2012 Macbook Pro 13" A1278 Keyboard Replacement
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- čas přidán 14. 03. 2016
- Keyboard Parts Best Deal: ebay.to/2GVeo6f
Macbook Pro 13” 2012 (A1278) video series:
Remove bottom case (recurring for all videos)
1. Replace Battery P/N: A1322, 661-5557
2. Replace/Upgrade Random Access Memory (RAM) P/N: 2012 Models PC3-12800 2GB, 4GB, 8GB (16GB Max) (Workaround: Any Faster 204-Pin DDR3 SO-DIMM as long as 1 old slower module is left in one of the banks)
3. Replace Hard Disk Drive P/N: Any compatible SATA Drive
4. Replace DVD Super Drive P/N: 661-5165, 661-5502, 661-5865 or comparable
5. Replace Trackpad P/N: 922-9063, 922-9525, 922-9773
6. Replace Screen Assembly P/N: 661-6594
7. Replace WiFi/Bluetooth AirPort Card P/N: 661-5867, 661-6510
8. Replace Fan P/N: 922-8620, 661-5418, 661-9530, 922-9530, 661-4946
9. Replace Logic Board P/N: 661-5869, 661-6078, 661-6588, 661-6589
10. Replace CPU Heat Sink P/N: 923-0105
11. Replace Speakers P/N: 922-9769, 922-9772
12. Replace Microphone P/N: 922-9059
13. Replace Power Connector/DC-in-Board P/N: 661-5217, 661-5235, 922-9307, 820-2565-A
14. Replace Keyboard P/N: Any A1278 Keyboard 2009-2012
15. Replace WiFi and Bluetooth Cable P/N: 922-9780
Reinstall bottom case (recurring for all videos)
![Macbook Pro 13' A1278 - keyboard replacement [4K]](/img/n.gif)
Small town computer technician here. That was one of the best teardown videos I've ever seen. Great job!
Thank you so much for the support.
I agree! Well done!
Gives me enough confidence to tackle mine. apple wants $400 so ordering one and trying it myself. Thanks
I spilt liquid on keyboard, Macbook dead and was told by Apple that this was an uneconomical repair, watched the video and bought a OEM replacement keyboard on EBAY for £13 pounds. Macbook now back up and working!! totally awesome tutorial, you are a star.
remove the 50 screws from the keyboard!!! OMG,,, that was painful. Thx for the help
Welcome.
You missed 1. There are 51.
Oh yeah try to remove 50 then have the last one stripped out like mine. Finally had to just saw it down to remove. PAIN IN THE ASS! Great Apple engineering lol
@@MegaJap3 mine had 60 2012 A1278
67 Screws on a 2011 A1278
Does anyone know the proper torque on those tiny Screws?
Thanks so much for this tutorial! Wasn't sure my old pal would make it through at first boot, I experienced a bright flash of light from the screen followed by a black screen. On further investigation with a projector and later a flashlight I could see the LCD a video feed was displaying correctly, but the backlight was out. I did another tear down and reassembly, checked the LVDS terminals for corrosion as well as the general logic board, but had the same issue at start. The next day I randomly decided it was worth another shot, and discovered that I had been crimping the protective foam mounted on the LVDS cable INSIDE the buckle / eyelash causing a minuscule gap between the LVDS bracket pins and the cable. It's a big jump between arduino and this complexity of repair...double check those connections!
Dude Thankyou!! I'm also a small town Computer Techie and this was a great teardown. Perfect instructions and guidance. Many thanks!!
Glad to help a fellow colleague!
Thanks so much for the video, the repair took a while but following your guide made it easy. 👍
Glad to help.
Thanks for the clear concise instructions. It was great to find all screws with no rivets
Excellent video, managed to replace my keyboard with no issues , bit fiddly in places but as long as you don’t mind doing it it’s well worth the time
Thank you so much for this. I just got done with the repair. It worked like a charm although it was incredibly tricky at points. It took me over 3 hours in total. Gribsoft makes it look easy here, but many of these screws and connections are minuscule and finicky. If you follow his steps with patience and a steady hand, he will not lead you wrong. I'm so glad to have saved my machine once again. At this point, my 2012 macbook pro has gotten a new solid state drive, new RAM, new battery, new cd drive, and now a new keyboard and backlight. Everything in it has pretty much been replaced at some point. But they're just such great machines I never want to give mine up. I was wondering if the processor is able to be replaced? I was thinking that if that could be upgraded it'd turn my laptop into a total beast. Thank you again!
Thanks a ton for sharing this tear down.
It really helped to identify the issue. In my case, I am taking keyboard off my friends mbp for cleaning.
Liquid damage.
Thank you, this was wonderful. I'm a complete layman, but this helped me somewhat save my keyboard from a spill. I will need to replace it entirely, but for now if I prevented further damage it's already worth it.
Yo thank you so much man. This was a painful replacement. Fixed both my KB and power button as a result of this. epic win.
I have the same problem with my power button.
This was the best guide I found. Thank you s much! Made it a cinch.
Happy to help :)
Thanks for giving details like the keyboard lever. I spend like an hour trying without knowing. Great video
Cupcake tin with labels help me keep track of screws and steps.
Great Tutorial. Thanks!
Thank you for the tutorial, that was awesome!
Thanks!
Second
Best teardown video.
Was able to replace keyboard super fast!
Thank you much!
Thanks for the comment
Good review. Please note, the the rear cover screws are not all perpendicular. Some screws angle outwards a few degrees. If you are not careful, it's enough to damage the threads so be careful when refitting.
thanks to you I was able to repair my macbookpro, the truth is that I didn't get lost at any time and the explanation in detail is appreciated... Greetings from Chile!!
Thank you for this upload!!! I saved $250! Also, everybody make sure you push that keyboard cable in as far as you can. I didn’t on the first attempt and half of my keyboard did not work as a result. Once I made sure that cable was all the way connected it worked like a charm.
My keyboard is also not worked almost half, maybe it's because I didn't put it correctly too
It's incredibly hard to get it pushed in all the way and lock in place. I used tweezers wrapped in soft tape.
Nice video I've just replaced a clients keyboard took me about two hours sadly.. one thing to note for future videos name the screws sizes rather than saying "Phillips Screw".
Thanks for the feedback.
Very helpful. Got thru it and after a few screw-ups its working fine. Always smart to take pictures before dismantling because you think you will remember how it goes but sometimes you don't and its a bit trickier than you thought. My takeaways/screw-ups: I placed the keyboard over the trackpad cable so that it was sticking up over the spacebar. Didn't seat the power button properly (even though I was warned in the video). WiFi cable wasn't seated properly. I should have kept better track of what screws went where. I was able to figure it out but all of these mistakes cost me time. But it works and that is what counts.
Glad to help! Support us on Patron bit.ly/2F3ebil or By clicking the KEEP US GOING button at www.appledollars.com/support-us
The hard disc ribbon cable is notorious for fracturing and looking like the disc has failed. New cables are cheap so probably worth fitting one anyway. Avoid making sharp bends and the new one will last longer.
Amazing tech demonstration!👏👏👏
Thank you so much, I was able to install new keyboard yesterday thanks to you.
Thank you for this excellent video, it’s nice and clear, with great instruction, great video. 😀
@1:17 "disconnect (and lift up the fan) did that but upon reassembly I realized the 4 tiny pins on the logic board were still inside the fan connector! so I ruined my logic board and going to scrap the MBP. It felt fine coming off so I must have pulled instead of lifted of visa versa. Be gentle at that step. Great video. It was my fault. Tried to start the MBP anyway but it wouldn't turn on (probably a good thing).
I very sorry to hear that. Check the keyboard connection, the Mac should start even without a fan.
great, thanks a lot, I have a new 2020 m1 macbook pro, but the old one with an ssd, 16gb of ram and a new keyboard ;) is again useful thanks to you
i like the emotionless narrative. nice video tho! helped alot
Thanks so much guy worked 100% and saved me a bunch
Brilliant, just be careful of the bracket holding the subwoofer. Perfect tutorial
Best video ever! Thanks a lot
Great tutorial, thanks!
Great video
Great video, thanks for taking the time to put it together.
I followed it through and everything went back together OK, oh apart from the one spare screw! On booting it gave me the blank screen with a folder symbol on it so it couldn't find the boot OS. I took a break, came back ten minutes later and went to turn it on to try a recovery and nothing! no light, fan, screen, even the mag charger connector didn't show a light! Gutted, I thought it was almost fixed :-(
Sounds like there is just a loose connection somewhere. Check every connection around the logicboard.
I took the logic board out again and found that the block connector from the magnetic charge cable onto the logic board had fallen out. I reconnected it and also put a strip of electrical tape over it. I reinstalled the logic board and it booted again, it's still booting to the window with the folder icon but I think that might be the hard drive cable, I've had to replace it before, a known problem on mid 2012 13". Once the new HD cable arrives I'm hoping that will be cured. Thanks again for the help, hopefully I've added some more years of life to my MacBook Pro!
If you have a SATA to USB cable you can take out the drive and boot from it through the USB port to make sure that the Macbook is able to boot up into the OS. It's a good cable to have just in general in case of need for recovery, here is the link for it ebay.to/2O5aLhM
Save Apple Dollars, I tried the usb to sata cable and the MacBook booted up and worked fine. The new internal SATA cable arrived and I fitted it and I still get the folder with a question mark. I must have damaged the socket on the logic board, although looking through a microscope it looks fine! At a loss now.... I might need to buy a refurbished machine and bastardise the two,!
Wait did you do a NVRAM reset? www.appledollars.com/reset-nvram sometimes the boot order gets corrupted and an NVRAM reset will reset the boot order to default, internal drive first. Best way to test this is to hold the Option key right before the macbook chimes as soon as you turn it on from cold boot. Keep holding the option key until you see multiple boot options, if your internal drive shows up then it's just the boot order that's messed up.
Amazing job on the tutorial. It helped a lot. Only issue I'm having is the keyboard light isn't working anymore. I made sure the cable was in properly. I'm ok if this is the worst issue being that prior to repair I couldn't keep the computer on. But if I could fix this, I would like to. Any ideas?
If it's correctly plugged into the logicboard then the only other issue it could be is that it's not properly aligned with the plastic layer, it's worth looking into this video czcams.com/video/v4V7mm1Z1sM/video.html
Okay it took me 6 hours. I broke the iSight camera :( BUT OMrnG i'ts fixed!! THE KEYBOARD HAS BEEN REPLACED!!! Bloody heck lol I'm sweating!! I'm so happy the keyboard+power button was fried and now the laptop turns on and works minus the webcam (RIP) yay :D thank you so much xxxx
Just replaced mine today and I also broke the webcam cable while de-attaching it. I totally feel you brother 😄
Damn, think I'll better pay someone 😂
Thank you very much, it was very helpfull.
hello I am using Macbook Pro mid 2012 non retina display model. lost down arrow key. Can you please help me in knowing the variant number of key and also the hinge type used.
Thank you man. Fantastic tutorial, just repaired my keyboard after someone spilled a drink on it
Thanks bro, you are the best
I generally tell customers that its not worth fixing in this situation, but its good to see the steps and would be worthwhile if you have a strong ethic to repair and save money or reduce waste.
How do you disconnect the black taped power button from the keyboard assembly? No video tutorial seems to explain how to do that. I'm afraid to break the connector.
4:50 Keyboard exposed
5:05 Reinstallation
thank you man...i love you!
thank you so much!!!
Thank you for this video. I got to the 2:19 mark and the screw that's holding down the bracket on the right hand side threaded after two turns 🥹 is there anyway to remove this?
I counted 67 tiny screws on the keyboard.
Thanks!
It's more then a few.
awesome thanks have subbed
Thanks.
I found out the little plastic piece that holds the keyboard back light cable isn't in the motherboard. It seems like it was broken before I bought it. Is there a way I can fix this?
posts a video on replacing the keyboard. Does everything except replace the keyboard
What do you do with the microphone you previously teared when you put the computer back together?
Just put it back close to how it was before and when you screw-in the lvds cable bracket it will hold it in place just like it was. I'm not sure why they glued it in the first place.
did this
thing doesnt turn on anymore and no magsafe light
I did exactly like in video. Now I've some issue with keyboard. Randomly it change layer like I'll keep pushed the Alt key. I'll try to fix it by reconnecting the keyboard tape and still same... Any ideas?
hey, is the macbook pro 2009's keyboard same as in mid 2012 non retina macbook pro? Both are A1278 models. My 2012's keyboard have few keys not working and i could get broken 2009 for cheap price. But anyway i dont want to buy it, if cant use it as replacement. So just making sure. Thanks.
It's same
So I did this and my computer won't work now. It seems to be the battery. The cable doesn't light up with either a red or green dot when connected. The charge bar at the side of the computer doesn't light up when I press on the button either.
I replaced the battery with a new one and there's no difference. All the cables are reconnected correctly. Nothing is loose and I went over them all with a magnifying glass to be certain. The backlight connection for the keyboard and the keyboard are connected correctly and the eyelash is down.
Any advice.
is the computer suppose to work even if some of the component are not put back in (dvd player, speakers, wifi, etc)
Yes, it can work with just the DC-in board, logicboard and LCD as long as there is power going to it.
I'm already trying for 2 hours to connect the keyboard connector.. Why do they make it so difficult ?
The “s d f g h j k l” keys on my mid 2012 MacBook Pro stopped working. In the past all I had to do was hit the keys repeatedly and the keys would start working again. This usually happened when the computer would overheat. I solved the issue by cleaning the fans out 6 months ago which were littered with dust.
Today the keys stopped working and I have not been able to fix the problem with the old bang the keys solution. Have you ever heard of the computer over heating and affecting keyboard function? Would you recommend I replace the keyboard?
what did u end up doing
Hi, I have a macbook pro mid 2012 with a corner dent and usually scratches from use. Computer still wroks well, it's pretty much aesthetic... it it possible to change both upper case and the down case ?
It's possible but very very difficult, on top of taking the risk of breaking one of many expensive components in the process. Just get a good looking $20 case cover from Amazon or ebay.
thanks !
I gotta do all this to fix on key
For some reason, this particular video (keyboard replacement) is not playing anymore. Can you pls have a look. Thanks for amazing videos.
Thanks for letting me know, I'll have youtube look into it right away. Thanks again!
@@GRIBSOFT Any progress as this video still doesn't play?
I submitted the ticket and they claimed they fixed it. For now use this videoczcams.com/video/kz7qt53GsFs/video.html for a 2011 model it's very close.
@@GRIBSOFT ok I will but video still does not play
@@GRIBSOFT The video does not play for me as well.
can I replace a single key? not whole keyboard.
Does anyone know what size the 50 screws holding the keyboard in are? My #000 is wayyy too big!
Hi! I spilled some coffee on my keyboard. The Mac is fine because it’s still turning on but I haven’t been able to unlock since some keys aren’t working. I have some tech experience but I’m scared to do this process and damage something. Should I just take it to a shop or someone else? Could it be salvageable by cleaning/drying or should I just try or request a replacement?
Thank you so much!
On a scale of 1 to 10 this is a 9 difficulty repair in my opinion. If the coffee had sugar in it then it will have to be replaced, unless it dries quickly, that's not likely. If you have the option, then take it to a shop. But don't pay over $150 for this type of job.
Save Apple Dollars thank you so much! For now I shouldn’t try to charge it right? I was able to unlock it with a USB keyboard, it was kind of slow and the display glitches a bit but nothing too bad so I don’t want to cause further damage
Take it to a shop and have they clean it inside.
Thank you ..!!! Nice tutorial.. but I have a problem ..! Keyboard replaced and it works! But when I power on my MacBook it’s stuck on user loader (after password, near 70%). What’s happened ? :(
Check the Hard Drive cable. Unplug it at both ends and reconnect it.
@@GRIBSOFT it was a isight camera cable.. I think it's broken :( ..the cpu goes at 2% and the fan at maximum speed. (heat sensor mantain-mode). I resolve it removing the isight camera's plug.
bro what. i was expectin you to unscrew those 50 plus screws from the keyboard. how am i supposed to replace it if i miss to watch that crucial step
Thanks for your help. I have a slight issue with the screen after replacing the keyboard. The screen randomly flickers. Is there a connection that specifically causes this?
Yes, check the LVDS connection to the logic board. Open the mac unplug the LCD and re-seat it.
Save Apple Dollars thank you so much. You have helped me tremendously, i have subscribed. Also you’re right it is the LVDS connection.
Great!
One of the screws connected to the lives bracket on my Mac is stuck help
What is a lives bracket?
I did a massive repair on my MacBook and screwed up on something.
I’ve replaced the battery, speakers, keyboard and thermal paste.
Now it is stuck on a black screen when turned on.
I’ve tried SMC/PRAM reset and another reset I don’t know the name (remove battery, press power button for 5 seconds then plug the battery and turn on).
After SMC reset the screen blink one time than nothing else.
Does anyone can help me?
I did the whole process but the keyboard ribbon will not fit inside the connector. I've tried for an hour and there's no way it'll go in,any ideas why?
Angle is most likely the issue but where did you buy the keyboard? You sure it’s the right model? Does the old keyboard fit?
I did all my screen its black only after finishing and turning power on
I’ve got a 2013 model with two fans. Do I just do almost everything the same?
You must have a 15" model so just follow this video czcams.com/video/xAHtxNVOXZI/video.html
Save Apple Dollars Thank you so much for the reply :)
Glad to help.
How do you disconnect??
How much do you charge for this?
ok i will buy the external keyboard thank you
Struggling to disconnect speaker and iSight camera
I couldn't reconnect the keyboard strip.
I have made everything step by step and after i was finished everything worked except the wifi. The computer find the wifi but can't use it. Bluetooth and everything works but the wifi. Please help!!!
(The date and time has been changed also)
Disconnect the wifi cable on both sides and re-seat it, also check the antenna connection inside the wifi bracket make sure that the antenna cable is clicked in. Specifically here is the video on how to disassemble the wifi card and reassemble it czcams.com/video/Q7n64uxTQXo/video.html for this model, also watch this video to guide you through the entire concept www.appledollars.com/wifi-repair and here is the video map for all replacement parts for that model www.appledollars.com/2012-macbook-pro-a1278 let us know if you fix it.
Wow that was a very fast answer, but I found the solution for the problem. I connected the macbook to the internet with an ethernet cable and by that method the computer was finally be able to set its date and clock. After that it worked just how it should.
I appreciate so much that I get your answer so quickly. Your video is very useful for people and on the top of that they get help if they need. Keep up the good work!:D
Greeting from Hungary
Always glad to help.
Help any one? - I replaced the keyboard for the same model MAcbook Pro 2012 A1278 . In the process the backlight connector socket on the logic board was inadvertently damaged and I wasnt able to connect the back light flex ribbon on the logic board.
This , as I found out, causes the screen to be blank at power-up (With the back light ribbon not connected that is. SO.. I have a new keyboard but blank screen!! I tried effortlessly to connect the backlight flex ribbon . Very Frustrating..Anyone has a remedy for my case?? Thanks -
Back light for the keyboard will never make the screen black. What you read in the posts is the back light for the LCD which is a chip on the logic board. It's most likely that the LCD (LVDS ) cable is not connected properly and needs to be reseated. Try unplugging the monitor cable and reseating it.
🤩🤩🤩👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻❤️❤️❤️
I turned on my computer and now it’s just a black screen. Help.
Rip
is it possible to repair the top case/keyboard?
yes
Don't try to repair it, just replace it, they are like $20. If you try to repair a keyboard by taking it out and cleaning it remember it's 50+ screws and 2 hours of work with a possibility of ripping cables every moment. It's best to do this once.
@@GRIBSOFT not everybody lives in the US. In Brazil I asked a place for a quote and they offered their service for R$ 1600,00 which is about $400,00. They still get a lot of business somehow
I think there is a mistake in translation. What I'm suggesting is for you to buy ebay.to/2FzSBp8 that ships wold wide and comes with the backlight and is guaranteed to work. Avoid taking out your broken keyboard and trying to repair it, just install the one I linked.
i cant remove all the screws :(
Search youtube on how to remove stripped screws, try using a rubber band between the screw and the screwdriver.
Thanks now i dont have to pay to repair
Thanks, Bluetooth keyboard it is then.
Have a go, it's easy :)
See Nothing
This video is not for beginners,
those cables attached to motherboard are very delicate and if not disconnected with proper care, will lead to permanent damage.
how to take those cables out needs separate explanation. The way he is stating "disconnect this cable...etc" its not as easy as it is said.
little mistake there and your macbook is trash.
I almost damaged my motherboard following this video...
Talk Louder.
Great video
Great video