drink (gin & tonic) fell on my vaio keyboard and the keys stayed pressed for a couple of seconds. i pulled off a couple of caps to clean it, and since the small white retainers came off, i was already on the lookout for a new keyboard ! some patience paid off and my keyboard is as good asnew now !! thanks again !!
December 3rd, 2008 at 5:43 pm
Thanks a lot. The key problem was successfully resolved. Great instructions…wonder what you get???
Other than our thanks…
Thank you.
December 4th, 2008 at 1:42 pm
Sweet! This worked perfectly. No more missing down cursor key blues for me.
December 5th, 2008 at 9:36 am
one of my arows doesnt work is there a chance to change it another button ? thank you in advance
December 6th, 2008 at 10:53 am
ive just sold my dv2000 on ebay and when cleaning a piece of paper towel got under F9, ive accidentally popped it off! i think ive attached the to small pieces right and they atached to the computer in what looks right but the key wont “pop” on. scared to pull off another key, does anyone have a picture of under one of the top keys to see if its on right?
December 7th, 2008 at 2:58 am
thank you so much!!!! this was so helpful and easy to follow
December 8th, 2008 at 6:49 pm
Thank you for posting this! I haven’t had an “M” for so long – now I cant
December 9th, 2008 at 9:26 am
Very helpful, thanks.. although it took me a while to get the key back on after it was assembled, but dosent matter. Thanks
December 10th, 2008 at 2:48 pm
Exactly what I was looking for. I got it fixed quickly and easilly. Thanks for the info!
December 11th, 2008 at 2:34 am
Thanks a lot for the description!
May be you know where it is possible to find (buy) the key retainers? Several of them were broken on my laptop when a book fell down on keyboard.
Besr regards
Samgin
December 11th, 2008 at 2:34 pm
Excellent peice of information. I could fix my broken key…Thanks a lot…..
December 12th, 2008 at 8:39 am
this.helps.in.how.to.put.keys.on..but..how..do..i.take..the..space..bar..key
out?..as..you..can.see.i..cant..do.spaces..i..have..to..you..dots.
so..i..press..it..but…nothing..happens..
it..stopped..working..when..i…was..trying..to.cleann…it..lol
HELP..
anyone?
please..email…me:)
December 12th, 2008 at 12:10 pm
I have an HP Pavillion dv6000 laptop, and my arrow key that points upward didn’t pop all the way off, but part of it is sticking outward and popped off. It still works if I push down really really hard…Please help me! Is there anyway I can fix it?
December 12th, 2008 at 8:28 pm
thanks alot! i just accidently broke it and got scared but searched it on google and perfect instructions, u saved me !
December 12th, 2008 at 8:29 pm
dear kristen, I have the same exact computer and my up arrow key just came off, what you want to do is take it all the way off , dont worry it wont break, you dont have to worry about the retainers coming off or anything it doesnt matter if it does, so take it off all the way, then follow these instructions, what a coincidence same computer same key =p
December 13th, 2008 at 3:42 pm
I have a Compaq 1201 model and the keys around the ‘d’ area are not printing to screen. I have found your site very useful though in understanding how the keys are attached and how to detach them.
I cleaned them with air but only two responded. the d and the 3. The silicone knobs on all keys had all been detached from the base. This did not seem to affect the operation of the two I fixed.
I am considering getting a new keyboard. Are there any special tips regarding removing and replacing keyboards for the 1201 Compaq?
December 15th, 2008 at 1:10 am
HEY I APPRECIATE the info… my little 1 year old nephew came into my room and attacked my keyboard… and my M key came off….i was frustrated…..but i found this site… i had found that they key just popped back in place..
December 15th, 2008 at 6:08 am
Thanks, much appreciated – saved me a trip to my IT dept when a staple slid in between the keys. I flicked the key off and had no clue how to secure it back to the keyboard.
December 15th, 2008 at 6:23 am
Oh – I cant thank you enough. My 2 year old popped off 10 keys in a matter of 6 seconds and I thought I was going to have to buy a new keyboard. Thanks a lot!
December 15th, 2008 at 10:21 am
Thank you. My 5 year old son popped one key off (he was playing a video game) and I was able to fix it. No more video game on the brand new computer for my son, I guess. Thank you!
December 16th, 2008 at 1:43 pm
Thank you so much, I have used this website twice when my puppy put his paws on my keyboard and popped two keys off!! Very helpful!
December 19th, 2008 at 4:27 am
hi there..yesterday one of the keys from my laptop popped out. I guess part of the key retainer is broken.I tried most of the search engines where i could buy the retainers but couldn’t get any.I was just wondering if its allright to put it directly back to the keyboard with the help of a superglue. Does anyone know where i can buy the key retainers. I am using Asus laptop A8F model.
December 19th, 2008 at 8:02 pm
YOU ARE A GOD. My hyphen key fell off very suddenly this evening, and I was completely distressed! I tried taking off the 0 key next to it to see if I could figure it out, but was completely stumped. This website helped so much!
December 21st, 2008 at 9:37 am
Thanks for the Help My dog scratched off my keys on my laptop and this website was the first one to come when I searched for a site so thank you for your help and I might have to look for you again.
December 21st, 2008 at 11:16 am
Thank you so much for those great tips! My space key popped out yesterday, and I couldn’t find those elastic things inside either. After reading your post, I just dug out one of my Windows key and that “pointer” key (which you put in place of U), put their elastic in the space key area and it’s working!
December 21st, 2008 at 8:44 pm
Thanks. Same story here: 1-yr-old with amazing speed popped off the CTRL key. Key retainter junk was not intuitive to reassemble until I saw the components shown in your photos, which helped me confirm that I wasn’t dealing with broken or missing parts, so I popped of the ALT key for a point of reference. Interestingly, the ALT key assembly was turned 90 degrees versus the CTRL key.
December 22nd, 2008 at 3:44 pm
My q button says that it is being held when it isnt, i cant do anything because a bunch of q’s show up.
December 22nd, 2008 at 8:49 pm
Thank you so much!
I broke the latch and i have a completely different laptop!
And these instructions helped me get my key back on!
amazing, but since i broke one of the latches, its still very loose!
but half of its on, and it wont be a very big problem.
(It was the Pg Dn key so it was very easy to fix)
December 24th, 2008 at 5:41 am
Thank you so very much.
Why is it stuff happens on holidays…space bar now working. Instructions were easy…thks
December 26th, 2008 at 6:50 pm
thanks alot I really needed your help badly thanks again
December 27th, 2008 at 8:30 am
i popped off my backspace key nearly half a year ago and *just today* i thought, maybe if i google laptop key repair i’ll get somewhere with this… i got it on the first try after looking at the pics in your article!
WOOOO TRIUMPH!
December 27th, 2008 at 2:12 pm
what if you have a broken tab under the key? can u manage without it? My caps lock key was broke off by my one year old and when she did it broke the little tab that clicks it back in place.
December 27th, 2008 at 11:47 pm
Thanks- it was an easy fix!!!
December 28th, 2008 at 5:43 pm
Thanks for the descriptions and photos. My 2 year old Yanked off my Y but with a little trial and error and Your directions I was able to fix it.
December 30th, 2008 at 7:17 pm
Hey thanks for this – my 4 year old twins had popped off the O key on my keyboard and lost one of the retainers. I saw your tutorial on cannibalizing parts from that useless menu key (I had to push it to see what it did – never used it!) and got the missing bit, up and running. So thank you very much for the idea! You saved me the 30 bucks for a new laptop to cannibalize for an O key
December 31st, 2008 at 2:35 pm
Thanks a lot.. One of the most useful pages on the web
I could fix not one but three keys on the laptop keyboard….
January 1st, 2009 at 1:52 pm
Thanks to this website. I had the V key in my laptop that I have to press several times before it registers. So I decided to take it out hoping that I can easily put it back. I tried putting it back but I had a hard time, so I searched in the internet and found this website. I had to remove one good key to see if my v key is still good and tried the direction in the good key and then to the v key. I thought at first of just taking it to a computer shop but the “McGyver” nature of me decided to do it myself and I’m so proud of myself and did it it! vvvvvvvv That’s my v key working properly!
January 2nd, 2009 at 5:39 am
thank you so very much for your excellent guide, you have saved me a fortune, keep up the fantastic work and well done.
January 3rd, 2009 at 1:10 am
Thank you so much!! My mom would’ve killed me if she saw one of the keys missing!! Thank youx10000000!!
Sincerely, Arttu
January 3rd, 2009 at 7:05 am
Thanks so much for the valuable info!!! My space bars works correctly again thanks to the instructions found here. One would think that getting keys to work would be a simple fix, but nothing is ever easy in the computer world. But your simple instructions and pictures are priceless.
January 4th, 2009 at 9:11 am
THANK YOU SO MUCH! YOU ARE WONDERFUL!!! THIS HAS BEEN THE MOST USEFUL WEBSITE THUS FAR!!!
January 4th, 2009 at 11:59 pm
THANK YOU SO MUCH IM JUST A KID and i recked my keyboard so i had to fix it quickly without my mum or dad knowing thank you so much!
January 5th, 2009 at 11:41 am
thaaaaaaaaank you!
January 5th, 2009 at 3:15 pm
mine will not go back on
January 6th, 2009 at 8:58 am
thanks so much, now my space bar buttom works perfectly again
January 6th, 2009 at 9:23 pm
How would you fix a caps and tab key – the retainers look very different?
January 9th, 2009 at 2:00 pm
Great site..thanks for the help.
January 9th, 2009 at 4:19 pm
um my keyboard isn’t working good some keys don’t respond how can i fix it?
January 11th, 2009 at 8:52 pm
where can i buy key retainers? thats all that i need to fix my key and i can’t find them anywhere
January 13th, 2009 at 12:06 pm
hi, thanks for the help. its a great site.
January 15th, 2009 at 12:23 am
I also need just key retainers… anyone know where to get one?? by the way this is a GREAT tutorial thanks so much!
January 16th, 2009 at 12:04 am
Thank you SOOOOOOOOOooooooooooooooooooo much!!!
P.S. The “O” key was the one that messed up! Lol!
January 16th, 2009 at 12:30 am
Thanks You So Much!
This Was Very Helpful!
January 16th, 2009 at 6:23 pm
So I have a brand new Lenovo IBM Thinkpad and the enter key had popped off… I think I was sucessfully able to put the plastic lock pieces back on the proper way, but now I can’t get the key to snap into place.
Please help?
January 17th, 2009 at 4:01 am
I need help on the A key.
I snap it on but it doesn’t spring up.
It just stays stuck to the bottom.
How can i fix this?
Please reply.
January 17th, 2009 at 8:23 am
Thanks. Very helpful!
January 18th, 2009 at 3:26 am
Thank you very much, my 4 year old took of a key and i couldn’t quite get it back. Very fiddly and much patience required but now works wonderfully.
January 18th, 2009 at 3:36 am
You say “Carefully remove the key cap with your fingers.”… How do I do that without braking anything?
Which side of the key has to be lifted first?
January 18th, 2009 at 11:43 pm
THANK YOU!!!
This has been driving me no less then completely crazy for about a week and now it’s fixed.
January 19th, 2009 at 8:43 am
Xremely helpful…better than the “troubleshooters at the store”. Will look often.Dave
January 19th, 2009 at 12:22 pm
Yes!!! This was driving my nuts and I was thinking I was going to have to take it in for (overpriced) repairs. But then I found your directions. I have a Gateway MX6453 laptop, and strangely enough the key next to the “broken” one is attached at a 90 degree angle. So when I removed a working one I ended up doing a double and triple take before I realized what they did. We’re talking about the H & J keys being attached in such a way that they connect at 90 degree angles to one another. Weird. But thanks so much for the help!
January 22nd, 2009 at 3:05 pm
Dar Sir, grat wb sit. It has solvd all my problms with my kyboard!
January 22nd, 2009 at 7:20 pm
My keyboard key’s four points are broken off the laptop, what can I do?
January 24th, 2009 at 12:57 am
Thanks a ton for these step by step instructions. thank god i could fix it on my own or else my bro wud hav bombarded me
Thanks !!
January 24th, 2009 at 4:20 am
Thanks for showing me how toget a key back on. An arrow key came off my HP computer and at first I was trying to snap it back on with the retain connected to the actual key instead of it being connected to the keyboard. Mission accomplished! The computer had just passed the 2 year warranty.
Very Grateful,
Dave
January 24th, 2009 at 5:27 am
Just remember to try both ways (up/down) when attaching the key retainer.
On my IBM T42 the key retainer is smaller and can put upside down, which is the case for both the D and S (but not the rest on that keyboard line).
January 24th, 2009 at 5:25 pm
Just fixed the spacebar on my Toshiba Satelleite M300 using the instructions here. One end of the spacebar had come loose, and I couldn’t see how it was held on without removing it. The article had excellent graphics that explained how to remove then refit the spacebar. Thanks very much guys.
January 24th, 2009 at 8:47 pm
THANKS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!1111
January 26th, 2009 at 7:25 pm
My tab key fell off. I tried to follow directions above but I noticed the tab and caps lock look different from the reg keys shown in diagram above.
January 26th, 2009 at 7:55 pm
I fixed the TAB button!!!
But I broke theCaps lock!
This time one of thr\e two metal hooks on the right bent and broke off. Now what do I do?? Any thoughts?
January 26th, 2009 at 9:51 pm
I have a Dell Inspiron 700m. I pulled apart my comma key because a piece of food fell into the cracks…i cant get the damn key back on…it wont snap back in!!1 help…im scared to pull off another key because i might not be able to get it back on and i dont want 2 keys w/o a shell!
January 27th, 2009 at 7:21 am
Excellent help Thanks so much
January 27th, 2009 at 7:24 am
hi, thanks so much for this, it was my stupid dog also knocked the Alt key, thanks for stoppin my stressing!
January 27th, 2009 at 2:09 pm
On my 1yr old HP laptop, the number seven key popped off.. the retainer still on the keyboard, got my mag. glass, and neon sun flashlight, only to discover, one of the (tiniest to mankind , I’m sure) tabs at the bottom of inside retainer, (there are two one on left and one on right) broke.. I can get they key back on and use it, but it keeps popping off again. can i get just the plastic retainer parts somewhere?
January 27th, 2009 at 9:12 pm
wow ..it took me three hours to do it but..i did it ..you are the best,,,
tomorrow i will look at my space bar on my toshiba…today it was the acer w and e keys…
January 27th, 2009 at 10:38 pm
I redid my space bar but for some reason it won’t bounce like the rest of the keyboard, and it makes a ’space’ just by touching it. what should ido
January 30th, 2009 at 4:11 pm
I have a gateway laptop and the key with the window’s symbol popped off and i can’t get it back on. I can get most of it back on except for one little part that hooks underneath and i can’t get that on.
January 31st, 2009 at 5:46 am
Thank you so much!
I was in the dog house for popping off the spacebar on my husband’s laptop but you saved my skin lol!
Thanks again!
January 31st, 2009 at 9:45 am
Thanks so much…I was able to fix my Dell Inspiron Spacebar w/your pics!!
January 31st, 2009 at 4:55 pm
great help. it took a while b/c it’s so precise, but i finally got it.
January 31st, 2009 at 9:46 pm
Thanks! with your easy instructions I was able to put the key back on with no trouble at all. I was ready to throw money away having someone else fix it.
February 1st, 2009 at 2:42 am
Thank you so much! I spent like an hour trying to get one key back on because the key reatainer got disconnected when I was trying to clean a drop I got under there that made it sticky. This helped bunches. THANK YOU!
February 2nd, 2009 at 11:29 am
Thanks a lot! I could fixed my space bar!
February 2nd, 2009 at 7:43 pm
Thanks so much! Saved me a lot of trouble!
February 3rd, 2009 at 3:28 pm
thanks so much! my dad would have been so pissed if he found out i broke a key on his laptop. but i popped it right back on! so good job helping others in need, you are a kind lady/man.
February 3rd, 2009 at 3:30 pm
Amazing. Thanks alot. Now I can feel assured on how to reattach my laptop keys when cleaning them. Thanks again, I thought I would have to buy a new key! Ha.
February 3rd, 2009 at 4:53 pm
the spacebar tip did not work for my compaq laptop, I felt it snap on but I failed to succede in the bar staying on
February 4th, 2009 at 11:30 am
thanks!! mended and on my way
My 16 year old jack russel dog had just jumped on the works lap top and taken the key off!
no one need ever know!
February 4th, 2009 at 8:50 pm
wow!!! Your site was so helpful, thanks, I could fix my keyboard by myself.
February 6th, 2009 at 8:50 am
Very helpful, thank you!
February 6th, 2009 at 12:36 pm
just what i needed. thanks. the shopvac eventually lost and the clair bear won. oh the letters were “a’”r”e” cool thanks again.
February 6th, 2009 at 6:51 pm
Just the right hint at the right moment!
Thank you
February 7th, 2009 at 9:53 am
Best ‘How to” I’ve come across in a while! Thanks a million for your help.
February 7th, 2009 at 2:40 pm
Thank you so much!
I was able to easily follow your clear instructions and fix my laptop keys.
My dog had jumped onto the computer and taken some out… There seems to be a theme of “dog damage” on here?
Warmest Regards,
Hugaplanet.
February 7th, 2009 at 6:17 pm
THANK YOU!!! I appreciate your kindness! I did not know this would be so simple!
February 8th, 2009 at 12:44 am
This is great, but i only need the retainer clip, mine is broken, so although i can get the key back on, it keeps falling off, because the lower left corner is gone on retainer clip.
anyone know where to get one? I’ve looked so many places
February 8th, 2009 at 3:47 pm
thank you, thank you – a lifesaver!
February 12th, 2009 at 11:50 am
brilliant!!! thanks very much.
February 12th, 2009 at 6:21 pm
dude…you rock! it’s so true: a picture’s worth a thousand words…thanks a bazillion!
February 12th, 2009 at 6:27 pm
carla…try scavenging one from a donor machine just like yours…there are dealers on ebay (& other places) who might pick & sell you just the part you need…Also, I’ve had good luck with these guys: http://www.machinaelectronics.com/store/
bon chance!
February 13th, 2009 at 5:30 pm
Thank you so much! I fixed my Enter key that my 11 month old daughter ripped off my keyboard. She was so cute doing it, but I didn’t know how to fix it! Thanks again. You saved the day.
February 15th, 2009 at 1:12 am
My retainer is broken, so it will not clip into the keyboard. There are little ears that are missing compared to other retainers. Where can I get a new one?
February 15th, 2009 at 5:49 am
THANKS!
Your advice worked great.
Steven
February 15th, 2009 at 6:18 pm
Thank you very much for the walkthrough. The ESC key had managed to pop off. Following your instructions, I was able to reattatch the key. You saved me many dollars!
February 16th, 2009 at 7:48 pm
thankyou very much but there is a problem, i managed to fix the “i” on my hp pavillion dv9000 but the “i” is in place and firm but it is crooked, do u have any idea how i can fix it?
February 18th, 2009 at 9:04 pm
10 min o go the the p button fell off but then i found this now its fixed
February 19th, 2009 at 11:20 am
thankyuoo sooooooo much….my “2 and Q” key fell off…..n when i saw ur website it got fixed thankyouoooo so much,.,,
my all prayers are with u!
February 19th, 2009 at 3:01 pm
thanks soooo much^^ ive only had my laptop for like 8 months… this was soooo quick and easy and the pictures were amazing… especially when you are a visual person like myself. thanks again! =D
February 19th, 2009 at 4:17 pm
Hi,
The Shift key popped out.. The information was very helpful however the solution did not work. Do I need to purchase a new keyboard? If so, do they have special laptop keyboards?
Thank you
February 19th, 2009 at 9:16 pm
Thanks so much! this was absolutely amazing and saved me from totally freaking out!
February 20th, 2009 at 12:03 pm
i didn’t realize it was this simple to fix a key. i had four keys off and was about to pay £70 to send it away and all. this saved my life. i can get my redecoration started early
February 20th, 2009 at 12:42 pm
Great, thanks m8, just the job on a HP 6530b.
February 20th, 2009 at 2:45 pm
okay. so i dropped me keyboard and the left control key came off. i took out other keys next to it, for those didn’t work very well. five keys in total aren’t functioning. the caps lock, left shift, left control and left window.
caps lock can be press down, but i have to press it down very hard in order for it to work. left shift wouldn’t go down, when pressed. the same thing goes for left control, left window. and my left alt is the same as caps lock.
i also noticed for the non-moving(that wouldn’t go down) keys, when i turn the keyboard upside down, those keys pop up. when i return it to the original position, they go back down.
can someone teach me how to replace the key caps? my keyboard is a bit different than the ones pictured. only the key caps fell off. i tried replacing them many times, but results aren’t good.
February 20th, 2009 at 2:48 pm
never mind! i fixed it! the frame itself popped up. i just had to push the whole thing down. and all the keys were fixed. yay!
February 24th, 2009 at 4:42 am
My dog jumped on my keyboard knocking off the delete key, spent two hours trying to put it back on. Within two minutes of visiting this site it was so easily fixed Thanks
February 24th, 2009 at 11:06 am
Thank you so much!!
This website helped me fix my keyboard very easy and because of that it saved me money. You should really put up some Youtube videos, I bet you would gain much traffic because of it.
again Thank you for the great page..
ThE rUdA
February 25th, 2009 at 8:30 am
I need replacement keys for a desktop computer keyboard. Where can I find those?
February 25th, 2009 at 10:36 pm
im just wondering if it is nesessary to use crazy glue to stick the key back into the keyboard. i own a dell vostro 1000 and for some reason, the key is not snapping back in place im just wondering if i can use crazy glue. i want to know first before i mess up my computer even badly… please help thanks =]
February 26th, 2009 at 1:36 am
Thank you for this tutorial! I’m not handy at all and had been trying to put it back together without taking it apart… A very frustrating endeavor. Turns out I’d busted my retainer, and pinching the parts from an unused key did the trick! Having my ‘R’ key back is a huge relief, and I couldn’t have done it without you. :]
February 26th, 2009 at 2:13 pm
Thank for ur explanation, otherwise i wud’ve never put it back
February 26th, 2009 at 7:02 pm
Yup, here its explained in detail with pictorial representations.
Thank you.
Au revoir.
February 26th, 2009 at 10:59 pm
Claudia,
If nothing is broken, the key should snap back in without any glue. If it’s not snapping back in, apparently something is broken. If that’s the case, using the glue will not help, you’ll just make a mess.
Take a closer look at the key and retainer and find which part is broken. Search for a replacement.
March 1st, 2009 at 4:20 pm
THANKS ALOT YOU REALLY SAVE MY BUTT ON THIS ONE HAHAHA BUT THANK YOU YOU WERE VERY SPECIFIC AND ANSWERED ALL MY QUESTIONS WITHOUT ME EVEN ASKING THANKS ALOT AGAIN
March 2nd, 2009 at 12:10 am
i snaped of the key retainer off but i cant get it to got back in and stay please help
March 3rd, 2009 at 1:01 pm
I have a Microsoft 4000 wireless keyboard/mouse. The space bar came off the keyboard and I cannot put it back on so it has a spring to it. the picture you showed wasn’t like the spacebar I have. All I have are the spacebar and the wire that attaches to it. Do you have a picture for that type of keyboard?
March 3rd, 2009 at 3:09 pm
The letter q on my Dell Latitude D620 integrated keyboard all of a sudden stopped responding — doesn’t type. I looked under the key and everything looks in place (although perhaps uni_uely, there is a factory drilled hole in the metal platform under this particular key). What can I do to fix this? Overseas, far from a computer shop. Thanks.
March 3rd, 2009 at 3:25 pm
Robert,
There is not much you can do to fix the keyboard.
You’ll have to buy a new keyboard and replace it. It’s not difficult.
As an example, you can use this guide: How to upgrade memory in Dell Latitude D610
Should be similar to your laptop.
March 3rd, 2009 at 4:02 pm
Okay, so i am having trouble clicking the key back into place. Could you give me some more advice on how to easily do it? I know I am batman and everything, but sometimes, even superheroes need help! PLEASE HELP ME!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
~ Batman
March 4th, 2009 at 7:19 am
these instructions are awesome. thanks so much. god sun bless you
March 4th, 2009 at 8:18 pm
These directions did not work at all. In fact it made it worse it broke my E key and Space. Now I’m going to be with out my computer for a good week.
March 5th, 2009 at 11:05 am
help with spacebar clip.looks like mine may be newer / older #compaq 5107 desktop. my clip is a elongaded u shap much like what is pictured. though no bend in ends just straight. hepl
March 5th, 2009 at 7:21 pm
im still havin trouble with the spacebarkey itsstillnotworkingforme
March 6th, 2009 at 2:02 pm
Yeah, my shift button came off. Its is on a dell laptop! I need some serious help!
Please and thank you.
March 7th, 2009 at 4:52 am
hi!!!
i have a hp dv6000 and the c key fell off the keyboard while i was cleaning it!!!
the retainer is stuck in the fallen key and im reluctant to take it off as im scared of breaking it!!!
so could you please tell me how to take the retainers off the fallen key!!!
March 7th, 2009 at 9:21 am
i spilled liquid on the keyboard of a toshiba laptop. many keys are not responding. any idea the price too change out the keyboard plus the part? thanks
March 7th, 2009 at 9:27 am
dan the marine,
What is your laptop name and model number? If the laptop was sold in the USA, I can help you to find the part number and maybe point to the right disassembly instructions.
March 7th, 2009 at 2:24 pm
i am looking for a backspace key for an acer aspire 3680 where can i find one?
March 8th, 2009 at 2:08 pm
you’re a life saviour. thanx a lot !
March 10th, 2009 at 8:11 am
wow, those totally helped!
I used a bent paper clip to get the retainer out of the keyboard, which was a bit difficult since the hinge was unlocked XD
thx a lot
March 10th, 2009 at 10:30 am
I had a key pop off as well as the retainer. I put the retainer together and put it back on the keyboard. However I have spent an hour trying to get the cap to pop on it. Is there something I should do that isn’t mentioned to make it pop on?
gatorbate1 AT hotmail DOT com
March 10th, 2009 at 3:53 pm
Hi, I went through the entire tutorial and a ton of the questions but I didn’t see a solution to my problem. I own a gatway notebook, no help from those a**holes! The space key was being a problem so I gently popped it off to clean underneth it. The platic clips were fine the membranes had peeled loose so I reapplid them and connected the metal rod correctly and snapped the key into place but the spacebar still does not generate a space in text! Any thoughts or hints would be appreciated! Thanks!
Rick D.
March 11th, 2009 at 9:31 am
Just the other day, my “V” key from my laptop fell off and the key retainer is still on the key, but the problem is the four points, two points of the right side is broken and the left side is still fine.
What do i do? I know you would suggest to get a replacement keyboard, but is there a way if I can buy just a new key retainer?
March 11th, 2009 at 9:36 am
ali,
Did you search on eBay. Some sellers sell replacement keys with the retainer.
March 11th, 2009 at 3:29 pm
Thanks, for your guide to reinstalling a key which can off. It worked out perfectly!!!!
March 12th, 2009 at 8:30 am
Thanks a lot it helped to solve the problem.
March 14th, 2009 at 5:47 am
Thanks a lot for your step by step detailed instructions to repiar and reinstalling the key for Laptop.
March 15th, 2009 at 12:25 am
thank u i broke my dads laptop key you saved me from alot of trouble
March 17th, 2009 at 5:24 am
Very easy to understand instruction, and very helpfull!
March 18th, 2009 at 12:23 pm
Thanx soo much was very easy to understand and i fixed my R key in no time !!!
Thanx agen!!
March 18th, 2009 at 1:05 pm
it still neva worked
ii think im doing it rong
March 18th, 2009 at 5:09 pm
This was a great wonderful thing. I am so glad to have my B key back.
March 19th, 2009 at 5:24 am
Thankyou for the informative guide. I could not have finished my essay without a space-bar key! Also, the L key was getting a bit dodgy so i took it off an removed some fluff. Thanks again!
March 19th, 2009 at 2:26 pm
Absolutely brilliant! I’ve just fixed three keys on two laptops within half an hour! I can’t say thanks enough, great site.
DIY, take back control and save your money!
March 19th, 2009 at 3:01 pm
Duuuuuuuuuuuude, I’ve been rocking a jacked up laptop for 3 months. I’m so happy I found your site. Thanks man!
March 22nd, 2009 at 2:35 am
Thanks. This helped me fix my keyboard.
March 22nd, 2009 at 10:06 am
Great help, better then that of Dell support.
March 23rd, 2009 at 3:33 am
hi,my retainer and all is still in place,just the cap came off.But i cant seems to snap it back.
March 24th, 2009 at 7:14 pm
Thank you! This page was so helpful. I would have never looked for two pieces that snap back on before the key.
March 26th, 2009 at 7:45 am
This page was perfect for my problem and the way things turned out.
Spot on instructions and images for the laptop at the top. My laptop components were *exactly* like that from the connecting pins to the retainers etc and was exactly what the doctor ordered.
However I had already contacted tech support as its under warranty. This was the third time this computer keyboard had developed this fault and each time they simply replaced the keyboard.
This time when I reported it they told me as I had had so much trouble (hard drive failed last year and RJ45 became loose requiring a new motherboard 4mths ago) they would totally replace the entire laptop. In addition, as the model in question was no longer in production, I got a free upgrade.
From an AMD Turion 2.13 to an Intel Core 2 slightly faster, 2GB ram to 4GB, 60GB hard drive to 250GB and a dual layer DVD writer wheras the current one has a CD writer/DVD player. In addition its got goodies like built in bluetooth.
However it kinda seemed they werent too keen on getting this discontinued model back and it seems not only do I get the new one I get to keep the “ahem”, broken one… quick google search brought me here and I’ve fixed the original problem of a key coming off
So, hurrah, and many thanks. This ones been a real pleasure.
March 27th, 2009 at 10:23 pm
THANKS A LOT!!!!
I was despered when my key fell off the keyboard, but your instructions helped me to fix it. Thanx again, and keep up the good work
March 28th, 2009 at 7:21 pm
Thanks for great help! Your picture DYI guide is really helpful.
Cheers!!
March 29th, 2009 at 2:53 pm
I used to work on dell support calls. They try and get you off the phone in under 6 and a half minutes.
March 30th, 2009 at 10:54 am
My 18 month old son popped off 4 keys, including the enter and shift keys. Thank you so much for the info on this page. I was able to get it fixed before my husband got home and blew a gasket.
March 30th, 2009 at 2:52 pm
Hi!Could_anyone_please_help_me?_Sorry_but_the_membrane_came_out_from_my_spacebutton…What_am_I_supposed_to_do?_Can_I_just_clip_the_key_off_and_glue_the_membrane_back?I_m_totally_in_panic!Thanks_for_the_help!!!!
March 30th, 2009 at 6:36 pm
Hey, thanks a lot for this i was dying for how to properly snap those keys back in. Yo rock grade A++++ On guide.
March 30th, 2009 at 10:52 pm
Thanks for help, i fix key in a minute.
March 31st, 2009 at 4:02 pm
Dude, thats amazing. Thanks!
April 1st, 2009 at 5:19 pm
Hey I need help and it looks like you may be able to do so…SO…I have a Ibm T40 Thinkpad and the “b” key does not work at all…it doesn’t stick, it doesn’t slide, its not stuck…it just does not work…is there any way to try to clean off connections in order to maybe possibly have it work…I really don’t want to buy a new keyboard and copying and pasting b’s sucks to have to do it all the time…please let me know how you can help me..if you can help me…thank you so much
eric
April 1st, 2009 at 9:23 pm
Great visuals. I wish I would have checked your site out when my son tore off several keys. You would have saved me a head ache for sure. Thanks.
April 2nd, 2009 at 3:30 pm
I have used his tuorial several times now, and it has been a lifesaver every time. Thank you so much for publishing this!
April 3rd, 2009 at 6:11 am
Thank you.. That really helped!!!
April 3rd, 2009 at 8:31 am
Please Please Please, where can I obtain the plastic retaining clips as mine has broken and need replacing.
Any help would be greatly appreciated
Maxwell
April 4th, 2009 at 6:10 am
Thanks a lot mate for the tips.
April 4th, 2009 at 10:06 am
This tutorial really helped me .. super easy .I wasted so much time trying this on my own .. all I needed were the visuals . Thanks soo much !
April 4th, 2009 at 4:18 pm
THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU for the excellent tutorial on putting the spacebar back on my computer!
April 4th, 2009 at 5:48 pm
Eric Geer,
I afraid you’ll have to replace the keyboard. I don’t know any other way to fix the problem.
April 4th, 2009 at 10:35 pm
Okay, thank you SOOO much. I had been trying to fix my laptop key for over 2 hours, then i found this page and i FINALLY fixed it. Thank you thank you THANK YOU!
April 4th, 2009 at 10:37 pm
my esc and delete keys came off and i cant get them to go back on
April 7th, 2009 at 11:26 am
My esc key fell off and i lost 1 key retrainer, can i buy such a part??? i got a hp laptop.
April 9th, 2009 at 5:04 am
Thank you so much…with your photos I was able to get my key top back on!
April 9th, 2009 at 12:44 pm
i have a toshiba laptop with a keyboard like the one show in silver. the h key popped off and i cannot get it to seat properly. should i take the retainer off and set it first and then push the key on or does it stay on the key and just get pushed down?
thank you
April 9th, 2009 at 12:47 pm
jodi,
That’s the right order.
1. Remove the retainer from the key.
2. Attach the retainer to the keyboard.
3. Push the key on the retainer.
You can break the retainer this way.
April 9th, 2009 at 3:34 pm
thanks but it still is seating properly and the retainer does not look altered or broken in any way.the top of the “h” key is loose. if you don’t hit the key right on center but rather towards the top it pops up.
April 9th, 2009 at 10:00 pm
jodi,
Apparently, the retainer IS broken. Otherwise the key would stay attached to the retainer.
If you wish, you can remove the cap from another key and take a closer look at the good retainer and compare it with a bad one.
April 10th, 2009 at 6:45 am
yeppers…i just realized that the tiny ittle notch on the top left is gone. i’ll have to check my other tosihba laptop and see if the clip is the same. tanks. lol
April 11th, 2009 at 3:04 am
Great tip. Easily replaced the key. Fala!!
April 12th, 2009 at 9:29 am
I’ve tried the steps of situation 1 but when I snap the key back it stays ‘up’ somehow. It’s like if two of the points that connect the retainer to the keyboard doesn’t hold the retainer… Any ideas? Am I doing something wrong?
April 12th, 2009 at 10:48 am
thankssssssssssssssssssssssssss
April 12th, 2009 at 3:54 pm
thanx! this really helped alot
u saved my life lol
THANKS!
April 12th, 2009 at 8:51 pm
Thank you soooooo much!!!!!
April 14th, 2009 at 5:17 pm
thanks! super simple and smart!
April 14th, 2009 at 7:38 pm
Thank you so much for the help. I was able to replace the key on my laptop using the great pictures and instructions.
April 15th, 2009 at 1:44 am
Every time i put the key on it sticks up ? As if there are two joints can you help me with that
April 15th, 2009 at 9:40 am
Confused,
Sorry, I do not understand the problem you are experiencing.
April 16th, 2009 at 4:24 pm
On my Compaq Presario laptop the broken key came off altogether with the retainer still attached to the key itself. The problem seems to be that two of the points where the retainer attaches to the keyboard itself have broken off. Any ideas?
FRED…
April 17th, 2009 at 2:17 am
THANK YOU SO MUCHHHHHHHH!!!!
DDDDDDddddddddddddd
honestly wikkihow disnt help at all, ur amazing!!!
April 17th, 2009 at 3:25 pm
FRED,
That happens a lot. You’ll have to replace the retainer. Search for a new key on eBay, it’s possible you can find a new one with the retainer attached.
April 17th, 2009 at 5:21 pm
Thanks! ‘V’ key fell off today, and this definitely aided in my fixing it!
April 19th, 2009 at 2:18 am
My Q key felt today from Toshiba keyboard laptop just like the 2nd keyboard here but i am not able to fix it !!!! every time i put it , i cant get it to get stable ! specially from above !
April 19th, 2009 at 11:22 am
Hilal,
One of the retainers is broken and the key will not stay connected to it. You’ll have to replace the broken retainer.
April 19th, 2009 at 2:26 pm
Thankyou!
Your excellent post gave me sufficient hints that I was able to restore my HP/Compaq’s “Z” key back to it’s rightful place! My meddlesome cat pulled the key off this AM, with one deft hook from one sharp claw.
After the cat’s misdeed, one part of the 2-part plastic retainer (the round-ish part)was still attached to the key itself. The other half of the retainer (the more rectangular part)had come loose from both key and keyboard.
I never would have figured it out without taking your advice to carefully remove another key,and use it as a template or model to refer to in restoring the key assembly that flew apart. I soon realized I would need to remove the retainer piece that was attached to the key, and reassemble both parts onto the keyboard, not the key.
One must find out which side is the correct “up” side for each retainer part (I found one side is flatter than the other in each case). And also ascertain which is the top and bottom end in each case. Neither of these parts is symmetrical. Each has a correct top and bottom end, and an up and down side.
With the aid of a magnifying glass,an ultra-mini screwdriver tool to help move pieces into place (rather than to screw screws), plus fingers, I went to work.
I attached the round-ish piece first. It attaches to the keyboard at two points at the top of the part.
Next, I attached the rectangular piece. It attaches to the board at two points at the bottom of the piece. The undisturbed template retainer I used as my model showed me how the two parts fit into each other. It took a little fiddling and squeezing to get the two parts to fit into each other properly, while remaining attached to the keyboard properly. But persistence won out, and now my two retainers (the model one,and newly repaired one) both looked and behaved identically when inspected.
I prayed that I had it right, but feared I might end up with not just one, but two keys that would no longer attach to the keyboard!
Fortunately,snapping the two keys back into place was the simplest and quickest part of the process! They easily snapped back in immediately. No coaxing required. The two keys seem
solid, good as new!
I noticed online other people’s useless advice on how to repair detached keys. e.g. “just push down and the key will snap back into place”. Yeah right. This of course won’t work in the case of plastic retainer parts becoming detached from the board, and from each other.
I appreciate your helpful tips!
April 19th, 2009 at 2:45 pm
I’d like to add for the person who says they have a Compaq Presario laptop and had a key come off with a piece of the retainer still attached to the key. That’s exactly the model laptop I have, and my key also came loose with a piece of retainer attached.
But you may be mistaken in thinking that the key won’t snap back in because the retainer has bits broken off it (unlikely, imo).
First you’ll need to remove the retainer piece from the key. The two parts of the plastic retainer need to be reassembled onto the keyboard itself, not the key. So long as you still have the two parts, you should be able to reassemble them.
Please read my prior post to see in detail how I was able to successfully reassemble the two parts of my retainer and fix my detached HP/Compaq Presario’s key. Good luck!
April 20th, 2009 at 3:15 pm
Hey,I have a labtop that recently lost a key (number seven key). My computer is an Acer labtop (Windows) and it has two notches on the bottum and one notch on the top,so it’s different from the one you did on the exampe to fix a broken key. I need help to fix this so it would be very nice if you could help me. Thanks.
April 20th, 2009 at 5:19 pm
I have the same laptop as tyler april 2o,2009 3:15pm and I cannot get the bottom of the key to snap back on! This isnt my laptop and I have to fix it ASAP!!! Please help
Acer aspire 5315-2326 intel celeron processor 550
April 21st, 2009 at 1:21 pm
I have an Acer too.
You must first connect the two retaining pieces together, by inserting the small one into the little swivel holes in the big one.
Like advised here, carefully lift off another key to see how to connect everything. Then you connect the little on to the little clips on the keyboard, and after that you will be able to connect the big one onto its clips, and then snap the key right back on.
April 22nd, 2009 at 12:54 pm
I also have an Acer -Aspire 5610z mae sure you position the key correctly – it has go to frther down the keyboard (towards ) than you thinkand try to get all four to click in at once. Also EVERYBODY note that the key retainer’s middle part at the bottom has a thick and a thin side – the thin side ofthe holes has to be on top in order for the hooks to fit over the clip
front on thin part at bottom of hole thin side up
_ _
||_ _||
|| ||
|| ||
||—||
cross section thin part at bottom
||
into computer <–||
-||\ |</ <– it goes up and then bends towards space
Apart from this wow!! eally good wouldn’t have known what to do
Cheers!
April 22nd, 2009 at 12:57 pm
Apologies for what turned out to be sheer graffiti!
the point is the hook coes up out of the computer base and bends towards space, and the thin part must be so that it is on the bottome with the empty space on top so that he hook which is a bit ‘fat’ can hook over it.
Do the bottom of the retainer first while bending it and then flatten it and snap the top two on
April 23rd, 2009 at 6:59 am
My kid popped out 2 of the keys…Thanks for u guys! I replaced within couple of mins!
April 26th, 2009 at 12:40 am
i have the tosihba satalite L300 and on the letter a part of the clip has broken of and they say you need to buy a full keyboard not just the letter a and it donsent come under warnntry so it is £30 at pc world and at toshiba it is 35 pounds just to deliver it there what can i do i still have the letter a
April 26th, 2009 at 8:39 pm
also. the little tabs on the side of the inner piece. they need to be inside the little groove for them. if not the key will not snap on correctly
April 27th, 2009 at 8:58 pm
jordan,
You can disassemble another key you don’t use, for example the right ALT key and install it instead of A key.
April 29th, 2009 at 4:56 am
I have an acer notebook and the home key came off. The little brace piece isnt a full square, one wall isnt there (supposed to be that way) I dont see any way on here to get it back on. Help please
April 29th, 2009 at 3:32 pm
Your instructions worked Great, and fixed in 5 minutes! Thanks!
I had this problem with my IBM laptop from work a year ago. The Desktop Support guy at work said to call IBM support, who sent me a new keyboard and we replaced the whole thing. If I had found your site then I could have saved a whole lot of time (and expense to IBM
Much Appreciated!
May 1st, 2009 at 5:02 am
thank you so much! i thought i was a goner
May 1st, 2009 at 7:21 am
i have acer aspire 5020 and my space key is broke the lil keyretainers where do i get new 1s
May 1st, 2009 at 8:11 pm
Thank you so much!!! You are a saver. My toddler took out the caps lock and shift key from DH 1 month new laptop. And thanks to you it’s now fixed!!!
May 3rd, 2009 at 7:51 am
thank you so so much! the key retainer parts were not properly attaching after i took them out because i spilt a bit of water on my arrow keys and they needed wiping. absolute life saver
:)
May 5th, 2009 at 11:14 am
thanks a ton! Saved me time, and SOOOOO much stress!
May 7th, 2009 at 2:56 pm
help i did everything it said and i still cant get some of the keys to stay on what do i do now???
May 7th, 2009 at 3:04 pm
Thanks so very much for sharing what you know.You have helped me many,many times.God bless you.
May 8th, 2009 at 12:52 am
Thanks you so much for this my daughter (3) took like 4 keys off of my new laptop I was able to get all except for the G back on properly and your tutorial helped so much the g is back on and working FABULOUSLY!!! Thank you soo much!
May 10th, 2009 at 12:38 am
thanks so much my toddler pulled off the key and bent the part that the key fitted to, without your help i would ofhad to tell my OH, and I fixed it all myself with your instructions.
May 10th, 2009 at 2:01 am
Thanks so much my little boy wrecked 3 keys…and you helped me fix them!
May 10th, 2009 at 10:58 pm
Thanks so much for this information!!! My laptop keyboard is slightly different from the one shown in the diagram, (Dell Inspiron 7500), so the retainer isn’t quite the same as the one shown above, but similar enough. I thought I’d have to take my computer to a repair shop and wait for a few days, but I was able to fix a key that’s been broken for a week!
Thanks again!
May 12th, 2009 at 2:15 pm
Where do i find individual keys to purchase for my laptop? My number 8 key is not fixable because the latches on the key itself broke off. I don’t really want to have to trade it with another key, i would just like it replaced. Know any good websites where I can find that or places I can purchase just the number 8 key?
May 12th, 2009 at 2:17 pm
Rach,
Did you read through the entire post? Under the picture 5 I posted a link to the eBay store where you can buy individual keys.
May 13th, 2009 at 2:23 pm
Thank you – your pictures and instructions really helped me when my daughters book slipped and landed on my keyboard last night popping off 2 keys. I stayed cool, but inside I was totally bummed. It was not the easiest task, but with patience and your site I was able to snap the keys back on. I really appreciate this.
May 13th, 2009 at 7:29 pm
Whenever I use thefollowing keys the impressin is as under
key marked as the impression is
” @
# £
~ ¬
Please let me know how to set this right
Thanking you
May 15th, 2009 at 12:57 am
Thank you!!! your manual saved my night jajajaja It’s feel so good to have space button again jajaja
greetings from Mexico!!
May 15th, 2009 at 8:55 pm
Thank you. Your pictures helped me put my my X back on after my toddler stepped on my keyboard. I have to admit that I did not feel comfortable pulling off anothr key. I was able to to fix it by using the illustrations. Thanks a bunch!
May 16th, 2009 at 4:28 am
thanxz this helped me fix my keys that my 4 year old daughter had broken while I was at work.
May 16th, 2009 at 7:34 pm
Thanks! That was just what I was looking for. My backspace key came off on my laptop, and I could not figure out how to put it back on. Thanks again!
May 17th, 2009 at 9:15 am
Is this just me, or my keboard? I’ve tried so hard, over and over to get my L key back into place. I’ve followed all the instructions, but it doesn’t seem to snap.
May 17th, 2009 at 6:01 pm
Thanks! This really helped.
May 18th, 2009 at 5:32 am
thank you very much being able to see how the keys are fitted on has helpt me to solve my problem, I lifted the H key just a slight touch to ease the presure and it seems to have cured the problem of the H key constantly repeating itself whenever i tried to type somthing as i was constantly having to use the backspace key to put things right.
thhank you
katherine.
May 18th, 2009 at 10:25 am
Kaley,
Take a closer look at the retainer and key itself. Apparently one of them is broken.
May 18th, 2009 at 2:40 pm
I had the exact same problem. The exact same one with the U button. The U button gets used alot!
May 19th, 2009 at 1:05 pm
I’ve done all the steps & its not as easy as “click it into place” My “A” key wont fix, the key retainer wont clip or click into wit the key
( WTH!? HELPPPP!!!
May 19th, 2009 at 1:08 pm
x_Goddess_x,
Take a closer look at the retainer and back side of the key, maybe one of them is broken.
May 19th, 2009 at 2:06 pm
I had the same problem with my num lock key. I couldn’t get it to snap into place until I noticed that the little metal hooks on the keyboard were slightly bent (squashed by my 2 year old). Because of this the keyboard not accept the key retainer. I just bent the hook back into place with a small screwdriver and everything snapped into place.
May 20th, 2009 at 4:10 am
Nice one thanks
May 20th, 2009 at 1:39 pm
THANK YOU SOOOOO MUCH!!! MY MOM WAS GOING TO KILL ME!!!
May 21st, 2009 at 8:26 pm
I have an hp dv 7 pavillion and my son threw something and knocked off the ‘enter’ key of the main keyboard. I can see that there is a bar or two little pins that fit into two small holes but I’m not getting the key to snap into place.
Looking around on the net, every keyboard tutorial I see.. the key does not have this swiveling little bar?
May 22nd, 2009 at 5:58 am
oh thank u, thank u, thank u!!!!!
May 22nd, 2009 at 12:11 pm
Thank you!! I tried many other websites before coming across this. This was exactly what I needed. Thank you for including pictures!
May 24th, 2009 at 2:10 am
it wont click into place .. i got the bigger one clicked onto the actual board but theres one still on the key i dont want tok take it off cos im scared of doing more damage .. what should i do?
May 24th, 2009 at 8:59 am
O THANK U SO MUCH MY DAD WUZ GONNA KILL ME
May 26th, 2009 at 9:27 pm
You guys are brilliant, love the pictures and helpful information. It’s well appreciated.
thanks,
Satisfied user
May 27th, 2009 at 2:02 am
Thanks God you create this man……
so… he mad this web…
and I can fix my notebook….
it’s terrible when CTRL always push it self
May 27th, 2009 at 10:24 pm
[...] the way, here’s how you can fix individual keys on a laptop [...]
May 29th, 2009 at 12:25 am
This guide is super – ended my frustration with my ‘R’ key.
Thanks.
May 29th, 2009 at 12:42 am
Awesome! Your spacebar instructions worked! Thanks!!
May 29th, 2009 at 9:11 am
thank u so much… i feel like a dumb ass but at least my husband wont blame me for breaking the keyboard… lol thank u thank u thank u whoever u are u genius
May 29th, 2009 at 5:07 pm
i did everything you said but it still wont click an stay..help !!
May 29th, 2009 at 10:22 pm
Are key retainers the same for all models of laptops/computers? Of course one of the little “pins” broke off of mine and now won’t go back on. Also, where can I buy just the key retainers, I have the actual keys.. Thanks for help…
May 30th, 2009 at 5:40 am
Thanks for, great help . it worked ..
Thanks Again
Anubhav
May 30th, 2009 at 7:39 pm
thanks, this helped me form a whole heap of frustration!
May 31st, 2009 at 12:54 pm
Thanks buddy, I panicked for a moment haha. Was nearly without a ‘G’ and a ‘F’ for a moment
May 31st, 2009 at 6:20 pm
i was working with the enter key. i found as i have when keys came off before, that you have to keep gently jiggling it but that it would eventually snap in right. this article helped me remain calm and not make the problem worse. such little pieces of plastic!
thanks for the articles. the pics are excellent
June 1st, 2009 at 1:26 am
Brilliant, thanks very much. I removed my space bar to clean beneath it and I couldn’t get it to work properly until eventually finding your advice that the metal rod in the spacebar needs to hook under the plastic restraints in the keyboard. Many thanks. David, UK.
June 1st, 2009 at 7:43 am
Now, is there some kind of trickto resnapping the key cap? My baby popped the “z” key off (at least she chose the single letter I use the least) and now I can’t get it back on.I see how it works (it’s identical to the one in your pictures, but I just can’t figure out how to make it snap back into place. I’ve positioned it every way I can think of, and I even hear it “click” – but a couple of vigorous taps, and it’s crooked and unattached again. nothing appears to be broken… I think I just suck at this. By the way… thanks for your incredibly timely post!
June 1st, 2009 at 8:54 pm
Heather Dudley,
Take a closer look at the retainer assembly. Maybe it’s broken?
June 2nd, 2009 at 8:30 pm
Lost my ‘M’. The instructions and ,especially, the photos were clear and succint. The reattachment operation was successful.
It requires several unsuccessful and clutsy attempts. Don’t give up. Thank you, thank you.
June 3rd, 2009 at 1:53 pm
I left the door to my office open and the dogs had a field day trying to get to the birds outside. Unfortunately my laptop was in the way – I panicked, found your site, got all but two keys on since I need those white little HP connectors. I’ll order those, THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR YOUR HELP!!!!!
June 3rd, 2009 at 6:55 pm
I saw somebody posted a reply about the black little rubber/silicone things under the keys… but I hadn’t found a reply to it.
My space bar fell off and there is only one black rubber thing under it, and I can’t find the other. Can I order more somewhere? I haven’t been able to find them, and my space bar will not work on my laptop now.
Any information would be greatly appreciated. It’s an HP Pavillion. Thanks!
June 4th, 2009 at 4:15 am
Please help, I can get my A key back on however it requires a lot of pressure to get the key to register, and if I push too hard it just comes off.
Is there any solution to this problem? I followed all of the instructions and got the retainer and stuff on..
June 4th, 2009 at 7:24 am
Fantastic!!! I can’t believe it was so easy.
June 5th, 2009 at 2:13 pm
THANKS. REALLY WORKED. MY EMAIL AND WEBSITE IS REAL. THANKS AGAIN.
June 5th, 2009 at 2:44 pm
Help! I have an hp sd ms pro mmc sm xd with a faulty N key, but the problem is not the key or the mounting clip assembly but one of the little metal slots it all snaps into has sheared off so the key bobs up and down at its head. How do I go about fixing it?
June 5th, 2009 at 4:58 pm
thankyou so much for this site, i hated having a key missing, & u guys helped me fix it…..yay….
June 6th, 2009 at 9:11 pm
This worked PERFECTLY! Thank you so much, and great pics!
June 7th, 2009 at 9:30 am
JC,
I don’t think you can fix it. You’ll have to replace the whole keyboard.
June 7th, 2009 at 1:31 pm
This worked great! Too much WASD gaming causes my keys to fall off! Lol…
June 8th, 2009 at 4:26 pm
i did everything it told me but my button wont stay in ?
June 8th, 2009 at 5:49 pm
No L in my last name, what a surprise cause it fell off…The retainer didn’t fall off…I stuck alott of other key back on, by just placing it there…But the L won’t stick on…I think part of the retainer is broke because the top part off it is missing…I can’t find the missing part…He*p p*ease!
June 8th, 2009 at 5:55 pm
Can you glue a key back on? =-].
June 9th, 2009 at 12:46 am
Can you buy keys anywere? i burned my G-key. but it’s connected horizontally while all other keys are connected vertically (except for H). But switching the H to G doesn’t make very much sence of course.
June 9th, 2009 at 10:55 am
You truly are a legend!!! Thank you!
Ruan
June 11th, 2009 at 6:31 pm
Thank you! you saved me from having to buy a new laptop. Great information.
June 11th, 2009 at 9:55 pm
I was able to apply the instructions for reattaching the spacebar to reattach the backspace key on my Dell M1710. Thanks so much!
June 12th, 2009 at 12:38 pm
i used this and it worked, the first set of instructions.
except i pressed my key in abit hard and now its stuck in the pressed position.
it still works
but is quite annoying, any ideas ?
June 12th, 2009 at 2:54 pm
lol. ive been trying to fix a key for an hour then i went to this website and fixed it in a minute. thanks
June 12th, 2009 at 8:35 pm
ok, so my key fell out with the white pieces are still attached to it!
how do i take the white pieces of in the first place!!!?
and how do i take of another key without breaking something??
June 12th, 2009 at 8:50 pm
yaaay! i figured it out! i DIDN’T have to take out the other key! the white plastic snapped right out!
awesome!
i could kiss you!! mwah!! thank you sooo much!
June 14th, 2009 at 9:44 am
What can I do when the silicon membrane got lost and the button fell of? I have the button but can I buy the membrane or how can I replace it and what would be the best thing to replace it with?
June 15th, 2009 at 2:30 pm
one of the key retainer broke when the key cap fell off, do you know whether these retainers can be replaced? do they usually sell them at computer stores, etc.?
June 16th, 2009 at 11:55 am
Thank you very much for your advice.
3 of my laptop keys came off . I thought that was the end of it. I googled for help and found your solutin. It worked brilliantly.
Thanks again,
Shailaja
June 17th, 2009 at 7:12 am
Thank you so much. Popped a G key on my acer. I will add that using a dental pick will greatly help get the key retainer clips back into place.
June 17th, 2009 at 1:11 pm
Thanks, nice diagrams too.
June 18th, 2009 at 3:01 am
Hello,
Im facing a problem with Toshiba Laptop Keyboard:i have 2 keys attached only the Q and the W only attached to one key retainer from the 2 top sides but not from the bottom sides..so what should i do to fix it ??
thx a lot in advance
Regards.
June 19th, 2009 at 2:40 am
Thanks so much. My Vaio enter/return key came off, and I spent ages trying to get the little wires in the holes in the keyboard base. I didn’t realise till you explained that I could just remove them from the key, fit them in lace and snap the key back. Brilliant solution.
Ron
June 20th, 2009 at 8:11 am
I never knew how much I need and use the U key until it broke and popped out. I was so frustrated trying to think of how I could fix my damaged “U” key (why is it always U) and Thank you, thank you, thank you because you just saved me over $90 I was about to spend on a new keyboard. I used your technique and had a new “U” key replaced in less than 5 minutes. Now I’m just glad I can type without looking at the keyboard otherwise that funny useless key would be very confusing.
Thank you.
June 23rd, 2009 at 9:19 am
I did what you said and now my spacebar is too tight. I dont know how to fix it. What do you suggest?
June 24th, 2009 at 9:08 am
My shift key came off of my laptop (Thinkpad T23) and I cannot get it back in. Is there a website with pictures that can guide me? or can you help me? your advice above was not applicable to me.
Many thanks
June 25th, 2009 at 10:08 am
Hi,thanks for your very helpful instructions and images. My dog managed to flip the Caps Lock key off of my Dell laptop when my daughter was doing her homework on the floor. Don’t ask, I have no idea!
I was scared of taking another key off incase the same thing happened so I spent many frustrating days trying to figure out the way the retainer sat. Now I have a functioning Caps Lock again.
June 25th, 2009 at 10:42 am
Superb – Thanks for providing this information. Very useful.
My little naughty daughter took three key caps out. I tried to fit them back but couldn’t. Did a google search, got this page and I could fit those caps back. Its all because of the nice explanation by you. Thanks again.
Regards,
Nabin
India
June 25th, 2009 at 1:14 pm
What if it doesn’t just “click” in? The top half of the key is in place, but the bottom clip won’t click into place?
June 25th, 2009 at 1:16 pm
matt,
Take a closer look at the bottom part of the key and clip. Maybe one of them is broken.
June 26th, 2009 at 8:35 am
Thank you very much for your help! I did something that I shouldn’t have (ate near my laptop), and spilled syrup under the space key. I need to clean it out and I found this page by Googling. Your help was simple and easy to understand. Thanks again!
Sincerely,
Magicyte
June 27th, 2009 at 12:27 am
what if the retainer is inside the key cap
June 27th, 2009 at 9:32 am
Thanks a bunch! This was exactly what I was looking for, I took off a key to get a crumb out (eating, like one of the guys below me) and realized that it was gonna be a bit harder to get the key back on than a normal desktop keyboard!
June 27th, 2009 at 12:47 pm
That key you put in the place of the U is a right click key…
June 27th, 2009 at 5:56 pm
Thanx so so very much could not have done it without your instruction. As you pointed out there is no universal guide. On my Acer D250 Netbook the outer part of the retainer (right hand piece on your first pic) is a “U” shape. Therefore assembly appears to be able to be assembled in reverse. It was not until I assembled the retainer and keypad together the off the laptop that I realised I was trying the do it back to front.
An off computer assemble of the parts could be a good tip to add. But seriously would not have got that far without your help. Thanx again…….
June 27th, 2009 at 10:15 pm
Ryan,
1. Separate the retainer from the key cap.
2. Connect the retainer to the keyboard.
3. Snap the key cap on the retainer.
June 29th, 2009 at 9:09 am
My A botton Fell off and my rubber thing did as well what can i do
June 29th, 2009 at 8:26 pm
how do i repair a key on a compaq presario CQ50-103NR Notebook PC
June 30th, 2009 at 8:08 am
My 2yr old picked the keys off the laptop, i was at witts end till a friend forwarded this site! Thank you so much!!!
I’m almost done putting them back!
July 2nd, 2009 at 10:43 pm
thanks a lot. this really help me with my broken spacebar.
July 3rd, 2009 at 6:01 pm
Thank You! My ‘4/$’ key fell off and I fixed it without having to buy anything. You guys rock.
July 4th, 2009 at 8:32 pm
Thanks for this fantastic post. I could fix one of my broken keys. This saved a lot of time and money. really appreciate your help.
July 5th, 2009 at 3:31 pm
So I have a Thinkpad (Lenovo, so new-ish. Post-move to flimsy form factor) and the spacebar has come off. I simply cannot get the bottom of it to clip and stay on. Any help would be greatly appreciated.
July 6th, 2009 at 5:18 pm
The key retainer pins broke on my dell laptop,
anyone know where i can buy the replacements??
the key was loose and i was wondering why, now i know.
July 7th, 2009 at 5:56 am
This is great! I borrowed my friend’s lap top and the key fell off. She would’ve been pissed if I had given it back to her with the key off but you saved me! Thanks!!!!
July 7th, 2009 at 4:35 pm
You’re a life-saver. I took another crack at the aforementioned issue with my spacebar, and the re-installation went smoothly.
Thanks again,
Dan
July 7th, 2009 at 4:52 pm
I can’t get my enter key on, do you have any advice for that? (its a dell computer).
July 7th, 2009 at 4:57 pm
Thanks so much for this. Lost my shift key for about 2 weeks and your instructions helped me fix it in less than a minute. X
July 8th, 2009 at 5:16 pm
Thanks! This saved my sanity, and the appearance of my keyboard!
July 9th, 2009 at 3:02 am
Thank you very much! Finally fixed my key with your help!!!
July 12th, 2009 at 12:08 pm
Hey THANK YOU!
My cat sometimes rips a key off my laptop keyboard and, a couple of times i managed to do it by myself (mostly by luck). But this last time I was having difficulties.
You really helped me out!
Thanks again!
July 12th, 2009 at 1:14 pm
Good post, I wish I had read this a few moths ago when my key fell off. I tried for ages to egt it back on. I managed in the ned but would have been a lot easier with this help.
Thank you.
July 13th, 2009 at 2:56 pm
Pictures helped me repair the shift key on my dell
Thanks
July 13th, 2009 at 3:00 pm
Thank You, Thank you….
July 14th, 2009 at 4:14 am
THX!
July 14th, 2009 at 7:29 pm
thanks man, that was a great tutorial got my key back in place in less than 15 minutes.
toshiba satellite l355-s7902
July 16th, 2009 at 5:45 pm
awesome! i did it!!—–
July 17th, 2009 at 2:01 am
Thank you so much for the tutorial. I had my left arrow key chipped off from my Lenovo. I tried getting support for it to be fixed, but when I was told it’s gonna take weeks, I had second thoughts. It was only after I got to your site that I tried snapping back the key, and it worked.
Great job guys.
July 18th, 2009 at 11:57 am
Thank youuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu soooooooooooooooo much!
July 19th, 2009 at 3:26 am
thanks.
July 19th, 2009 at 5:53 am
Thank You for the deatiled demonstration of the procedure.
I fixed the decimal point key from my Dell Inspiron 1420 laptop myself using your tutorial.
It helped me saving considering money and time!
July 19th, 2009 at 2:54 pm
omg Thankyou thankyou thankyou!!! my spacebar works again!!! yay!!
July 20th, 2009 at 5:24 am
Thanks man! That helped me get my > key back on after it jumped off when I was typing on my new Vostro 1710. You da man!
July 20th, 2009 at 2:43 pm
I just popped a key out by accident and your instructions helped me put it back in. Thanks for the great info! Incredibly helpful!
July 20th, 2009 at 4:11 pm
Thank you so much! You made is so easy and gave me the confidence to do it.
July 21st, 2009 at 2:02 am
In the process of trying to fix this i snapped the key retainer! It’s a very fiddly job!
July 21st, 2009 at 6:01 am
Thankyou so much! Took my spacebar key off to clean under it then realised I couldn’t get it back on *embarrassed*.
Thanks!
July 21st, 2009 at 10:46 pm
Thank you so much! I exchanged a broken membrane just like you suggested, and now I have my “M” back. You guys rock!
July 23rd, 2009 at 9:38 pm
This article is really helpful. I fixed my laptop keys seeing these suggestions. The screenshots helped a lot
July 24th, 2009 at 6:44 am
thx so much!!! wouldn’t have been able to fix my ~ without the pictures
))
July 24th, 2009 at 10:35 am
You rock! Thanks so, so, SO much! I replaced my broken E-cap using that weird little key cap next to ALT, and I can finally type properly again! Seems so simple now, after reading your suggestion to swap out the caps like that, but I was completely at my wit’s end and not thinking properly. You really saved my day!
And as somebody said above, the screenshots are excellent and a huge help. Thanks again!!!
July 25th, 2009 at 8:15 am
Why is genius so simple? Thanks so much. I won’t have to shop for a key now!
July 25th, 2009 at 2:25 pm
Thank you so much.The pictures were a great help. Now I can appear to be a genius when my friends need help.
God bless you
July 25th, 2009 at 5:58 pm
Thank you for the response you gave explaining how to reattach the cap of a letter. I was desperate to fix my dell inspiron lapton enter key before my husband saw that it had popped off. he might have murdered me for letting it get busted
i didn’t realize that i would have to push as hard as i did to get it to snap back on. i kept thinking that it would need glue to reattach, but there was no leftover glue from the original assembly so i knew not to do that. it snapped back on easily…i just had to push down on it harder then i thought i would have to!!!
July 26th, 2009 at 7:28 am
thank you so much, this made everything so simple.
reattached my “j” key with ease.
July 28th, 2009 at 9:41 am
Thanks for putting this info. I have a HP compaq 8510w. The suggestion worked perfectly for me.
July 28th, 2009 at 10:20 pm
Thanks
Clear and lucid instructions.
Was able to fix the key within 3 minutes of finding your site.
Will join the crowd, and say, Thanks Again !!
July 29th, 2009 at 12:12 pm
This website is amazing!! Thank you soooo much for helping me!
This website is much better than any other website “trying” to help you. So thanks again!
July 29th, 2009 at 3:12 pm
Thank you thank you thank you!!!!!!! I fixed it with your tutorial’s help!! You are amazing!!
July 29th, 2009 at 11:03 pm
You are brilliant – my husband had tried without success, and it worked first time for me!
July 30th, 2009 at 8:04 am
My problem with a missing key seems to be that the silicone membrane itself oes not work. The key u say to use is also off, but when I push that membrane it works. The other missing key oes (will) not work when the memrane in pushet. Also, it seems the membane is not gluet but sticks up thru the keyboart. I on’t know if you’ll reply, but it woult be much appreciatet if you woul . It is a Sony laptop VGN-FE77OG. Thank you.
July 30th, 2009 at 8:16 am
mark silverstein,
I guess it’s time to replace the keyboard. I don’t think that you can fix it.
July 30th, 2009 at 11:20 am
This was soooo useful. I fixed my Sony Vaio Laptop using method 1. The most important tip is to take another key apart and see how that one is assembled so you can assemble the broken one.
I now have this website bookmarked and will recommend this to everyone. ^^
July 31st, 2009 at 3:17 pm
Excellent instructions! Does anyone know where I can get a MEMBRANE? The membrane under my left mouse key on my laptop seems to be broken. The top is off of it and the part the top rests on seems to be irreparably smooshed!
August 1st, 2009 at 6:52 am
You’re amazing. It’s actually easy. Just take another one off, and see how you need to put it together
ty very much
August 2nd, 2009 at 2:06 am
Heeey
this is AMAZING! only the key cap fell off on the shift key in my Advent netbook!
thank you (:
August 2nd, 2009 at 8:22 am
I’m looking for a replacement keypad button
Specifically the “Enter” button (gray plastic cover that goes on top of the button)
For a Gateway M-6332 laptop
If I can’t get the button cover, where can I get a replacement keypad? $$ ?
August 2nd, 2009 at 9:37 pm
What if a key fell off, as well as the key retainer, and the points that would hold it on seem to be… ineffective? And/or one of them broke off? And snapping it back on does nothing and it continues to come back off every time?
I do need help with this… pic here, if it helps.
August 2nd, 2009 at 9:44 pm
hyperdelirium,
You’ll have to replace the keyboard. If one of the metal hooks is broken, you will not be able to attach the key.
August 8th, 2009 at 4:07 pm
chick Edwards,
You can search for this button on eBay and if there is no luck, replace the whole keyboard.
August 9th, 2009 at 2:24 pm
Voilá! Took white plastic key retainer off of keycap and installed retainer per pic and snapped on cap. Too easy when you know how!
August 10th, 2009 at 9:19 pm
omgosh thnk you sooooo much
this