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It’s possible that at some point throughout the lifetime of the keyboard on your desktop computer or laptop, you’ll discover that you need to remove a key in order to clean the area below it or replace it. In the event that anything was accidentally spilled on your keyboard or if a key suddenly stopped functioning and you need to have a look beneath it to see what the problem is, it is imperative that you remove the keys in an appropriate manner in order to avoid damaging the keyboard. This may be done using a specialised instrument known as a keycap puller, or it can be done with equipment from around the house that you already have at your disposal.
Method 1 – Using a Keycap Puller
Obtain a tool called a keycap puller from a store that specialises in the repair of electrical devices or buy one online. These little attachments are intended to be wrapped around keys in order to remove them without causing any harm to either the keys themselves or the switches that they sit on. Make some phone calls to the various electrical repair businesses in the area to find out whether any of them sell these tools.
- There are plastic and wire varieties of the keycap puller. The wire type is regarded as superior than the plastic kind due to the fact that it can withstand more wear and tear and is less prone to harm the keys. To extract keys, any of these options will work without a hitch. On the other hand, you should go for the wire variety if you are worried about scratches.
You may remove a keycap by sliding the prongs of your keycap puller beneath the key’s edges. When the keycap puller you are using is made of plastic, you should hear a click to indicate that it has successfully snapped onto the key. To remove a keycap using a wire keycap puller, you will need to twist the handle of the tool once the prongs are beneath the key in order to hook the wire loops underneath two of the key’s corners.
To remove the key, you will need to pull up on the keycap puller. The key may be easily removed from the switch below to which it is linked by simply sliding it off. In the event that you need to remove more than one key, remove the key that you just removed from the keycap puller and then continue with the operation.
- When using wire keycap pullers, it is possible to remove three or four keys in rapid succession before having to remove the keys from the puller.
Method 2 -Using Household Tools
As an alternative to a keycap remover, you may use a screwdriver with a flathead tip or a butter knife. Verify that the tip of the screwdriver or the blade of the knife may pass beneath the keys on your keyboard. If you are going to use a knife, keep in mind that you need to exercise extreme caution so that you do not cut yourself.
- Keep this in mind if you are concerned about any little cosmetic damage to your keyboard, since a screwdriver or knife may easily scrape the keys and the keyboard.
Use a paperclip to rig together a keycap puller for your own use at home. You may fashion a paperclip into something that functions just like a keycap puller as an alternative to using a knife or a screwdriver with a flat head. Unbend the paperclip fully, then reshape it so that it looks like the letter “U,” and last, bend the ends inwards so that they may hook under a key in the same manner that a keycap puller does.
Pry the keycap off of a key by sliding your preferred alternative keycap puller beneath the key first. Applying little upward pressure with the instrument of your choice until the key begins to come loose is the first step. It is possible that the tool will not completely remove the key, in which case you will need to finish removing it with your fingers.
- Be patient as you try to pry up the keys so that you don’t wind up flinging them into the air, where they will never be seen or heard from again!
