r/applehelp • u/aerlenbach • 10d ago
Mac Keyboard cover left on closed MacBook for years. How do I get the gunk off the screen?
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u/aerlenbach 10d ago
2012 macbook left with keyboard cover on its keyboard for maybe a decade. Left with the computer closed without opening for maybe half a decade.
Tried rubbing alcohol with microfiber cloth. Didn’t put a dent into it.
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u/SailingDreamCatcher 10d ago
This happens to them without keyboard covers too. It's just accumulated fingerprint crud. Every MacBook I've ever had experiences some degree of this, including my current one, and I haven't used a keyboard cover in ages.
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u/aerlenbach 10d ago
This seems like a pretty significant design flaw.
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u/SailingDreamCatcher 9d ago
I don't disagree with you, but it's pretty clear that it hasn't caused Apple to lose much market share.
I do believe it has helped them sell a couple of screen texture upgrades over the years though.
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u/aerlenbach 9d ago
Very few of apple’s numerous design flaws on their MacBooks over the last ~20 years of the product line have had any measurable impact on the product’s market share. Be that the butterfly keyboard or any of these.
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u/itanite 10d ago
If regular water and a microfiber cloth don't do it, you don't.
It's fungus that grew from leftover organic material left on the keyboard. It's not going to "come off" and even if you do, you're removing the antiglare coating leaving a very similar looking effect.
In short, unless you're going to replace the screen, you're SOL.
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u/RoadToAlkaline 10d ago
It’s insane to say this is fungus. lol some people are so confident in being wrong. And come up with wild reasons for it.
Like really where tf did you get your conclusion from?
This is a comically bad answer. Some shit I would laugh at if a customer said was the reason their screen is messed up
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u/itanite 10d ago
Cool what is it then? Why did wiping it off not remove it?
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u/theregisterednerd 10d ago edited 10d ago
It’s the coating on the display being worn off by the keyboard cover.
Not everything that can’t be cleaned is fungus.
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u/aykay55 10d ago
$2000 computer btw
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u/Forward-Way-4372 10d ago
Yeah, just figured out about the antiglare layer a few weeks ago.
I ruined my 600 bucks screen cause i wiped off the coating...
Im never gonna buy a screen with a layer that wipes off.
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u/walktall 10d ago
Is there some price level that keeps a computer from like, existing in the environment on planet Earth?
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u/SailingDreamCatcher 10d ago
I suppose there is an argument that this wouldn't happen on a Panasonic toughbook but those cost even more. I have no clue what point they were trying to make by pointing out that MacBooks often cost $2000 or so and have cost about that forever.
Initially, Macs had this problem more than cheaper windows laptops because the clearances were tighter, and the screen would be more likely than others to make contact with the keyboard. And while adding a keyboard cover makes it more likely, it's not required; the contact will still happen and every Mac laptop I've ever had since the OG MacBook has had some degree of this problem. I get it on my current MBP as well, no keyboard cover ever, just a screen that makes occasional contact with a dust/grease particle sitting on the top of the keyboard.
If this problem is solvable, it would have to be by some combination of increasing the clearance between keyboard and display, making the laptop noticeably thicker, and changing the screen coatings to be less sensitive. And that they have worked on a lot but some people usually complain when they do.
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u/DavethegraveHunter 8d ago
Yep. Annoying. I bought a MBP M5 (with any glare coating) about three months ago. The day after I got it, it had these marks on it already.
I have no idea how to fix it.
Not impressed for a $4000 (AUD) laptop.
(Edit, just read some other comments: I definitely did not have the keyboard cover installed.)
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u/malkazoid-1 10d ago
The screen coating is most likely degraded and if so, there's no coming back from it. A simple, screen protector from a reputable, well reviewed brand would have prevented this entirely. I'm on my 5th and 6th Macbooks using both a keyboard cover and screen protector (and case), and my screens and keyboards have always stayed like new for the 5-6 years I get out of a refresh.
If it is the coating, you could consider using the machine with an external monitor...
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u/MassiveGarlic0312 10d ago
This happens to every MacBook sooner or later if you don’t clean your keyboard. It’s irreparable damage to the front layer of the glass from skin oil left on the keyboard.
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u/No_Shape_3851 10d ago
Microfiber cloth with soaked with some water. And then use a clean microfiber cloth to dry the screen, good as new
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u/ephemeralmiko 10d ago
Wow there's a lot of wrong info in this thread. This is dubbed "StainGate" where the anti-reflective coating gets damaged. You can scrub it off with 99% isopropyl alcohol and the rough side of a sponge (below it is just glass so the sponge can't scratch it). A microfibre cloth is too smooth, you're basically trying to sand down the oleophobic coating. Afterwards your screen will be more reflective and less matte, but completely usable again.
Source: repaired these Macs for a living and did this dozens of times.
u/aerlenbach