Is it normal for the keyboard to get shiny or dull over time?

[ProQuiz]

Is it normal for the keyboard to get shiny or dull (depending on how you look at it or the lighting conditions) over time with use? I've been using my MacBook Pro since November 2023 and the spacebar and certain keys have started to faintly dull down. Note that I clean my keyboard regularly.

Edit: Is there any way to avoid it? Is it just dirt/grime that can be removed with cleaning or is it the actual keys fading/getting shiny?

 

[Arctic Moose]

Apple’s Shiny Grimy Keyboards

Here’s a gripe. The keys on Apple’s modern keyboards all develop a shine over time, starting with the most-used keys. It looks like oil…

mgs.blog

 

[barkomatic]

My keys are definitely shiny on my 2021 MBP and it's not a matter of keeping the keys clean. They just wear.

 

[redheeler]

This isn't just MacBooks, pretty much any laptop will get shiny keys after extensive use.

 

[Apple Knowledge Navigator]

Yes. This is the result of natural oils from your skin fading the plastic.

Unless you're like me and don't have skin.

 

[JPack]

ABS keycaps wear out resulting in shine. This happens on most keyboard, some more quickly than others.

 

[Makisupa Policeman]

This happens pretty much out of the box the minute you start using the keyboard, no matter how clean your hands are. Just got a brand new MBP and it’s already started. There’s simply no avoiding it afaik.

 

[CalMin]

Has anyone tried the replacement key caps available on Amazon? Mine are mostly pretty clean still but the shiny spacebar is starting to bug me.

 

[EdwardC]

I have used those silicone keyboard overlays. They work pretty good, just peel it off before you close the display.

 

[ignatius345]

This isn't just MacBooks, pretty much any laptop will get shiny keys after extensive use.

Sadly true. It's not anything on the surface, it's just what the material looks like when it wears.

On nicer mechanical keyboards, you can use key caps made of much nicer PBT plastic, which do not develop that shine. (On the advice of keyboard nerds, I clean the PBT keys on my Happy Hacking Keyboard with fizzy denture cleaner, which works brilliantly.)

 

[ignatius345]

I have used those silicone keyboard overlays. They work pretty good, just peel it off before you close the display.

 

[Sophytaylor6@]

It happens eventually, due to regular use. The dirt from our fingers or the oil gets stuck on the keyboard keys, so laptop keyboards don't look great over time.

 

[dizmonk]

View attachment 2509081

Hey, I grew up with couches like that.

 

[Fishrrman]

Is it normal for the keyboard to get shiny or dull over time?

Yes.
It's called normal wear and tear.

 

[raythompsontn]

Hey, I grew up with couches like that.

And how long did it take you to realize that if you sat with shorts and no shirt on such furniture, getting up required an assistant and some uncomfortable moments?

I had some relatives with that stuff on their furniture and I quickly learned to be fully clothed if sitting on that stuff. Miserable stuff. I also remember the plastic carpet runners in an attempt to keep anything from showing any wear. The 50's were a terrible time for furniture.

 

[dmccloud]

And how long did it take you to realize that if you sat with shorts and no shirt on such furniture, getting up required an assistant and some uncomfortable moments?

I had some relatives with that stuff on their furniture and I quickly learned to be fully clothed if sitting on that stuff. Miserable stuff. I also remember the plastic carpet runners in an attempt to keep anything from showing any wear. The 50's were a terrible time for furniture.

The 50s were also a terrible time for food - for some reason the answer to everything was "put it in gelatin".

 

[DeepSix]

Yes the only way to prevent it is to use an external keyboard or wear latex gloves.