Keys on the left side of a MacBook Pro 2019 keyboard stopped working after cleaning coffee spill

I spilt coffee on the right half of the keyboard of a MacBook Pro 2019 16-inch

I quickly flipped it down and dried the coffee off with lots of tissue. It seemed that the coffee hadn't gone far under the keys.

Also, it kept working well. Only some keys, like the right enter and the delete button, were sticky but working. After spraying alcohol and wiping the sides of the keys, they were not sticky anymore. As for the space bar, I removed the key and cleaned it, and it was fine again.


But after a few hours, some keys stopped working. And surprisingly, they were in the left area where the coffee hadn't reached. The keys are as follows: 1, q, a, z, left shift,(and the comma key on the left between the z and the left shift keys) & the caps lock key

anyway I removed them and cleaned them of old dust. But the problem wasn't fixed..

Any explanation why those keys stoped workin when they aren't the keys that got wet first place?a

how does the keyboard working ?

Or what can I do at home to fix it?

Or what to expect to happen next??

Where should I go? I'm in Egypt by the way.



[Re-Titled by Moderator]

MacBook Pro 16″, macOS 14.0

Posted on Apr 14, 2025 8:27 PM

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Question marked as ⚠️ Top-ranking reply

Posted on Apr 15, 2025 1:40 PM

The reason home fixes seldom help with spills is that liquid damage is progressive.


Even if what obvious is cleaned, there will always be something lurking in areas where you cannot see that will continue to do damage. The result is a cascading failure, where different functions fail as time goes by until the computer is unusable.


Even professional service may not get it all and, as a result, many laptops that suffer liquid damage—especially from acidic and/or sugary liquids—never recover.


You best action other than having Apple evaluate is to put your homeowners' or renters' insurance carrier on notice of a potential total loss.

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Question marked as ⚠️ Top-ranking reply

Apr 15, 2025 1:40 PM in response to ingy1984

The reason home fixes seldom help with spills is that liquid damage is progressive.


Even if what obvious is cleaned, there will always be something lurking in areas where you cannot see that will continue to do damage. The result is a cascading failure, where different functions fail as time goes by until the computer is unusable.


Even professional service may not get it all and, as a result, many laptops that suffer liquid damage—especially from acidic and/or sugary liquids—never recover.


You best action other than having Apple evaluate is to put your homeowners' or renters' insurance carrier on notice of a potential total loss.

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Apr 15, 2025 8:07 AM in response to Kyo317

Kyo317 wrote:

No it is not.

I researched this, Apple's language about Apple restricting AppleCare+ service for Mac computers to the country of purchase is far older than I thought. This 2019 plan document for the US:

Before March 19, 2019

includes the "restrict" language; see Section 4.1.

This is a "fuzzy" area and beyond our scope here as other end users. So babowa is 100 % right: you must contact Apple to confirm your coverage. Have your AppleCare documents at hand.

The Chinese(for example)-language AppleCare documents are here listed by effective dates:

https://www.apple.com.cn/legal/sales-support/applecare/applecareplus/cn/mac/

That page has date ranges for the evolving plans, so use the one that matches your purchase date.

You're linking to the AppleCare+ plan documents. Yes, that plan may have geographic limits. However, it's not because of parts. AppleCare+ is an add on warranty that reduces or eliminates the cost for repairs or replacements.


The original manufacturer's warranty is international. If the OP is out of warranty, they can still get their Mac repaired in other countries, they will just have to pay for it.


This is the document that applies if they are under the original warranty:


Legal - Mac Warranty Us - Apple


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Apr 15, 2025 7:57 AM in response to IdrisSeabright

No it is not.


I researched this, Apple's language about Apple restricting AppleCare+ service for Mac computers to the country of purchase is far older than I thought. This 2019 plan document for the US:


Before March 19, 2019


includes the "restrict" language; see Section 4.1.


This is a "fuzzy" area and beyond our scope here as other end users. So babowa is 100 % right: you must contact Apple to confirm your coverage. Have your AppleCare documents at hand.


The Chinese(for example)-language AppleCare documents are here listed by effective dates:


https://www.apple.com.cn/legal/sales-support/applecare/applecareplus/cn/mac/


That page has date ranges for the evolving plans, so use the one that matches your purchase date.

Reply

Apr 15, 2025 7:17 AM in response to ingy1984

Hello.


I think the motherboard was wagter-damaged.


You should fix it by contacting Apple Support or finding an Apple Store. If you have a coverage, that is great.


However, if you bought your Mac in the U.S., for example, and you are in egypt, you can't fix it since the parts in your Mac is made from the U.S. and is not compatible with Egypt manufactured parts.


Wish you good luck

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Apr 15, 2025 7:20 AM in response to Kyo317

Kyo317 wrote:

However, if you bought your Mac in the U.S., for example, and you are in egypt, you can't fix it since the parts in your Mac is made from the U.S. and is not compatible with Egypt manufactured parts.

That is incorrect. The warranty on Macs is international.

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Keys on the left side of a MacBook Pro 2019 keyboard stopped working after cleaning coffee spill

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