Reattaching 11" MBA F10 Key

The F10 key has popped off my 2011 11" MacBook Air and I can't find any instructions anywhere on how to reattach it.

It has a combination of a metal bar plus two tiny plastic hinges.

It's my work machine, so I can't just take it into the Apple Store, if I give it in at work I'll have to use the Windows 7 backup laptop for a few weeks, while they send it off for fixing :/

Does anyone know how to reattach the 11" MacBook Air's F10 key?

ScottJ said:

This may help:

http://youtu.be/hYWxUEzg4uE

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"Hinge clip" and "metal tab" were useful terms from this video, thanks for suggesting it.

TheRealDamager said:

Do a quick search on Youtube - there are dozens of videos on this...

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Unfortunately, all the videos I found showed different mechanisms than that of the 11" MacBook Air's function keys.

The-Pro said:

you can also have a look here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kh88cn_rtLo

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Thanks for this video, it usefully showed putting one corner in before the other, which was needed to attach the hinge clip, as I'll detail below.

The-Pro said:

2 mins in to the video he shows it on an air.
You need to use that scissor concept he is taking about. slot in under the hook first, press the others down. then push the key down onto it at the end

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The function keys didn't work quite like that, as I'll detail below.

RedTomato said:

Put it on top of the plastic nub, line everything up, & press down with your finger till it goes click.

Sometimes one corner won't engage. Press that down till it goes click.

Source: replaced keys many times on ibooks and macbooks.

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I too have replaced many keycaps over the years, on iBooks, PowerBooks and MacBooks, but they were always the larger letter keys, never one this tiny or with metal clips involved.

krspkbl said:

It's kinda hard without seeing the computer but make sure nothing is broken. If it's not broken then just put everything in the right place and align the key cap and push down and it should click back into place no bother!

I had to remove a keycap/scissor mechanism on my old MacBook and those things are so delicate! You need to be very careful, have a very steady hand and be gentle when applying force. All it takes is one tiny little piece of plastic to snap off and you'll end up with a very loose key.

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Happily nothing was broken, the key now feels just like all the others.

RightMACatU said:

It would have been funnier if it had been the Esc key

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On account of it trying to… escape?

And so now here are a bunch of attachments, so that I can include them inline in my next post.

I've fixed my 11" MacBook Air's F10 key thanks to the replies above, here are my notes for anyone else who needs to do the same:

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The plastic "scissors" mechanism on this key is comprised of two of these:



After a lot of trial and error, I realised that they need to be slid into two grooves either side of the plastic nub. When done correctly they can stand up:



Finally, there's a hinge clip that can be slid under two metal tabs all on its lonesome:



I repeatedly tried clicking the keycap into place on top of this with no success, realised it was because the clip and the key need to connect together like this:



However, simply pushing the keycap on top couldn't make that connection happen. So, I added the clip to the keycap first:



And then, holding the hinge clip and the kaycap as one assembly, I maneuvered the left side of the clip under the left tab, then the right end under the right tab, then clicked it down and forward into place.

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As I said in my previous post, the F10 key now works and feels just like all the others. Thanks again!