How to Replace Laptop Keys
June 25th, 2011 
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(Free Members Only) OK, this problem is not “directly” related to spyware prevention, but I can tell you that I have had customers bring in computers that they literally took a hammer to, because they got so mad when their computer wouldn’t work. They later lamented and wanted their data back after which I found out they were just infected. I could have removed the infection cheaper than the cost of a data recovery. Anyway, sometimes its not this extreme and you just knock off a few keycaps.
It is not uncommon thing to have a keycap pop off on your laptop keyboard, especially when you aren’t nice to it. If you are lucky enough to find the keycap and the plastic hinge is still in place, you can pretty much just snap it back on. But if the plastic hinge came apart and you can’t figure out how it goes back together, read on…
My Personal Keycap Replacement Experience
First of all, I really HATE replacing keycaps, because no matter how easy you might think it should be, it is a hit-or-miss type of job. I have spent as little as a minute, and as much as half-an-hour to get one keycap replaced. In my opinion, it is physically easier to replace the whole keyboard. Just know that this job requires your undivided attention. But before you order a new keycap kit, make sure that the little metal latches on the keyboard itself are intact. If it just broke recently, they are probably OK, but if has been a while, they might be bent. Inspect it with a light and magnifying glass to be sure. If bent, carefully bend them back before attempting to snap in the plastic hinge. But if even just one metal latch is bent or broken beyond repair, it is very unlikely that the new keycap will ever snap in securely, and you might need a whole new keyboard. Also, if you seem to be having trouble snapping on the keycap, don’t force it, because you might smash the groove that the plastic hinge snaps into, and then you’ll need a new keycap.
So if you find yourself needing a new keycap, a plastic hinge or the rubber cup, you can buy an individual keycap kit for $4.99 plus S&H from Laptopkey.com, compared to about $35-$80 for a new keyboard. If you have several keys missing, I would check to see if replacing the whole keyboard is more economical, but I can tell you that timewise, it would be better. Then you can keep the old keyboard for spare keycap parts.
But you usually won’t have to replace the entire keyboard, and if you are only replacing some individual keys, you don’t need me to do it for you either, which definitely cost you labor charges. Laptopkey.com sells single key replacement kits which include the keycap, plastic hinge and the rubber cup for most keys. You just have to follow their instructions to find the correct key, which you can then order online and you will have it within a few days.
Watch the video below to see the whole process.
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